French aerostructures manufacturer Stelia Aerospace has acquired a majority shareholding in Toulouse-based digital modelling specialist Portalliance Engineering.

The two companies have co-operated for several years and established a strategic partnership in 2016.

Stelia says that it has been “supporting” Portalliance’s development by providing aerostructures know-how for the creation of digital tools to model aircraft components and simulate their behaviour, which in turn led to a “very significant” reduction in development cycles and improvement of complex structural designs.

“This majority stake acquisition is therefore a logical step and will enable Stelia Aerospace to benefit sustainably from this new technology,” the Airbus-owned company says.

Portalliance was established in 2006 and today employs 27 engineers, and generated last year revenue of €2 million ($2.3 million).

Describing the deal as a “real recognition of [Portalliance’s] technological expertise”, the firm’s chief executive Bruce de Witt states that the acquisition by Stelia will “enable the company to widen its field of application”.

Source: FlightGlobal.com