Aerosud leading industry to greater heights

Aerosud Aviation is a leader in the South African aviation industry, recognized and respected in the international market place.

The company is headquartered in Pretoria and was established in 1990 to provide engineering services in the defence aviation sector. Over time the company moved over into the commercial aviation sector, where it currently produces components featured in some of the world’s most popular passenger aircraft. Aerosud employs over 600 people, skilled in manufacturing, design and engineering.

In 2016 Aerosud Aviation entered the South African Premier Business Awards and the company walked away with the Manufacturers Award. The award recognises and promotes best practice and the important role of the manufacturing sector in South Africa’s economy with regard to sustainable job creation.

“We were approached by our sector desk to enter the Awards. We felt that Aerosud had a good story to tell, as a South African company punching above its weight in the global aerospace industry so we went for it,” explains Jan van Loggerenberg, director of business development.

“In most cases we are a single source supplier, with a complex supply chain and we are competing in a very difficult international environment.”

The company is competing against companies from other low-cost markets such as Mexico and Morocco, which have extensive support from their respective governments.

Van Loggerenberg explains that Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and first-tier suppliers look to countries with growing aerospace industries when they want to expand their supplier base. To this end the company has been hard at work to grow the industry in South Africa. In 2016 the company partnered with the Department of Trade and Industry’s Invest SA division, amongst others, to form the Commercial Aviation Manufacturing Association South Africa (Camasa). The Association is a growth-bilateral between government and industry with the objective significantly to boost South African commercial aviation manufacturing exports.

“Since winning the award we have over the past year seen a massive improvement in our working relationship with the dti and other state entities,” says Van Loggerenberg. “This has only been good for the industry, the future of which depends on all of us working together towards a common goal.”

Aerosud’s commitment to growing the industry also extends to its approach to training as it has developed a training facility at their headquarters specialising in trade training, with up to 80 employees in training at any time. The company is also actively looking at developing smaller suppliers in the industry and is assisting several companies to meet the high standards required to become approved suppliers to manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus.