Carbures attains record production in aviation in 2015

39,322 aircraft parts were manufactured this year which is 22.23% more than the 32,348 manufactured in 2014

* Carbures is closing the year with turnover in its aviation division of 16.6 million which is 53.7% above the 10.8 million seen in 2014.

* The company has risen to 35 miscellaneous aircraft part production programmes which amounts to seven more than those it had in 2014, thereby becoming one of the key composite aircraft parts manufacturers in Europe.

* The Carbures plants in Illescas and Jerez passed the aviation sector quality and requirements audits in 2015 for each one of their production processes.

Madrid, 30 November 2015. Carbures has consolidated its position as a benchmark European manufacturer of composite aircraft parts. Its industrial and turnover figures for 2015 in the aviation division prove this. This year, the company reached a historic aircraft composite part manufacturing record with 39,322 parts leaving its plants in Illescas and Jerez de la Frontera, the two leading poles in aviation composites production in Europe. This production volume means an increase of 22.23% over the 32,348 parts manufactured in 2014.

The Carbures plant in Illescas produced 32,844 parts in 2015 which is 3,252 parts more than the 29,592 parts produced in 2014. In other words, there was a 10.98% increase over last year's production. This increase is due to the fact that Carbures has consolidated to become a key aircraft part manufacturer for Airbus and other suppliers, having been awarded three new parts manufacturing programmes in 2015 to reach a total of 27 at said plant. A manufacturing programme can include the production of more than one part. Illescas is the Carbures aviation plant with the greatest production.

It is followed by Carbures Airport in Jerez de la Frontera which has seen an increase in its production pace from the 2,756 parts produced in 2014 to the 6,478 parts produced in 2015, which accounts for an increase of 275.6 percent in just one year. This increase is due to the fact that, this year, Carbures has received orders to increase the number of its parts manufacturing programmes by 4, rising from 14 to 18. It is worth mentioning that the plant, with 15,000 squared metres of floor space and 7,800 squared metres of building space and which was built in 2013, is already at 45% of its production capacity after just two years.

This percentage will be greater in 2016 and will reach one hundred percent in 2017 given the portfolio of projects already signed with the Company, which has been boosted by the industrial and commercial take-off of the new Airbus models which are using more and more composite materials to lighten the weight of their aircraft, save on fuel which is the greatest expense the airlines have, and to achieve greater energy efficiency. Carbures manufactures structural parts for the Airbus A320, A320NEO, A330, A340, A350 and A380 models, among other commercial aircraft, and for the A400M (one of the largest military planes in the world) as well as the C295, which also used for military purposes. The parts manufactured by Carbures for these planes are quite diverse and of a size that can range from a few centimetres to more than two metres: covers on fuel tanks, beams and panels for the aircraft belly, the ribs which support the engines hanging from the wings, the parts of the aircraft nose, etc.

The company's turnover in the Aviation division totals 16.6 million euros in 2015, which is 5.8 million more than the 10.8 recorded in 2014. This greater volume of revenue indicates an increase in Carbures aviation sales by 53.7 percent. By plant, Carbures Airport in Jerez has increased its production capacity to equal that of Illescas in Toledo in sales. The production of aircraft parts in Jerez and Illescas is estimated to bring Carbures 8.3 million in turnover from each plant in 2015. "Our origin as a company was in aviation. We have been manufacturing aircraft parts for more than fifteen years and have always gone to great effort to offer our customers the best quality products.

Reaching a record figure of nearly 40,000 parts produced in a year is a source of great pride for us as a company. We will continue working to keep growing in line with the demand in the industry to build lighter and more efficient planes," says the Executive President of Carbures, Rafael Contreras. Moreover, the Illescas, Jerez and El Puerto de Santa Maria plants passed all of the quality audits this year imposed by the aviation sector with flying colours. The requirements in this sector are some of the most demanding in areas of safety and energy efficiency.

The plants can thus ensure compliance with sector regulations for the manufacture of aircraft parts with composites, composites laboratories, environmental quality and workplace safety, among other matters. The renewal of these quality certificates (NADCAP COMPOSITE AC7118, NADCAPNDT AC7114, NADCAPLABORATORY AC7122, UNE-EN 9100:2010, ISO 9001:2008, ISO14001:2004, OSHAS 18001:2007) provides a guarantee of excellence in the composites parts for aircraft manufactured by the company. Based on its experience in aviation, the company continues to work to develop and commercialize industrial automotive technology to mass produce carbon fibre automobile parts. Both as concerns the manufacture of parts as well as lines, the automotive business continues to improve and is steadily moving forward.