With the recent news on the War in Ukraine, many countries have established sanctions against Russia. The United States has also followed this decision, but some questions are being raised when it comes to the aerospace industry: will this ban affect aircraft production? In face of such a scenario, it is Italian excellence which poses another option for the sector.
In a market dominated by multinational enterprises, Magnaghi Aeronautica Spa is an Italian company that stands out for its quality in the design, certification, production and subsequent marketing of landing gear systems, equipment, hydraulic, and electronic systems for aerospace use. According to Paolo Graziano, CEO and president of the company, it is the resourcefulness typical of Italians, the technical skills and technological research that allows MA Group to compete with enormously larger American or Chinese companies.
Graziano says that, oftentimes, international customers are surprised when they discover that Magnaghi Aeronautica is Italian, or more precisely Neapolitan. But it is precisely their midsize apport that allows the company to maintain the agility, speed, and dynamism. “These are fundamental characteristics in today’s market, although they are foreclosed to larger companies,” says Graziano.
But more than technical expertise, the CEO stresses that it is human capital that makes for their success: “Technology without the competence of the technicians to supervise it is useless. We not only have engineering technologies and processes that represent the state of the art in our sector, but also highly qualified technicians, whom I know perfectly well and who have my absolute trust.” This posture adopted by Graziano has thus granted Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) an award recognition as Top Employer 2022 in Italy.
In addition to that, the Italian company has signed an agreement with Lockheed Martin Sikorsky-Boeing to provide fully integrated landing gear systems for the DEFIANT X® helicopter. To keep up with an accelerating pace of innovation, Graziano says his company’s secret is to use a vertical conception of excellence: “Every single aspect of the production process, every single component has an equal importance, in a constant search for uncompromising quality.”
More than making a difference in the aerospace industry, Magnaghi Aeronautica (MA Group) is also constantly working to follow the environmental agenda. For Graziano, this is no longer a choice, but a duty that every company should take. “Committing to safeguarding the planet means respecting future generations by giving them a healthy ecosystem,” claims the CEO, adding that the MA Group Landing Green project was created exactly for that.
The MA Group Landing Green project includes a series of initiatives aimed at improving not only recycling processes, reuse and energy saving, but also making the concept of sustainability fit the company’s modus operandi on its own. “It is also in the field of research and development that we try to find innovative solutions and technologies that are as ‘green’ as possible”, adds Graziano by mentioning how these solutions are being applied to trolleys. “We will probably also produce trolleys for fully electric aircraft, therefore totally sustainable and technologically advanced.”
In 2022, the MA Group is doing something new: they are adding sustainability to their balance sheet. After all, as stressed by Graziano, these actions and projects that are being implemented deserve special attention and the company is happy to share the news with their employees and customers. “It is the ability to adapt, to find quick solutions, to respond quickly to customer requests that allows us to be competitive,” concludes the CEO.
Magnaghi is the core of MA Group, synonymous with excellence in the aeronautical sector. From its creation, in 1936, to today, the company has conquered the international market, becoming partners with some of the most important aircraft manufacturers in the world. With offices in Italy, United States and Brazil, MA Group’s revenue has increased from €19m to €91m in the past 20 years.