Finmeccanica
Encyclopedia
Finmeccanica S.p.A. is an Italian
conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the hi-tech industrial groups based in Italy
. It works in the fields of defence
, aerospace
, security
, automation
, transport
and energy
. The company has offices in over 100 countries.
It is partially owned by the Italian government, which holds about 30% of Finmeccanica's shares.
. Finmeccanica has held for years some historical Italian enterprises, as Alfa Romeo
, Aeritalia
and Ansaldo
; Finmeccanica presence in aerospace field was restricted to Aeritalia, the biggest airplane manufacturer of Italy.
From 1960s to 1980s Italy's defence
and aerospace industry was split in different state-holding entities: so Efim owned the helicopters manufacturer Agusta
, the defence company Oto Melara
and the electronic enterprise Officine Galileo whereas STET (another IRI subsidiary) held Selenia, Elsag and SGS Thomson, all electronic enterprises with specializations in security and defense.
In 1989 an internal IRI reorganization process brought STET electronic enterprises to Finmeccanica, that from Aeritalia-Selenia merger made up its aerospace subsidiary Alenia
. In 1992 Efim wound up because of troubled financial situation; so Agusta, Oto Melara, Officine Galileo and Breda
passed to Finmeccanica, which became one of the most important Italian industrial groups.
Finmeccanica, which was previously fully state owned by IRI, went under a privatization process in 1993, when it was listed in Milan
Borsa Italiana
.
In 1992 Finmeccanica's Agusta
became a 32% partner in NHIndustries
, the prime contractor for NH90 helicopter
, along with Eurocopter (62.5%) and Fokker
(5.5%).
In July 2000 Finmeccanica and the British GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries (Agusta
and GKN-Westland Helicopters
) to form AgustaWestland
. On May 26, 2004 GKN confirmed that it would sell its share to its Finmeccanica for £1.06 billion.
In December 2001 the missile business of Alenia Marconi Systems
(AMS), a joint Finmeccanica/BAE Systems
company, was merged with other European missile manufacturers to form MBDA
which thus became the world's second largest missile manufacturer.
In July 2003 Finmeccanica and BAE Systems announced their intention to set up three joint venture companies, to be collectively known as Eurosystems. These companies would have pooled the avionics, C4ISTAR
and communications businesses of the two companies. However the difficulties of integrating the companies in this way led to a re-evaluation of the proposal; BAE's 2004 Annual Report states that "recognizing the complexity of the earlier proposed Eurosystems transaction with Finmeccanica we have moved to a simpler model". The main part of this deal was the dissolution of AMS and the establishment of SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems
. In late March 2007 BAE Systems sold its 25% share of SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems to Finmeccanica for €400 million (approx. £270 million c. 2007).. SELEX S&AS now operates as SELEX Galileo
following a merger with Galileo Avionica S.p.A. (another Finmeccanica company) in January 2008.
In May 2008 Finmeccanica announced its intention to purchase the U.S. defense contractor DRS Technologies
for nearly $5.2 billion. On October 22, 2008, the sale of DRS Technologies was finalized.
Aeronautics
Helicopters
Space
Defence electronics
Information Technology
Energy and transportation
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
conglomerate. Finmeccanica is the second largest industrial group and the largest of the hi-tech industrial groups based in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
. It works in the fields of defence
Arms industry
The arms industry is a global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. It comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military material, equipment and facilities...
, aerospace
Aerospace
Aerospace comprises the atmosphere of Earth and surrounding space. Typically the term is used to refer to the industry that researches, designs, manufactures, operates, and maintains vehicles moving through air and space...
, security
Homeland security
Homeland security is an umbrella term for security efforts to protect states against terrorist activity. Specifically, is a concerted national effort to prevent terrorist attacks within the U.S., reduce America’s vulnerability to terrorism, and minimize the damage and recover from attacks that do...
, automation
Automation
Automation is the use of control systems and information technologies to reduce the need for human work in the production of goods and services. In the scope of industrialization, automation is a step beyond mechanization...
, transport
Transport
Transport or transportation is the movement of people, cattle, animals and goods from one location to another. Modes of transport include air, rail, road, water, cable, pipeline, and space. The field can be divided into infrastructure, vehicles, and operations...
and energy
Energy
In physics, energy is an indirectly observed quantity. It is often understood as the ability a physical system has to do work on other physical systems...
. The company has offices in over 100 countries.
It is partially owned by the Italian government, which holds about 30% of Finmeccanica's shares.
History
The company was established in 1948 as a subholding for mechanical industry of state owned IRIIstituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale
The Istituto per la Ricostruzione Industriale was an Italian public company set up by the fascist government in 1933 to combat the effects of the global depression on the Italian economy...
