ITP Aero celebrates its 30th anniversary at the forefront of innovation and aerospace industry developments

ITP Aero, the Spanish aeronautical engine and components company is celebrating its 30th anniversary. ITP Aero was founded in 1989 for the development of the European programme EJ200, the engine that powers the Eurofighter Typhoon, as part of the Eurojet consortia. The project was supported by the Basque and Spanish Governments; by Sener, and with the fundamental backing of Rolls-Royce, the sole shareholder of the company since 2017.

Today, ITP Aero is the ninth company in the sector worldwide, having registered sustained growth during the last 30 years. With 880 million euro turnover in 2018, ITP Aero has registered an average 8% growth for the last 5 years.  

In its 30 years of history, ITP Aero has focused on the development of proprietary technology to design and manufacture aeronautical modules and components, working on the entire life cycle of the engine – from R&D to in service support – both for commercial and defence aviation. A key indicator of ITP Aero’s commitment with technology is the 360 million euro invested in R+D+i in the last 5 years.  

Moving forward, ITP Aero is working on a three-pronged technology strategy that will support making aviation more sustainable and efficient. In the short term, meeting the sector’s demand increase. To this end, ITP Aero focuses on manufacturing technology excellence, including additive manufacturing and digitization. In the medium term, ITP Aero is developing new geared engine architectures for optimum performance of all engine components, as well as technologies for adaptive propulsion systems for supersonic flights, including the new generation fighter jets. For the long term, ITP Aero is developing technology that will lay the foundations of hybrid-electric propulsion.

Only in 2019 the company has achieved important technology milestones. Firstly, the first aerodynamic tests of the intermediate pressure turbine of Rolls-Royce’s future engine UltraFan, which will be 25% more efficient than the first generation of Rolls-Royce Trent engines.

In terms of Industry 4.0, the design and manufacture of its first internally produced components with additive layer technology in 2019 is also noteworthy. These are two different components: the seal segments of the low pressure turbine of the Trent XWB-84 Rolls-Royce engine for the Airbus A350 aircraft, and the non-structural vanes of the TEC (Turbine Exhaust Case) of the TP400 engine that equips the Airbus A400M military transport aircraft.

In addition to achieving technological milestones, ITP Aero has this year expanded its industrial capacity to meet the growing demand of its business. During the month of November, ITP Aero will inaugurate its new plant in Derio (Bizcay, Spain). Also, earlier this year the company has expanded its facilities in Querétaro (Mexico).  

According to Carlos Alzola, CEO of ITP Aero, “It has been 26 years since I started working at ITP Aero. Year after year, I have seen how the company has evolved, with sustained growth backed in technology investment, increasing its portfolio of products and services. Over the next few years, we will continue working to make aviation a more efficient and sustainable means of transport”.

More about ITP Aero

In civil aviation, ITP Aero is a Tier 1 supplier to the four main aeroengine manufacturers: GE, Honeywell, Pratt & Whitney and Rolls-Royce. In addition, it’s a risk and revenue sharing partner in the entire Rolls-Royce Trent engine family, with ITP Aero low-pressure turbines present in more than half of the world’s double-aisle aircraft. At the moment, more than 100,000 people are flying thanks to these turbines.

As far as defence aviation is concerned, ITP Aero is an OEM (original equipment manufacturer) in all European defence aeronautical consortia (Eurofighter, A400M, and Tiger). Today, it has delivered more than 1,000 EJ200 engines, the initial programme for which the company was founded. It is also worth noting that ITP Aero is the main supplier of engine maintenance services for the Spanish Armed Forces’ fleet.

Contact:
Louis Trollope
Communication Specialist
M: (+34) 610 267 334
louisjon.trollope@itpaero.com