Story ID: 594_BCube.doc
BCube Committed to Aerospace Logistics Expansion
By: AIN Staff
Caption: Italy’s BCube is well known in the automotive world but the company now wants to create a global footprint in aerospace logistics.
Word Count: 381
Making its first appearance at the Farnborough Airshow, BCube (Hall 1 Stand C15) is presenting its wide range of services, spanning distribution of parts to managing warehouses and handling the distribution of spare parts from national and international suppliers.

Founded in 1952 by the Bonzano family, BCube employs 4,200 people, operates from 70 sites around the globe (including Italy, France, Germany, Poland, Serbia, Bulgaria, Turkey, Egypt, Argentina, Venezuela, the U.S., Canada, Mexico, China and India) and in 2013 reported total sales of €470 million (50 percent domestic, 50 percent international). The company is now opening a site in Dubai, where a warehouse is to be constructed to support the activities of the local defense industry.

BCube has acquired UNI-EN ISO 9120:2010 quality certification, which enables it to participate in NATO bids. Its Aerospace and Defense division manages the warehouses and handles the spare parts for the Italian Air Force at its air bases at Cameri (for the Tornado and Eurofighter), Pisa (the C130 and C27J) and Treviso (the AMX), and for the Brazilian Air Force (AMX), also at Treviso. With 150 employees it manages 110,000 codes and 620,000 lines per year. It is now also offering its services to aircraft and equipment manufacturers.

Gen. Claudio Debertolis, head of Aerospace and Defense, said BCube is committed to the expansion of its activities in the international market focusing on East Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the U.S., following the recent acquisition of Eagle Support Services. “The company has been engaged in production logistics for the automotive sector for more than 40 years and has developed its expertise in aerospace by managing the supply chain for Boeing 787 production at the Alenia plant in Grottaglie [in cooperation with Fata Logistics, a Finmeccanica company],” he said. “We transport the parts from the supplier to the plant, we store them, we prepare the kits for the production line of major assemblies of the airplane, which then are shipped to the prime contractor.

“We are doing the same for General Electric: for the powerplant constructions we have dedicated an area of 285,000 square meters to the logistic activities…[and] a joint venture of BCube and Fata Logistics is finalizing an agreement with the Polish helicopter manufacturer PZL Swidnik [a company owned by AgustaWestland] to manage their production logistics.”