HAMBURG — Italian aircraft interior modification specialist ABC International is further spreading its wings by opening its first production plant. The facility will produce soft furnishings including carpets, curtains and seat covers, as well as manufacture partitions and small monuments for aircraft.
“We are adding POA production organizational capability to our full range of products and services,” company chief commercial officer Rodolfo Baldascino revealed to Runway Girl Network at the Aircraft Interiors Expo.
“The new plant is ready; now we are moving the machinery in. It will become fully operative by June 2025. The application to EASA to get the Part-21 subpart G Production Organisation Approval is already ongoing and we expect this to be completed by end of 2025.”
Located about 100 km from Naples International Airport, the new production site is part of ABC’s broader strategic growth plan, which started to take shape during the COVID pandemic. At that time, ABC diversified its cabin branding business to focus more on cabin modifications and to support airlines with its Design Organisation Approval (DOA) services, including for quick-turn retrofit projects. ABC offers Part 21J engineering solutions to modify aircraft cabins to EASA standards.
This pivot in positioning proved timely, as airlines ramped up their aircraft refurbishment programs following the pandemic. “In the last 12 months, we achieved some supplemental type certificates (STCs) with EASA for cabin modifications on A320s, but also on A330s for different layouts” including for the installation of USB power ports in business and economy, and some monuments, noted Baldascino.
To facilitate its refurbishment work for airlines, the firm usually sources parts on the market via a sophisticated supply chain. When the new plant is in operation, ABC “will not give up” the supply chain, assured Baldascino. But in supplying some of the cabin content itself, ABC can speed up lead times, better manage costs, and have more control over the process.
Moreover, airline customers “may appreciate that this is more a real turnkey solution, not just ‘on paper’ turnkey,” he said, as well as the fact that ABC has the flexibility of either directly meeting their needs or going through partners.
To wit, the new site will be able to manufacture a partition from scratch in less than 30 days, “which includes all the relevant approval for any A320 minor mod that will be approved in the same time of the manufacturing”. This in turn leads to “even more integrated certification”.
The decision to open a production plant and obtain POA represents a huge investment and it’s not without risk. “We have to challenge ourselves to increase our customer base. So this is the challenge for the future,” said the ABC chief commercial officer.
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Featured image credited to ABC International