. Finmeccanica has held for years some historical Italian enterprises, as Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo
Alfa Romeo Automobiles S.p.A. is an Italian manufacturer of cars. Founded as A.L.F.A. on June 24, 1910, in Milan, the company has been involved in car racing since 1911, and has a reputation for building expensive sports cars...
, Aeritalia
Aeritalia
Aeritalia was an aerospace engineering corporation based in Italy, originally Fiat Aviazione before merging with Aerfer, and now part of Alenia Aeronautica....
and Ansaldo
Gio. Ansaldo & C.
Ansaldo was one of Italy's oldest and most important engineering companies, existing for 140 years from 1853 to 1993.-From foundation to World War I:...
; Finmeccanica presence in aerospace field was restricted to Aeritalia, the biggest airplane manufacturer of Italy.
From 1960s to 1980s Italy's defence
Arms industry
The arms industry is a global industry and business which manufactures and sells weapons and military technology and equipment. It comprises government and commercial industry involved in research, development, production, and service of military material, equipment and facilities...
and aerospace industry was split in different state-holding entities: so Efim owned the helicopters manufacturer Agusta
Agusta
Agusta is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It is based in Samarate, Northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907...
, the defence company Oto Melara
Oto Melara
Oto Melara is an Italian defence company with factories in Brescia and La Spezia. It was founded in 1905 as a joint venture of Vickers and Terni. During World War I, Vickers Terni produced many weapons with calibre 40 mm and upwards. In 1929 the company was renamed Odero Terni Orlando with the...
and the electronic enterprise Officine Galileo whereas STET (another IRI subsidiary) held Selenia, Elsag and SGS Thomson, all electronic enterprises with specializations in security and defense.
In 1989 an internal IRI reorganization process brought STET electronic enterprises to Finmeccanica, that from Aeritalia-Selenia merger made up its aerospace subsidiary Alenia
Alenia Aeronautica
Alenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, is a European aerospace company from Italy. Its subsidiaries include Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali...
. In 1992 Efim wound up because of troubled financial situation; so Agusta, Oto Melara, Officine Galileo and Breda
Società Italiana Ernesto Breda
Società Italiana Ernesto Breda, more usually referred to simply as Breda was an Italian mechanical manufacturing company founded by Ernesto Breda in Milan in 1886. The firm originally manufactured locomotives and other railway machinery, but later branched out into armaments and aircraft. In 1962,...
passed to Finmeccanica, which became one of the most important Italian industrial groups.
Finmeccanica, which was previously fully state owned by IRI, went under a privatization process in 1993, when it was listed in Milan
Milan
Milan is the second-largest city in Italy and the capital city of the region of Lombardy and of the province of Milan. The city proper has a population of about 1.3 million, while its urban area, roughly coinciding with its administrative province and the bordering Province of Monza and Brianza ,...
Borsa Italiana
Borsa Italiana
The Borsa Italiana S.p.A., based in Milan, is Italy's main stock exchange. It was privatised in 1997 and is a part of the London Stock Exchange Group plc since 2007. In 2005, the companies listed on the Borsa were worth US$890 billion...
.
In 1992 Finmeccanica's Agusta
Agusta
Agusta is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It is based in Samarate, Northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907...
became a 32% partner in NHIndustries
NHIndustries
NHIndustries is a helicopter manufacturing company established in 1992 by Eurocopter of France and Germany, Agusta of Italy and Stork Fokker Aerospace of the Netherlands...
, the prime contractor for NH90 helicopter
NHI NH90
The NHIndustries NH90 is a medium sized, twin-engine, multi-role military helicopter manufactured by NHIndustries. The first prototype had its maiden flight in December 1995...
, along with Eurocopter (62.5%) and Fokker
Fokker
Fokker was a Dutch aircraft manufacturer named after its founder, Anthony Fokker. The company operated under several different names, starting out in 1912 in Schwerin, Germany, moving to the Netherlands in 1919....
(5.5%).
In July 2000 Finmeccanica and the British GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries (Agusta
Agusta
Agusta is an Italian helicopter manufacturer. It is based in Samarate, Northern Italy. It is a subsidiary of Finmeccanica. The company was founded by Count Giovanni Agusta in 1923, who flew his first airplane in 1907...
and GKN-Westland Helicopters
Westland Aircraft
Westland Aircraft was a British aircraft manufacturer located in Yeovil in Somerset. Formed as a separate company by separation from Petters Ltd just before the start of the Second World War, Westland had been building aircraft since 1915...
) to form AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland
AgustaWestland is an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland with Finmeccanica and GKN each holding a 50% share.AgustaWestland is now a...
. On May 26, 2004 GKN confirmed that it would sell its share to its Finmeccanica for £1.06 billion.
In December 2001 the missile business of Alenia Marconi Systems
Alenia Marconi Systems
Alenia Marconi Systems was a major European integrated defence electronics company and an equal shares joint venture between BAE Systems and Finmeccanica until its dissolution on May 3, 2005....
