ACTIA: AN INDUSTRIAL EXPERTISE FOR THE NEW SPACE MARKET

The Group was recently elected Best Newcomer in the Space Industry by a major New Space player.

ACTIA has been working in the aviation sector for 25 years, with around 6,000 flight computers leaving the Group’s plants every year, and has been working in the Space sector since 2016. Via technical challenges and cost reduction, reduction of entry into orbit times and retention of Quality standards, ACTIA has earned its place in the New Space market.

“Regardless of our industrial capability to produce large quantities with a very high level of quality, ACTIA is first and foremost an electronics equipment supplier. As such, we have recognised expertise in various domains. We are able to support our customers from development to equipment testing, through manufacturing. We meet Space sector requirements, whatever the expected production rate”. Alexandre LACHAISE, Director of the ACTIA Aeronautics Defence & Space Business Unit.

IN LINE WITH THE CLEAR NEW SPACE “COST-EFFICIENT” POSITIONING OBJECTIVE

ACTIA has been producing circuit boards and electronic equipment in the civil and military aviation sector for 25 years. In particular, the Group produces critical avionics equipment linked to flight controls. ACTIA, which is no longer really a Space newcomer, already produces and tests around 60 equipment a month for this sector.

The New Space players have the common goal of lowering the cost of accessing space. This quest for competitiveness clearly involves a reduction in costs and is pushing the market towards a clear “Cost-efficient” approach. Owing to our position in several markets, ACTIA has experience with this issue. We are able to provide a tried-and-tested response to our Space customers.

Our project management, configuration management and electronic, computing and mechanical development tools advance the quality and effectiveness of “Design to Cost”, “Design for Manufacturing” and “Design for Test”.

These effective methods are used to obtain a very competitive cost price, with a direct impact from design to product industrialisation.

ACTIA fully masters the development, industrialisation and manufacturing phases for products under our responsibility. This defining feature enables us to provide customised management and control costs and methods.

CUSTOMERS DESIRING INDUSTRIAL AGILITY

New Space, in the context of satellite constellations, is moving towards standardised, series-produced products. ACTIA space products are manufactured in the ACTIA fine electronics plant in Colomiers, in South-West France. The site benefits from two years of feedback regarding mass production of space products.

Over the past few years, the ACTIA Colomiers plant has received large investments for the installation of a new medium and mass series-production lines.

This has enabled the plant to offer a truly modular production capacity – small, medium and mass series – in a highly-certified industrial environment. These different production capacities enable us to provide fast execution and offer unprecedented industrial agility.

ACTIA Group is the leading European EMS manufacturer, obtaining NadCap certification in 2008. Our technologies are based on standards relating to on-board systems in civil and military aviation as well as the automotive sector. This requires durable processes, highly-qualified staff, process and test experts, and so on. However, in addition to standards, Quality is at the centre of the Group’s business strategy.

ACTIA designs and produces test benches dedicated to mass production. This test strategy is implemented from the initial product design phases. It is supplemented by results from FMECA (Failure Mode, Effects, and Criticality Analysis). The aim is to control production and provide all guarantees to our customers.

NEW SPACE FACED WITH THE NEW CRITICAL ELECTRONIC COMPONENT MARKET

With the aim of producing more for less, the New Space market is also facing issues relating to the supply of electronic components. Shortages and longer deadlines are real issues for the whole value chain. Solid, lasting partnerships created with suppliers provide ACTIA with better security for future supplies. The quality of our Customer-Supplier relationship often helps solve problems.

ACTIA purchases around €220m worth of electrical components a year.

The Group’s international deployment enables us to really work closely with global markets.

The large amount of negotiated purchases, either made with distributors or manufacturers directly, also enables ACTIA to compete in all markets and provide new profitable opportunities to Space players.

Procurement processing requires secure storage of components. ACTIA stores over 2,000 electronic component items, either in Dry Packs or in a dry cabinets.

We offer separate, secure locations for our storage facilities. Temperature and humidity are controlled daily. ACTIA also offers utilities upon request to customers.

A REGIONAL SET-UP, FOSTERING INNOVATION

The ACTIA Group is a family-owned, intermediate-sized company with its head office in Toulouse, France. The ACTIA Group is present in some fifteen countries throughout the world. This international dimension is an advantage for supporting its customers by addressing their local challenges.

The medium size of the Group is also a real advantage for guaranteeing our customers responsiveness that makes us stand out from the crowd. It also enables customised support.

Toulouse is a global hub for New Space. This is often seen as a comeback for the French space industry. It is supported by the main Space contractors as well as smaller players and the Aerospace Valley competitiveness cluster. Aerospace valley leads the aerospace sector in the Occitanie and Nouvelle Aquitaine regions. Local industry has real assets faced with competition across the board, from the US, Europe and Asia.

In this lively regional ecosystem, ACTIA is cultivating Innovation as a key to competitiveness for increasingly demanding markets. Innovation has required major Group investments. We have invested between 14 and 17% of sales into R&D. Innovation also drives the teams in a creative and entrepreneurial dynamic that has been the hallmark of ACTIA since its creation.

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