Kyoto, Japan, October 6, 2023 – Japan’s Nidec Corporation (OTC: NJDCY) and Brazil’s Embraer (NYSE: ERJ) welcome the unconditional approval from all necessary regulatory authorities for the establishment of their joint venture, Nidec Aerospace LLC. The transaction combines the complementary synergies and distinct areas of expertise of two world-class engineering conglomerates to develop Electric Propulsion Systems (EPS) for the aerospace sector.
Vincent Braley, chief of staff for Nidec’s Motion and Drives business in the United States, has been appointed the CEO of Nidec Aerospace with immediate effect. Braley brings broad experience in business development and management to his new role to lead the joint venture’s future growth.
Unveiled at the Paris Air Show in June, the business combination aims to unlock new opportunities by providing an agnostic portfolio of products and services worldwide, driven initially by the growth of the Urban Air Mobility (UAM) industry. The UAM market is emerging and could create a USD 1.5 trillion market by 2040, according to Morgan Stanley Research.
Marignane, France – The Spanish Ministries of Defense and Interior have ordered 36 Airbus (OTC: EADSY) H135 helicopters. This signature takes place in the context of the stimulus plan activated by the Spanish government to support the industry. The Ministry of Defence will receive 18 helicopters to be operated by the air force and the navy while the Ministry of Interior will also take delivery of 18 helicopters to be operated by the National Police and the Guardia Civil. The deliveries will start next year.
The Spanish Army already operates a fleet of 16 H135 helicopters. With this acquisition, these will be the Spanish Air Force’s first H135’s and the Spanish Navy’s first Airbus Helicopters product. As was the case for the H135’s acquired some time ago by the army, the new aircraft for the air force and navy will replace older helicopter models currently used for advanced pilot training. The standardisation of training fleets across the three armed forces will create synergies and lead to the implementation of new and more efficient training and support activities.
The Ministry of Interior currently has a fleet of 31 helicopters from the H135 family in operation with the National Police, the Guardia Civil, and Tráfico. The new helicopters will enable the Policía and Guardia Civil to replace the BO105 helicopters in a wide range of missions including law enforcement, surveillance, and rescue activities.
LATAM Airlines Group (Santiago: LTM.SN) announced a significant expansion of its cargo operations with the conversion of up to eight Boeing 767-300ER aircraft into Boeing Converted Freighters (“BCF”) in the next three years. This represents a freighter capacity growth of up to 80%. This plan seeks to increase the service options and leverage the synergies of operating a single type of aircraft.
The plan is divided in two gradual stages. The first phase is based on four confirmed conversion slots with Boeing with re-deliveries between 2021 and 2022. Upon completion of that phase, LATAM’s cargo operators’ fleet would reach a total of 15 Boeing 767-300ER freighters. The second phase includes four conversion options with Boeing that would allow aircraft to be added between 2022 and 2023. If all options are executed LATAM would operate a total of 19 767-300ER freighters.
Throughout 2020, LATAM Cargo played an active and vital role in ensuring essential supplies reached Latin American countries, especially in places with extreme and difficult-to-access areas like in countries such as Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru. LATAM also worked to safeguard the supply from the import and export sectors in South America, even increasing their shipment frequencies by more than 40% in some markets. To achieve these results, LATAM operated passenger planes for the exclusive transport of cargo.
In addition, during the pandemic, LATAM landed for the first time in China, searching for medical supplies for South America, ultimately making more than 80 flights to the Asian continent. LATAM currently continues to make trips to Europe and China to transport COVID-19 vaccines into the region, and the LATAM Group’s Solidarity Plane Program has made its resources available for the free transport of vaccines in domestic markets.
Strenghtens Rolls-Royce’s market position in safety-critical applications with a leader in dynamic uninterruptible power supply
Completes Rolls-Royce’s product offering and accelerates the strategy of offering integrated solutions
Acquisition expected to deliver cost and revenue synergies, and help support medium-term profitability and create long-term shareholder value
Rolls-Royce is strengthening its business in power supply for safety-critical systems with the completion of the acquisition of Kinolt S.A., a Belgian-based specialist in dynamic uninterruptible power supply. Rolls-Royce is already a leading provider of back-up power generation through its Power Systems business with its product and solutions brand MTU. This market has remained a growth area during the Covid-19 pandemic and is expected to grow in the coming years as customers look to further minimize their risk of disruption.