(AMS), a joint Finmeccanica/BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
company, was merged with other European missile manufacturers to form MBDA
MBDA
MBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles , Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees...
which thus became the world's second largest missile manufacturer.
In July 2003 Finmeccanica and BAE Systems announced their intention to set up three joint venture companies, to be collectively known as Eurosystems. These companies would have pooled the avionics, C4ISTAR
C4ISTAR
In military usage, a number of abbreviations in the format C followed by additional letters are used, based on expanded versions of the abbreviation C2 - command and control.C2I stands for command, control, and intelligence....
and communications businesses of the two companies. However the difficulties of integrating the companies in this way led to a re-evaluation of the proposal; BAE's 2004 Annual Report states that "recognizing the complexity of the earlier proposed Eurosystems transaction with Finmeccanica we have moved to a simpler model". The main part of this deal was the dissolution of AMS and the establishment of SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems
SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems
SELEX Galileo is a major defence electronics company that specialises in surveillance, protection, tracking, targeting, navigation and control, and imaging systems. It is owned by the Italian company Finmeccanica....
. In late March 2007 BAE Systems sold its 25% share of SELEX Sensors and Airborne Systems to Finmeccanica for €400 million (approx. £270 million c. 2007).. SELEX S&AS now operates as SELEX Galileo
SELEX Galileo
SELEX Galileo is a major defence electronics company that specialises in surveillance, protection, tracking, targeting, navigation and control, and imaging systems. It is owned by the Italian company Finmeccanica....
following a merger with Galileo Avionica S.p.A. (another Finmeccanica company) in January 2008.
In May 2008 Finmeccanica announced its intention to purchase the U.S. defense contractor DRS Technologies
DRS Technologies
DRS Technologies, Inc. is a US-based defense contractor. Previously traded on the NYSE, the company was purchased by the Italian firm Finmeccanica in October 2008.-History:...
for nearly $5.2 billion. On October 22, 2008, the sale of DRS Technologies was finalized.
Organization
- Alenia AeronauticaAlenia AeronauticaAlenia Aeronautica, a Finmeccanica subsidiary, is a European aerospace company from Italy. Its subsidiaries include Alenia Aermacchi and Alenia Aeronavali...
- Alenia Aermacchi
- Alenia Aeronavali
- ATR (50%) ATR is the world leader in the 50 to 74-seat turboprop market
Helicopters
- AgustaWestlandAgustaWestlandAgustaWestland is an Anglo-Italian helicopter design and manufacturing company. It was formed in July 2000 when Finmeccanica S.p.A. and GKN plc agreed to merge their respective helicopter subsidiaries to form AgustaWestland with Finmeccanica and GKN each holding a 50% share.AgustaWestland is now a...
(100%)
Space
- Thales Alenia SpaceThales Alenia SpaceThales Alenia Space is an aerospace company born after the Thales Group bought the participation of Alcatel in the two joint-ventures between Alcatel and Finmeccanica, Alcatel Alenia Space and Telespazio.-History:...
(33%) - NGL Prime SpANGL Prime SpANGL Prime SpA is a technology company created for the purpose of all activities related to future European launchers which are not related to Ariane 5 or Vega or their evolutions. It is a joint venture of EADS Astrium and Finmeccanica . The corresponding shareholder agreement was signed on 31...
(30%) - TelespazioTelespazioTelespazio is a space systems services company, based in Rome, Italy. Telespazio was founded in 1961; however the company as it exists today was formed on July 1 2005 with the merger of the original Telespazio with the space services division of Alcatel...
(67%)
Defence electronics
- DRS TechnologiesDRS TechnologiesDRS Technologies, Inc. is a US-based defense contractor. Previously traded on the NYSE, the company was purchased by the Italian firm Finmeccanica in October 2008.-History:...
- SELEX GalileoSELEX GalileoSELEX Galileo is a major defence electronics company that specialises in surveillance, protection, tracking, targeting, navigation and control, and imaging systems. It is owned by the Italian company Finmeccanica....
- SELEX Sistemi IntegratiSELEX Sistemi IntegratiSELEX Sistemi Integrati, a Finmeccanica company, designs and develops Large Systems for Homeland Protection, systems and radar sensors for air defence, battlefield management, naval warfare, coastal and maritime surveillance, air traffic control and turn-key airport solutions.The company has about...
- SELEX Communications
Information Technology
- Elsag Datamat
Elsag Datamat is a company that designs, produces and supplies advanced technology IT systems and solutions for applications in security, automation, transport, defence and space. Elsag Datamat forms part of the "Defence Electronics" division of Finmeccanica, a leading industrial group at global level. - Quadrics Supercomputers (100%)
Energy and transportation
- Ansaldo EnergiaAnsaldo EnergiaAnsaldo Energia, a subsidiary of Finmeccanica, is an Italian power engineering company. It is based in Genoa.-History:The parent company, Ansaldo, started in 1853. It was taken over by Finmeccanica in 1993...
