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- The aerospace group Ruag International is dismantled.
- The company is completely exiting the remaining arms business, as Ruag announced.
- The company wants to focus on the satellite business.
“We are exiting all business areas related to weapons,” Ruag’s new boss André Wall said in an interview with the AWP news agency. These are the munitions factory in Thun, the military maintenance business in Malaysia and Australia, as well as the simulator and training business with locations in Switzerland, France and Sweden.
The munitions division’s sale process began in December, Wall said: There are quite a few stakeholders from different areas, such as strategic industrial companies or financial companies. The sale should be completed this year.
Last year, the federally affiliated Ruag Group had already been divided into a state section for business with the Swiss army and an international business section.
Nobody flies anymore, nobody asks for airplane parts.
A complete sale to strategic partners for the construction of aircraft structures is not ruled out either. During the pandemic, the division suffered the biggest drop of all Ruag divisions: “No one flies anymore, no one asks for aircraft parts,” said Wall, who has been in office since the beginning of the year. The division manufactures fuselage and wing parts for Airbus, among others.
The division had to undergo a complete overhaul, the company chief said: “It should be at least until 2025 before aircraft manufacturers reach pre-pandemic volumes again. Despite the particular challenges in the aviation industry, I am optimistic that we will be able to use the restructuring to position Aerostructures strongly for the future. “
Most of the workforce will receive new employers. The munitions division has 2,500 employees, the aircraft structure construction 1,250 employees, and the international military business (MRO) about 630 employees.
Satellite business growth opportunities
What remains is the space division with 1,300 employees, of which, however, 100 jobs will be cut by the end of the year. Here Ruag International wants to get started in the satellite business. Wall announced that the company wanted to transform itself from a manufacturer of individual components for satellites into an integrated provider of subsystems for satellites. The focus is on expanding market leadership in Europe and expanding market access, especially in the US, but also in Asia.
There is also a new research and development team that should design new satellite parts. The company wants to shift production from current prototypes to larger quantity miniseries. “We have an optimal start window ahead of us, the space market is booming,” Wall said. Analysts at US bank Morgan Stanley predict a $ 1 trillion market by 2040 with annual growth rates of more than 16 percent.
The satellite business should be renamed “Beyond Gravity.” The Ruag International brand has caused confusion among customers, Wall said.
