Efficient tools and process solutions for the ramp-up of aircraft production

Laurent Benezech: In terms of sales, MAPAL still has a large focus on the automotive industry but is significantly expanding its presence in the global aerospace industry. The strategy is based on process-based solutions for final assembly and part machining. The Global Organisation for Assembly is responsible for final assembly activities, while in part machining we work with Generic Components for pattern-based reference processes. MAPAL France was a pioneer within the company group for the aerospace industry. The experience and structures gained there are scaled across the group.

Frédéric Estrat: Certainly our twenty years of experience in working with the aerospace industry, including as a Rank 1 supplier to Airbus. To put this in perspective: In France, we currently generate almost half of our turnover in the aerospace sector. France is the pilot market for Final Assembly: this is where we pool testing and production capacities and transfer methods and standards to other regions. In this way, we create speed in validation and predictability in rollout.

Benezech: We see ourselves at an equally leading level here: We offer our customers a complete process including the entire tool layout. We produce the tools ourselves and have the capacity and skills to regrind or optimise them within a very short time – and this expertise is available in all the important markets. The aerospace industry needs fast response times with regard to test tools and quick optimisation cycles. With our setup we could reduce lead times of test tools down to two weeks for uncoated versions and three weeks for coated tools. Testing can be carried out either directly at the customer's premises or at our test centre here in France. On the other hand, traditional validation takes quite a long time before the products are finally adopted to production. This is a significant difference to the automotive industry, where process optimisations are included seamlessly in production. We have aligned our organisation accordingly: rapid provision of test tools combined with the ability to support validations worldwide.

Estrat: When people talk about the aerospace market, they usually mean the number of aeroplanes sold or the number of passengers. The potential market for cutting tools is very different. By way of comparison, when assessing growth in the automotive market, you can gain a good insight into how tool consumption is developing. It's different in the aerospace industry. In 2025, there was not more money spent on tools than in the previous year, even though more aircraft were built. One reason for this is that the industry is realising cost-saving potentials by optimising processes and increased tool regrinding. After all, the cost of a bore can be reduced by more than half with a reground tool. We are also seeing a tendency where machining operations that were previously carried out manually are now being automated using Advanced Drilling Unit (ADU) or robots. The industrialisation of production is a major lever for further increasing production volumes. The aim is to produce 10 per cent more aircraft than the previous year, which is quite a lot. It is expected that twice as many aircraft will be flying by 2040 as there are today.

Benezech: The aerospace industry needs to invest in new machines and production lines in order to meet its ambitious goals. This also applies to the modernisation of existing production facilities. We assume that the demand for tools will increase, but not in proportion to aircraft production. However, the tools will need to be technically more advanced. This creates additional potential for MAPAL - not only as a tool manufacturer, but also as an integrated technology partner that measurably increases productivity and quality with process analysis, design, validation and series transfer.

Benezech: Assembly and part machining are equally important for MAPAL, even if the requirements are different. MAPAL has built up a great deal of expertise in assembly in recent years and has been very successful with the major manufacturers, especially in France. We are therefore consistently transferring the technical solutions and expertise we have developed to other markets via the Global Organisation for Assembly. In parts production, we draw on experience from Germany and the UK, among other countries. The focus is on process-stable, reproducible machining solutions for titanium, aluminium and composites - designed for industrialisation and series stability.

Benezech: It is important that we adapt to the local context. We gather customer requirements directly on site and listen carefully to what is expected. After all, it has always been an essential part of MAPAL's DNA to be close to the customer and to tailor tool solutions to their needs. We have the skills and capacities to fulfil all requirements - from simple tools to the design of complex processes. To ensure that this is reproducible worldwide, we rely on three columns:

1.      
In parts production, our strategic Generic Components are available for sales activities. They map all relevant machining steps, serve as reference processes that can be quickly adapted to customer-specific requirements and create planning security. We also work closely with machine manufacturers to optimally harmonise tool and machine performance. The aim is to validate new performance limits in machining - especially for aluminium structural components - under series production conditions and to make the results available worldwide.

2.      
For final assembly, the Global Organisation for Assembly centrally bundles quotation processing, development and testing and ensures rapid responses, process adaptation, validation support and transfer to series production via local process experts. To safeguard our final assembly processes, we operate a modern test and analysis environment in France, which makes the findings available worldwide.

3.      
Specialised local sales experts for aerospace, who work together in a networked technical support system, are crucial for homogeneous market development worldwide. As a result, our customers benefit from short response times, consistent process design and a rapid transfer of validated solutions into series production - regardless of the respective location.

Estrat: We do in those markets that are the most strategically important. Our teams in Germany, France, Poland, Italy, Spain, Belgium, UK, the USA, China and Morocco are well positioned and are creating growth. But of course, we cooperate closely with all MAPAL subsidiaries and sales representations worldwide.

Benezech: By drawing on our expertise in technical matters and global sales, we are in a particularly good position to meet the requirements of major OEMs and Tier 1 & 2 suppliers, a task that will remain our top priority. At the same time, we naturally support the suppliers along the value chain. Our agile organisation allows us to easily adapt to our customers' different requirements.

Estrat: Today, the industry is no longer quite as conservative as it once was, and processes are being adjusted to a certain extent. Manufacturers are forced to do this if they want to achieve their ambitious growth targets. These adjustments are not limited to a replacement of cutting tools, but actually extent to completely reorganising processes, for which new machines or possibly robots are purchased. This inevitably requires new and, above all, more powerful tools, including tools that perform several machining steps in one. Productivity is now a more important criterion than price. This opens up great opportunities for MAPAL.

Benezech: MAPAL is a true technology partner that cooperates with customers in a comprehensive way. We cover all steps from customer enquiry to implementation and consistently align the solution with the customer's target criteria. This is how we have become strategic suppliers to various manufacturers.