The company has more than a hundred years of power generation experience and an installed capacity exceeding 153,000 MW in over 75 countries. Revenues in 2003 stood at 802 million euros. - Ansaldo Fuel Cells
In June 2004 Ansaldo Fuel Cells inaugurated the Terni industrial fuel cell production facility for stationary applications. The production capacity, initially 3 MW, should have reached 15 MW by 2006. - AnsaldoBreda
Heavy and Light Rail Vehicles are to be found in Denmark (83 diesel trains and 34 metro cars), Norway (36 electric trains+16 light metro vehicles), Madrid (180 heavy metro vehicles), Gothenburg (40 Sirio light rail stock), Birmingham+Manchester (32+6 light metro vehicles), Lille (24 light metro vehicles), SanFrancisco+Boston (151+100 light metro vehicles), Atlanta+LosAngeles (100+42 heavy metro vehicles), and Athens (35 SirioSiriothumb|220px|A Sirio in Athens.220px|thumb|A Sirio of [[Azienda Trasporti Milanesi|ATM]] in Milan.Sirio is a low-floor tram built by AnsaldoBreda, an Italian manufacturer of trains, trams and light rail vehicles...
light rail vehicles). - BredaMenarinibus
The second largest manufacturer of buses in Italy, based in Bologna. It has a workforce of 300 employees and a turnover of about 100 million euros. - Ansaldo STSAnsaldo STSAnsaldo STS S.p.A. is a multinational technology company which produces signalling and automation systems for use by rail and rapid transit operators. The firm also acts as lead contractor and turnkey provider on new rail developments...
(40%)
Joint ventures
- MBDAMBDAMBDA is a missile developer and manufacturer with operations in France, Britain, Germany, Italy, and the United States. It was formed by a merger of Aérospatiale-Matra Missiles , Finmeccanica and Matra BAe Dynamics in December 2001. In 2003 the company had 10,000 employees...
(25%) - Horizon SASHorizon class frigateThe Horizon Common New Generation Frigate is a multi-national collaboration to produce a new generation of anti-air warfare frigates. Originally an alliance of Britain, France and Italy, the project is now a French/Italian effort following the withdrawal of Britain due to differing requirements...
and EuroSysNavHorizon class frigateThe Horizon Common New Generation Frigate is a multi-national collaboration to produce a new generation of anti-air warfare frigates. Originally an alliance of Britain, France and Italy, the project is now a French/Italian effort following the withdrawal of Britain due to differing requirements...
50-50 joint ventures between DCNS of France and Finmeccanica/FincantieriFincantieriFincantieri - Cantieri Navali Italiani S.p.A. is a shipbuilding company based in Trieste, Italy. It was formed in 1959 and is the largest shipbuilder in the Mediterranean, and one of the largest in Europe...
of Italy. France and Italy placed a combined order for 27 FREMMs to be delivered by 2016 at a cost of US$16 billion (€11 billion), making it Western Europe's largest naval project to date. - EuroTorpEuroTorpGEIE EuroTorp is a consortium formed in July 1993 by French and Italian defense companies. Concerned governments signed a memorandum of understanding on industrial co-operation on their new generation lightweight torpedo programs....
50-50 joint venture between Finmeccanica and DCN/Thales of France. EuroTorp is the world market leader for lightweight torpedoes, and the European leading company in antisubmarine weapon systems. - NHIndustriesNHIndustriesNHIndustries is a helicopter manufacturing company established in 1992 by Eurocopter of France and Germany, Agusta of Italy and Stork Fokker Aerospace of the Netherlands...
(32%) - Eurofighter GmbHEurofighter GmbHEurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH is a multinational company that co-ordinates the design, production and upgrade of the Eurofighter Typhoon, this includes incorporating the jet engines designed and manufactured by EuroJet Turbo GmbH.Founded in 1986, it has its head office in Hallbergmoos, Bavaria,...
(21%)
Joint venture with EADS and BAE Systems for co-ordination of the design, production and upgrade of Eurofighter TyphoonEurofighter TyphoonThe Eurofighter Typhoon is a twin-engine, canard-delta wing, multirole combat aircraft, designed and built by a consortium of three companies: EADS, Alenia Aeronautica and BAE Systems; working through a holding company, Eurofighter GmbH, which was formed in 1986...
. - Global Military Aircraft Systems (GMAS) between Alenia North America Inc and L-3 IS (subsidiary of L-3 Communications) in order to compete for the FCA program (Future Cargo Aircraft):
- Superjet 100
- NEUROnNeuronA neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits information by electrical and chemical signaling. Chemical signaling occurs via synapses, specialized connections with other cells. Neurons connect to each other to form networks. Neurons are the core components of the nervous...