Uninterruptible power supply systems are used wherever stable electricity is required or a power failure would be extremely harmful, for example within data centres, hospitals or manufacturing facilities which operate sensitive processes. This acquisition is another important step on the strategic journey of Power Systems towards becoming a full-service provider of integrated solutions. Kinolt’s uninterruptible emergency power supply technology is particularly well suited to applications where space is at a premium, such as urban areas or installations in existing buildings and complements Rolls-Royce’s own MTU branded solutions for large scale and greenfield sites. As a result, the deal is expected to result in cost and revenue synergies, medium-term long-term shareholder value in the back-up power generation business.
Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “The extraordinary times created by the Covid-19 pandemic have shown just how important it is to secure electricity supply to sensitive and critical infrastructure. The provision of uninterruptible power is vital in any situation and even more so today, as it ensures the provision of vital services such as medical care or the world’s continued flow of internet traffic. Without it, no public authority or company would be able to act in any crisis.”
The demand for uninterruptible power solutions is expected to remain strong in the aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic. The acquisition of Kinolt will give Rolls-Royce a market-leading solution for businesses and local authorities who experienced issues with supply, or do not wish to run the risk again.
“We originally signed the deal to acquire Kinolt before the full global impact of Covid-19 was apparent,” added Schell. “Since then we have rigorously examined the rationale for the transaction and the opportunities it presents to our business and concluded that the arguments in favour of the acquisition are even stronger than before.”
Power Generation is already the top-selling segment within the Power Systems business. In the future it is expected to be the only manufacturer in the world able to supply customers with all components and consequently a complete uninterrupted power generation system in the power range from 200 to 3,200 kVA. Kinolt’s technology consists of a combination of rotating, kinetic mass storage devices, a diesel engine and a generator that can also be used as an electric motor. MTU engines from Rolls-Royce are often already used within Kinolt’s solutions. The Kinolt system is connected between the external power supply system and safety-critical equipment and supplies the latter with the required electrical power during normal operation. The grid frequency and voltage are generally more stable than the grid of public power suppliers. This is necessary because data servers, computer-controlled systems or sensitive devices such as those in hospitals can fail in the event of voltage and frequency fluctuations. In the case of a power failure, the flywheel mass accumulator ‘bridges’ the first few seconds before the diesel engine takes up the load.
“We will integrate the products and systems of our new subsidiary into our MTU product portfolio,” said Andreas Görtz, Vice President of Power Generation at Rolls-Royce. “Our worldwide sales and service network will open up new market opportunities by offering innovative uninterruptible power solutions. This will significantly strengthen our market position in safety-critical applications.”
Kinolt is based in the town of Grâce-Hollogne in the Belgian province of Liège and was known as Euro-Diesel until mid-2019. The transaction was completed on 1 July 2020 following the approval of antitrust authorities.
Rolls-Royce stärkt sein Angebot an Stromversorgungssystemen für sicherheitskritische Anwendungen mit dem Abschluss der Übernahme von Kinolt S.A., einem in Belgien ansässigen Spezialisten für dynamische unterbrechungsfreie Stromversorgung.
Rolls-Royce is strengthening its business in power supply for safety-critical systems with the completion of the acquisition of Kinolt S.A., a Belgian-based specialist in dynamic uninterruptible power supply.
Avec l’aboutissement de l’acquisition de Kinolt S.A., un spécialiste de l’alimentation dynamique sans interruption (ASI) établi en Belgique, Rolls-Royce élargit son offre de systèmes d’alimentation électrique dédiés aux applications cruciales en matière de sécurité.
Rolls-Royce heeft de overname afgerond van Kinolt S.A., een in België gevestigde specialist voor dynamische onderbrekingsvrije stroomvoorziening. Met deze overname vergroot het zijn aanbod van stroomvoorzieningssystemen voor veiligheidskritische toepassingen.
