Leonardo aims to conquer the European leadership in Defense Electronics with a five-year growth and development plan that places the Italian industrial system at the center. In particular Leonardo, through the Electronics Division - about 13.000 people, of which over 8.500 in Italy and 18 centers of technological excellence at national level dedicated to the design, development, production and support of radar, advanced sensors, protection and defense systems for platforms air, space, land and naval - a significant growth is proposed over the plan, through the greater competitiveness of the production lines, logistics and supply chain, a strong focus on product innovation and the consolidation of its open network innovation, with public-private agreements with universities, research centers and ITS / ITIS.
The planned investments - 200 million euros per year dedicated to the Italian industrial system (in all 300 million per year also considering the component of the Division in the UK) together with the allocation of a further 50 million euros in the first 3 years for the optimization of national industrial sites - will be aimed at the creation of specialized technological poles with a strong innovative vocation, at the completion of the digitization of production lines, at environmental sustainability and at strengthening logistics, production flows and the supply chain.
The core of the process of strengthening the production lines will be the "Factory of the Future", the model for an intelligent factory, already under development in the United Kingdom, which, incorporating the concepts of Industry 4.0 and Digital Manufacturing, with the help of robotics and digital systems will ensure more efficient and sustainable production processes. To this will be added a new, even more integrated engineering organization with Production and targeted investments in tools and digital infrastructures, to allow greater traceability of flows, automation of processes and production plants.
The Engineering and Manufacturing workforce will also be progressively increased, along with dedicated interventions aimed at strengthening the supply chain. In addition, a new centralized logistics hub will be created in Pomezia which will allow significant optimizations in terms of operational performance, efficiency and quality.
Among the first initiatives already launched according to the "Factory of the Future" approach, the automated production line of photovoltaic panels for space applications at the Nerviano plant and the application of predictive maintenance systems with capillary control of the tank systems of Latina.
In addition to the resources allocated to industrial sites and products, the growth of the business will also pass through the inclusion of new technologies with a view to open innovation, with the creation of technological ecosystems at a territorial level and the strengthening of collaborations with the world of training and research. In particular, over 20 university and research centers and 9 ITS / ITIS will be involved throughout the country to stimulate the generation of know-how and added value for the territories. Among the priority topics, the exchange with the scientific and academic sector will make it possible to address even more courses, theses and internships on the Division's industrial objectives, as well as to cooperate on technological choices of strategic interest.
As for the interventions on the Division's production fabric, the 18 Italian centers of excellence will be able to manage its technological portfolio through the entire value chain, from development to production up to after-sales support.
Rome / Tiburtina (including the former Vitrociset plant) will increasingly be the center of competence for the development and support of command and control systems and naval, land and air traffic control systems, as well as the site of excellence for production of microwave technologies.
Cisterna di Latina will become the reference for the development and production of communication systems and avionics computers, also integrating customer support activities.
The activities carried out to date in Carsoli will converge on Rome / Tiburtina, while the activities currently developed in Pomezia will also converge on Rome / Tiburtina and Cisterna di Latina.
Naples / Fusaro will become the center for the production and logistical support of radars, including the microelectronics cards currently produced and integrated in Naples / Giugliano. The union of complementary production flows will allow an optimization in the radar manufacturing process and, consequently, an increase in the level of customer service.
Genoa / Puccini will strengthen its mission towards land and naval communications, navigation systems and data links, with the integration of the activities carried out to date at the Genoese headquarters in via Hermada.
The other centers of competence of the Electronics Division in Italy (Abbadia San Salvatore, Brescia, Campi Bisenzio, Caselle, Catania, Montevarchi, La Spezia, L'Aquila, Livorno, Nerviano, Ronchi dei Legionari, Palermo, Pozzuoli) will be further focused on their respective operational specificities.
The activities managed up to now in the Pisa site, already specialized in software production, will converge in the Pisan plant of the Helicopters Division, while the Grottaglie headquarters of the Aerostructures Division will also incorporate the experimentation component of command and control systems in the naval sector currently developed at the site of Taranto.
