Aircraft

NADIA, short for the National Aerospace Development Industries Association, is the newest of Turin's aerospace clusters. Set up in July this year, its founders pride themselves on the "vertical" set-up of the body and its formal structure - it is in the process of being registered as a company under European law - which will allow it to sign contracts with customers. Founding members Maurizio Pizzamiglio, marketing manager of structural and system development company Sofiter, and Patricio Vander Elst, key account manager of aerospace design and engineering company Aurora, are convinced this will be crucial for the success of the cluster, which also includes manufacturer LMA, composite specialist Plyform and training and staff specialist Quanta. This last member is another key weapon in the NADIA armoury: having the flexibility to train engineers in new techniques already available within the consortium is going to go a long way to guaranteeing success, Pizzamiglio believes.

The consortium prides itself on having a spread of skills across its six members that will allow it to provide turnkey solutions, from design to support. The company is targeting international customers, and made its first presentation at last month's Airtec convention in Frankfurt. "We want to grow and be competitive in Europe - and why not the USA, Canada and Brazil?" says Vander Elst.

"The market is asking for quality and flexibility, but particularly flexibility," says Pizzamiglio. "The idea is to slowly make the logos of the five companies disappear," although they will maintain their independent structures within the consortium. "People from abroad will speak to NADIA - it will have its own structure and NADIA will be the company that will solve the problem." Once significant contracts have been awarded, which Pizzamiglio hopes will be by 2008, with the possibility of some smaller work packages in the coming months, a formal structure and key managers for NADIA will be appointed from outside the five companies, to ensure independence.

The consortium has had initial talks with Bombardier, and is keen to enter the business and regional aircraft and conversion markets, as well as targeting airliners - the 787 is likely to be an important programme in the early days of the consortium's operation.