Fincantieri, all Folgiero’s plans in defense with Leonardo and the Navy
What the CEO of the Fincantieri group, Pierroberto Folgiero, said during a hearing before the Defense Committee of the Chamber
"Fincantieri in its business is the largest company in the world if we exclude the Chinese and Koreans".
This is what was highlighted by the managing director and general manager of Fincantieri, Pierroberto Folgiero, in a hearing before the Defense Commission of the Chamber on issues relating to the production of goods and services of interest for the supply of vehicles in the defense sector.
7.5 billion in revenues, 34 billion in the portfolio and a presence in 18 shipyards around the world, 20 thousand employees, are the numbers pitted by CEO Folgiero: "We are talking about an Italian company that has a leading role in shipbuilding ”.
Today Fincantieri is the only shipbuilding company in the world, underlines Folgiero, to build cruise ships (the only shipbuilding activity left in Europe), military and offshore (the activities in Norwaythrough the subsidiary Vard ). The third market is that of offshore work vessels, which is growing a lot because the new renewables will be at sea, both in shallow and high waters.
“The military market, in the post-Ukraine period, is a market that is growing, naval spending for defense brings with it the concept of defense and security. We are experiencing an increase in the attractiveness of Fincantieri products also for export” observed the number one of Fincantieri. "It is about serving the Italian Navy but also how the country system on the Italian geopolitical platform can also go to exports".
All the details.
FINCANTIERI'S INDUSTRIAL PLAN SUMMARY BY FOLGIERO
First of all, Folgiero reminded the parliamentarians of the Defense Commission of the five macro-actions envisaged in the plan: focus on the shipbuilding business, ("we want to concentrate on strengthening the 8 shipyards in Italy, modernizing the shipyards"); not only being ship builders, but as we already do in the military business, being close to customers by providing support and assistance; continue to integrate more and more on-board systems, be ahead and leader in the on-board installation of all systems (including digital); focus on financial discipline (limit debt); interpret the demand for sustainability in industrial terms.
“Being pioneers of the digital ship and the low-emission ship” is the goal of the group from Trieste, Folgiero stated in the hearing. "At the same time we have to face a great volatility of costs, energy costs, raw materials and also very expensive money" highlighted the number one of Fincantieri.
THE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE NAVY
The relationship with the Navy is fundamental: with regard to existing programs, Folgiero mentions the Fremm, the LSS, the helicopter carrier, the Ppa, the world of submarines and the Niom, a new major hydro-oceanographic naval unit destined to Hydrographic Institute of the Navy .
Regarding the ongoing programs: "the two new NFS submarines (in the process of being contractualised), the world of the Ppx (new program that is starting ), Clara (the spy ship) the refuelers and the Fremm 13 and 14 frigates, expected in the next Dpp also in the light of the growing requirements set out in the commission by Admiral Credendino . The list does not consider the programs that are in the middle, between those already acquired and those about to start: the two Ddx cruisers, the two amphibious ships and the mid-life update programs , such as the one in progress for Orizzonte-class destroyers.
CHANGED GEOPOLITICAL SCENARIO
As already highlighted by the Chief of Staff of the Navy, Admiral Credendino "the new geopolitical scenario foresees a step forward for the Italian Navy in the enlarged Mediterranean also in the face of an intensification of the actors and a lightening of the American presence from the Mediterranean to the Indo-Pacific. Somehow Italy will have to take charge of this too” Folgiero pointed out.
THE EXPORT ENGINE
With regard to the increase in naval military expenditure, "we are experiencing it in South-East Asia" explained Folgiero. “After the mission in Malaysia we registered a huge interest, Indonesia is a very important market and then there are Bangladesh, the Philippines and Vietnam. Southeast Asian and Indo-Pacific theater is an industry that is in huge demand. There is the enlarged Mediterranean, there is Abu Dhabi (also capitalizing on what we are already doing in Qatar) and there is Saudi Arabia”.
THE IMPORTANCE OF HORIZON NAVAL SYSTEMS (JV LEONARDO-FINCANTIERI) ACCORDING TO FOLGIERO
“Compared to its competitors, Fincantieri must rely on the partnership with Leonardo to cover all the ship's components. To be prime contractor, Fincantieri needs access to Leonardo's expertise on all the part that goes above the platform. Orizzonte Sistemi Navali, which is the joint venture between Fincantieri and Leonardo, becomes very important in the new industrial cycle” highlighted Pierroberto Folgiero.
“With the strengthening of Orizzonte Sistemi Navali we will concentrate the ship system integration skills” added Folgiero.
THE EXAMPLE OF QATAR
After that, Folgiero cited Qatar "as an example of a country-system where we went like Fincantieri with Leonardo and Elettronica".
In 2016, the Qatari Ministry of Defense commissioned Fincantieri to carry out the national naval acquisition program which provides for the supply of seven surface vessels, entirely built in the group's Italian shipyards, ensuring continuity of work until 2024. The order for the Trieste group is worth more than 3 and a half billion.
THE PRESENCE IN THE UNITED STATES
“In Italy we serve the Navy, in the USA Fincantieri is present in the US Navy historically both with LCS (with prime contractor Lockheed Martin) and with the Constellation class frigates in which Fincantieri is prime contractor” recalled Folgiero. The American experience "becomes an accelerator of Fincantieri's credibility in exports".
FOCUS ON THE UNDERWATER DOMAIN
Finally, not only surface ships, corvettes and frigates for Fincantieri. In fact, the group from Trieste intends to try their hand at the new underwater domain, Folgiero pointed out. As regards the underwater one, the vessels are divided into traditional and nuclear submarines, "in the traditional ones, Fincantieri is the number one producer in the world" specified Folgiero.
So the Trieste group "represents the natural aggregator of the underwater domain for the defense segment, among other things Fincantieri is prime contractor of the U212NFS programme".
The starting point is the National Polo for the Underwater Dimension , in which "Fincantieri will actively participate as interpreters of the dual role of diving which, as always, starts with the military for the validation of solutions and technologies with the idea of following the operational needs of civilians" he concluded Folgiero. "It is very important that this pole is financially supported, thinking of the role of the Navy as an enabler, to then arrive at useful industrial products [in the civil sector] such as in the supervision of cables or seabeds, activities related not only to defence, but security and under the economic profile".
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/smartcity/fincantieri-tutti-i-piani-di-folgiero-nella-difesa-con-leonardo-e-marina-militare/ on Tue, 30 May 2023 14:04:17 +0000.