Competition for material

Make it later

"FACC is fully booked for years. This makes it all the more important that the availability of essential materials continues to improve," says CEO Robert Machtlinger.(Bild: Markus Wenzel, REUTERS, Krone KREATIV)

Following the crisis caused by the coronavirus pandemic, which led to a total crash, the aviation industry is booming again. Aircraft manufacturers' order books are full, but the supply of materials is sometimes precarious, which is also putting suppliers under pressure. And wars such as the one in Ukraine are also to blame.

Lufthansa ordered 80 short and medium-haul aircraft, Ryanair ordered up to 300 jets, Air India made purchases worth billions - the demand from a wide variety of airlines is filling the order books of aircraft manufacturers Airbus and Boeing - as well as those of suppliers.

FACC, for example, is celebrating a record order intake. The Innviertel-based company, which manufactures parts for wings, tail units and fuselages, has fixed orders worth 5.8 billion US dollars.

We developed strategies and solutions for these supply bottlenecks at an early stage. These include close coordination with all of our suppliers worldwide and the increased development of regional supply chains.

FACC-Vorstandschef Robert Machtlinger

Aviation is booming after the coronavirus crisis. This is also challenging the supply chains, which have already been severely affected. "The aviation industry has an issue here because the materials are often also needed in war," Stefan Pierer, President of the Federation of Austrian Industries in Upper Austria, recently revealed.

Special steels and the raw material titanium are in particularly high demand
Flashpoints as competition for aviation - is that really the case? "We are noticing that certain materials are becoming more difficult to obtain due to the current international trouble spots. These include special steels used in aviation and the raw material titanium," confirms FACC CEO Robert Machtlinger.

Multiple manufacturers, regional supply chains
"In America in particular, military requirements generally take priority over civil aviation. There can be strong fluctuations in the availability of some materials." The conflict in Ukraine has intensified these ups and downs in the supply of materials. What can be done about it? "We are increasingly building regional supply chains. If possible, we always use several manufacturers for critical materials."