
06.06.2018
Share
Share this article
Facebook
Twitter
Google Plus
LinkedIn
Key points
Highly-differentiated business model: intelligent systems to address 5 demanding end markets
Reinforcing technological leadership by accelerating R&D investments
Group ideally positioned to lead the digital transformation of its markets
Powerful operational performance levers implemented to deliver significant margin increase
Further potential upside from projected Gemalto acquisition
2018-21 financial targets:
Average organic sales growth of 3 to 5%[1], with each Thales operating segment[2]
expected to outperform its market
EBIT[3] margin to reach 11% to 11.5% by 2021
Thales (Euronext Paris: HO) is today hosting its 2018 Capital Markets Day with investors and financial analysts. During this event, Patrice Caine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, and members of the management team will present the Group's strategic priorities for the period 2018 to 2021.
In addition to presentations on Group strategy, financials and a review of each of the Group's main businesses, the meeting will include in-depth presentations focusing on its renewed drivers of operational performance and on the Group's unique ability to capture opportunities resulting from the digital transformation of its markets.
The first phase of Ambition 10, our strategic plan, has delivered on all of its key targets. During the next phase, we have a clear plan to drive all our businesses to industry leadership.
We will reinforce our customer-centric organization and culture, ramp up new operational performance initiatives, and accelerate our R&D investments, notably to further position ourselves as strategic partner for our customers' digital transformations.
Combined with our unique position, associating world class technology leadership and deep domain knowledge of our 5 end markets, these actions will allow us to grow profitably and faster than the market, in a sustainable way.
In a few months, the Gemalto acquisition, which we expect to complete in the second half of this year, will further accelerate this strategy, and enable us to build a global leader in digital security.
Patrice Caine, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer
The main topics to be addressed at the Capital Markets Day include:
A highly-differentiated business model: intelligent systems to address 5 very demanding end markets
Thales's business model relies on its ability to combine deep domain knowledge of its 5 complex end markets with a unique portfolio of key common technologies focused on supporting the critical decision chain, from sensors to data transmission, data processing and decision-making.
This pure player focus enables the Group to develop and deliver breakthrough solutions that help its customers think smarter and act faster, mastering ever greater complexity at every decisive moment they face.
Relying on an asset light capital base and benefiting from significant negative working capital, this business model is creating high value, with a ROCE[4] of 25% in 2017, in line with best in class global peers.
All Thales markets benefit from solid underlying trends, driven by the increasing need for mobility and connectivity, the confirmed trend-up of defence budgets, as well as the ability of intelligent systems to deliver operational and environmental efficiency, and to support more effective decision-making in critical environments.
Reinforcing technological leadership by accelerating R&D investments
To drive technological excellence and lead the digital transformation of its markets, Thales plans to further increase its self-funded R&D investments[5], which are expected to reach approximately 1 billion by 2021, up by 25 to 30% compared to 2017.
Leading the digital transformation of markets
The acceleration of digital innovation will transform and disrupt Thales customers' businesses over the next 5 to 10 years.
With its focus on critical decision chains, digital by nature, its large integrated network of digital native talents, and its unique portfolio of digital capabilities, notably in the areas of connectivity, big data analytics, artificial intelligence and cybersecurity, Thales is ideally positioned to lead the digital transformation of its markets.
To execute on this strategy and partner with its customers through their digital transformations, Thales will capitalize on its recent digital acquisitions and the launch of its digital factory , while focusing its R&D investments on digital-inside dream products, digital breakthroughs and new digital services.
Once completed, the Gemalto acquisition will further boost this strategy.
Powerful operational performance levers
Building on new marketing and sales initiatives, the Group will reinforce its customer-centric organization and culture, targeting deeper customer intimacy, sales pipeline optimization, and the development of exports from large countries.
In parallel, Thales will continue to concentrate its competitiveness initiatives on 4 high impact levers:
Procurement performance, driven by a new worldwide integrated organization as well as the introduction of powerful new methods
Engineering competitiveness, notably through the further deployment of agile methods, state-of-the-art digital engineering tools and the further reinforcement of skills and capabilities
Support function efficiency, with the implementation of standard worldwide operating models across every support function, fostering process standardization, digitization and further platforming of resources
Excellence in delivery, targeting continuous improvement in operational excellence, including bid and project execution, while delivering growth
Complemented by the positive impact on product competitiveness arising from increased R&D, the Ambition 10 competitiveness init
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
01/06/2026
January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026
Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...
02/05/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...
01/05/2026
January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...
01/04/2026
January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION
Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
14/02/2026
Boston Conservatory Orchestra Helps Peter and Leonardo Dugan Complete Their Dre...
