Poggipolini secures new contracts from Leonardo thanks to its high-tech welding technology
A five-million investment in Varese for critical helicopter components. Michele Poggipolini: “Thank you to Leonardo for believing in us”
A shaped block of metal, seemingly unremarkable. However, it would be a mistake to judge it by first impressions. For this rather nondescript object standing before us at the Aviotec site in Marnate actually represents something far more significant.
This is reflected in its price – several thousand euros – a value linked not only to the material, titanium, but above all to the manufacturing technology used: electron beam welding carried out by one of the very few machines of its kind in Italia.
A five-million investment which, for the subsidiary controlled by the Poggipolini Group, marks a significant first milestone following the acquisition in 2022. “We had envisaged this moment back then,” explains CEO Michele Poggipolini, “by bringing our expertise in precision machining here to create a centre of excellence in gearboxes. We have now achieved this objective after taking on the technological challenge set by Leonardo, whom we thank for believing in us.”
The operation carried out – a welding process lasting just a few seconds inside a protected chamber – now makes it possible to produce a flexible joint that is one of the critical components of the horizontal transmission system in helicopters, a highly prized product for the national industry leader, Leonardo, a key partner in the project. Once the qualification phase is complete, by the first half of 2027, this component – which until now has been sourced from the United States – will gradually be manufactured locally, within the Varese aerospace cluster. Production volumes will be driven not only by new orders but also by the maintenance of the entire fleet in service worldwide, which now totals over 4,500 units. “This is a win-win situation,” explains Giuseppe Corcione, Head of Operations at Leonardo’s Helicopters Division, “because when an industrial partnership generates new expertise and production capacity, as in this case, the value created extends beyond the company and becomes an asset for the country.”
The example of Poggipolini, which stands to generate several million in annual revenue from this product range in the future, is being replicated by Leonardo on a national scale as part of the “Crescere Insieme” (Growing Together), a partnership already established with 23 Italian companies, under which Leonardo will cover certification costs, provide support for technological development and guarantee procurement. This is a strategy with the potential for wide-ranging impact, given that the helicopter division procures three billion worth of supplies each year, 65 per cent of which comes from abroad – a proportion the company now aims to reduce, particularly for critical components.
