ales Alenia Space: New industrial site in L Aquila inaugurated

Thales Alenia Space: New industrial site in L'Aquila inaugurated

Thales Alenia Space: New industrial site in L'Aquila inaugurated

Tue, 03/12/2013

L'Aquila, December 3rd, 2013 -Thales Alenia Space today inaugurated the new industrial complex in L'Aquila, completely rebuilt after the company's historic establishment was declared unfit for occupancy due to the serious damage suffered during the earthquake of April 6, 2009.

The inauguration ceremony of the new Thales Alenia Space Italia site was held at the industrial center in Pile. It was attended by the country's top government officials, the French Embassy as well as representatives of the region, province and municipality of the capital city of the Abruzzo region. Finmeccanica and Italian Space Agency executives were also present at the event.

With this inauguration, Thales Alenia Space honored its commitment: less than two years after the laying of the first stone in December 2011, and with an investment of 42 million euros, the new plant is now ready and operational, providing an innovative, state-of-the-art facility centered on technological and engineering excellence that strengthens and confirms the companys industrial presence in the region.

Thales Alenia Space Italia has had its own plant in the Abruzzo region for thirty years. The center is specialized in the production of electronic components and antennas which, thanks to the sophisticated instrumentation used and to the high level of professionalism attained by the engineers and specialized technicians who work there, boasts world-class excellence for both technologies and production quality. Technological development and product manufacturing activities are carried out at the plant, as well as the complete production of electronic equipment, hybrids, antennas and composite structures for a wide range of space applications, including remote sensing, telecommunications, radar and military applications, etc.

The new facility will house not only Thales Alenia Space's historic production operations, but also new production lines dedicated in particular to the development of large, lightweight SAR satellite antennas.

Elisio Prette, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space Italia, said: It is with immense pride that I find myself here today to celebrate the concrete result of the commitment of those who strongly believed in this project. The inauguration of the new L'Aquila plant is the symbol of industrial rebirth in a district to which we are deeply tied, and at the same time it represents the continuation of a journey in high technology, with new opportunities and new industrial ambitions that put our company at the forefront of the European space industry.

Jean-Lo c Galle, President and CEO of Thales Alenia Space, added: I would like to express my special thanks to our two shareholders, Thales and Finmeccanica, for the crucial role they played in guaranteeing investments for the rebuilding project. We also want to thank our institutional customers, ESA (European Space Agency) and ASI (Italian Space Agency) for showing significant support. The new building in L'Aquila has been designed and thought to be even more efficient in matching customers' requirements and meeting ambitious new production objectives. Included in our global strategy, it will be a real asset to increase our competitiveness at European and world-wide level.

The new plant covers 16,080 square meters, divided into Production Areas, Service Areas/Utilities (Energy Center), Office Areas and Other Areas (reception desk, lobby, infirmary). The Production Block, the largest part of the facility (10,215 square meters), is located on the ground floor, while the offices are located on two floors (for a total of 4,070 square meters). The reconstructed building meets the strictest seismic criteria required by the new seismic regulations.

The production areas were designed according to Lean Design criteria with the goal of obtaining continuous, optimized work flows with a high degree of reconfigurability in order to meet requirements related to changes in production volume and technology.

In terms of energy savings, design solutions were adopted that envisage the widespread use of heat and construction material recovery systems which, besides meeting general eco-sustainability criteria, minimize heat loss.

The new production complex, based on high quality standards and strong integration with the city, has been a top priority for Thales Alenia Space and is now a benchmark for industrial reconstruction in Italy.

The transfer of 307 employees from the temporary sites to the new industrial site, which began in mid-November, will be completed by early 2014. This process will be completed without any interruption to production activities in order to guarantee maximum focus on both programs and customers.

About Thales Alenia Space

The European leader in satellite systems and a major player in orbital infrastructures, Thales Alenia Space is a joint venture between Thales (67%) and Finmeccanica (33%). Thales Alenia Space and Telespazio embody the two groups' Space Alliance . Thales Alenia Space sets the global standard in solutions for space telecommunications, radar and optical Earth observation, defense and security, navigation and science. With consolidated revenues of 2.1 billion euros in 2012, Thales Alenia Space has 7,500 employees in France, Italy, Spain, Germany, Belgium and United States

www.thalesaleniaspace.com

Thales Alenia Space press contacts

Sandrine Bielecki - Tel: 33 (0)4 92 92 70 94

sandrine.bielecki@thalesaleniaspace.com

Tarik Lahlou - Tel: 33 (0)4 92 92 68 45

tarik.lahlou@thalesaleniaspace.com

Tiziana Ebano - Tel: 39 06 41 51 25 74

tiziana.ebano@thalesaleniaspace.com

LINK:	https://www.thalesgroup.com/en/worldwide/space/press-release/thales-al...
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