13/02/2026
Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) has provided an update on its adoption of the cloud as it continues on its journey to fully migrate to IT-based systems by 2...
13/02/2026
France T l visions has successfully launched France 2 UHD featuring Dolby Vision...
13/02/2026
Partnering with Worldwide Olympic Partner TCL, OBS deploys connected Athlete Mom...
13/02/2026
The men's figure skating long-form program is tonight, and it promises to be an exciting night for fans in the stands, fans at home, and even the production...
13/02/2026
With new partnership between the league and NBC, workflows distinguish more between live, broadcast sound
There'll be a lot new for the 75th NBA All-Star W...
13/02/2026
In-venue and creative video staffers at the professional and collegiate level have one major thing in common: the intensity and attention to detail ramps up dur...
13/02/2026
Teradek announces the launch of RF-X Auto Switcher, a revolutionary appliance designed to deliver flawless, uncompromised signal integrity for the world's m...
13/02/2026
Globecast and Synamedia announces that Pitch International (Pitch), the leading London-based sports marketing agency, has gone live with cloud-based distributi...
13/02/2026
Ratings Roundup is a rundown of recent rating news and is derived from press rel...
13/02/2026
Far from the action in the snow and on the ice, the team controls the production...
13/02/2026
The Daytona 500 is called The Super Bowl of Racing for a reason. Whether it's the culmination to five days of action on the track, the sheer size and scop...
13/02/2026
For the Milano Cortina Games, Olympic Broadcasting Services (OBS) is delivering more than 6,500 hours of content, with more than 900 hours of live action, sprea...
13/02/2026
After 24-year absence, NBC Sports returns to NBA All-Star Weekend with unique ca...
13/02/2026
By Jessica Herndon
We may have just wrapped an unforgettable 2026 Sundance Film...
13/02/2026
By Jessica Herndon
One of the most exciting things about the Sundance Film Fest...
13/02/2026
This Wednesday in Los Angeles, Spotify brought together a group of podcast creat...
13/02/2026
Yesterday, Spotify and LoveShackFancy hosted a Galentine's and Gents Lunch a...
13/02/2026
The upgrade to a Project 25 network provides state agencies communicating on the Statewide Law Enforcement Radio System flexibility to tailor the network to the...
13/02/2026
Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, marking a strategic expansion of its global Customer Success and IT software...
13/02/2026
Two of ES Broadcast Hire's longest-serving employees recently celebrated a decade working for the company.
Annie Breislin, Operations Manager, and Charles ...
13/02/2026
Disguise, the award-winning technology company powering global experiences, today unveils a new 8,000-square-foot office and Experience Center in Atlanta, creat...
13/02/2026
At BSC Expo 2026, Mavis announced full support for the Accsoon SeeMo series of iOS camera adapters across Mavis Camera and Mavis Monitor apps. This new integrat...
13/02/2026
Executing technically ambitious live streams, virtual productions, and immersive media today requires talent, creativity, and the right supporting technology. L...
13/02/2026
Michal Miskin-Amir, Jonathan Stanton and Bobby Bond to lead technical advances amid surge in demand for LTN's IP video transport services as satellite capac...
13/02/2026
Grass Valley, the pioneering media and entertainment technology innovator, has won a competitive NATO-wide tender to provide the new camera system for NATO'...
13/02/2026
Wireless IP intercom underpins agile, multi-location live production workflows
Digital Azul, the independent production powerhouse specialising in complex liv...
13/02/2026
Actus Digital, a LiveU company, will unveil major new enhancements to its Actus X Intelligent Monitoring Platform at NAB Show (LiveU booth N1740), reinforcing i...
13/02/2026
Globecast, a worldwide leader in broadcast services, and leading video software provider, Synamedia, today announced that Pitch International (Pitch), the leadi...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
13/02/2026
What can I watch on UKTV this week?What can I stream on U this week?
This guide highlights romantic dramas for Valentine's Day, alternative relationship t...
13/02/2026
New RT series tells stranger-than-fiction stories of Irish con artists
Swindlers airs Wednesday 18 February, 9.35pm on RT One and RT Player
Swindlers, a...
12/02/2026
Chyron unveils PRIME 5.3, the latest software release of the company's powerful engine for live production graphics. PRIME 5.3 delivers the first official i...
12/02/2026
The vendor's VP of Product Management explains how quality assurance, monito...
12/02/2026
LTN announces the appointment of three experienced executives to lead its new Technology organization: Michal Miskin-Amir as EVP and Head of Technology, Jonatha...
12/02/2026
Riedel Communications has officially opened a new office in Kuala Lumpur, Malays...