Creating a greener aerospace sector is key to the industry bouncing back from Covid-19 according to new research released today.
The second part of Protolabs’ Horizon Shift report, which involved aerospace business leaders from across Europe, reveals that more than three quarters of firms (77%) expect environmental credibility to become a key differentiator moving forward, whilst 72% indicate that new materials will be the driving force in lowering emissions and making flying cleaner.
65% believe investment in innovation that reduces emissions should continue despite the pandemic, with 42% now transforming their supply chains as part of the innovation drive to cut down CO2 output.
Senior executives from Composite Technology Center, Schiebel Group and Tecnam were among senior leaders recently interviewed to understand how this critically important market was looking to recover from the far-reaching impact of Covid-19.
The latest survey, which was conducted as a follow-up to an initial report of 325 executives taken in February and March, presents a unique insight into the sector, particularly in regard to what has changed as a result of the pandemic.
In addition to environmental improvements, companies are also looking for Government support and stimulus packages to help them create new revenue streams, embed innovation in the supply chain and bring new products to market quickly.
39% believe that there needs to be more immediate investment in infrastructure, whilst 33% are calling on more supportive fiscal policy, such as tax breaks or R&D grants.
“The two crises of climate change and the Covid-19 lockdowns are changing the face of the aerospace industry,” explained Bjoern Klaas, Vice President and Managing Director of Protolabs Europe.
He continued: “Our latest Horizon Shift report brings this clearly into view. 77% of companies feel environmental performance will be a key differentiator, a 9% point increase from when we asked the same question in our initial survey just before the lockdowns.
“91% of business leaders admit that cutting CO2 is having some form of impact on how they run their companies and, the good news for the European aerospace sector, is that it appears they’ve decided to embrace the pressure by transforming supply chains and developing new technologies and materials.”
The Horizon Shift report delves into challenges facing the supply chain and what operational improvements the sector is taking to overcome these.
