Interview with Sandor Woldendorp, Director Airborne Aerospace
While many companies in the manufacturing industry are seeing production demand grow gradually, Airborne Aerospace is taking an extraordinary leap. The Hague-based high-tech company has been awarded a prestigious order by Airbus: the supply of as many as 700 composite substrates for the Sparkwing solar panels on the new MDA AURORA™ satellites.
Congratulations! This sounds like a milestone.
"It is. We are talking about a mega-constellation of satellites that will extend communication networks worldwide. We are supplying the load-bearing composite panels for the solar cells on the satellites. For the Netherlands, this is unique; there are only a few companies in Europe that can produce these kinds of high-end space structures at scale."
What makes this order so special?
"It's about precision and volume. Each satellite will have two wings with five panels each. We will soon be producing 40 panels per month, using a fully automated production line. Among other things, we are using our ATL robot (Automated Tape Laying) to make lightweight and super-stiff substrates that can withstand the extremes of space."
What does this say about Airborne as a player in the market?
"That we occupy a key international position in the so-called 'newspace economy'. Customers like Airbus consciously choose our combination of aerospace know-how and scalable, automated production. And that in turn opens doors to future satellite projects we can carry out in the Netherlands: from communications to earth observation and defence."
What does this leap in growth mean internally?
"We are facing a robust scale-up. This requires not only technical excellence and process discipline, but also expansion of our production team. We are therefore looking for additional people in the short term, especially skilled workers at MBO 3 and 4 level. That is a challenge, of course, in the current labour market. But I am convinced that we will succeed in finding them. After all, with us you don't work on generic products, but on precision parts that will soon be circling above the earth. How great is that!"
Where should interested parties start?
"This order is a big step for Airborne and for the Dutch manufacturing industry. But to make it happen, we need people now. So if you are technically skilled, want to work with composites or are curious about how aerospace production works: sign up. This is the chance to contribute to a unique achievement that the Netherlands can be proud of."
