voestalpine focuses on the growing aerospace market

The voestalpine wing, the architectural highlight of the Red Bull Ring right next to the start/finishing straights, impressively embodies innovation and technology, and not just in the automotive, but also in the aerospace segment with the Red Bull Air Race. This is where the circle closes for the voestalpine Group, who with its subsidiaries Böhler Schmiedetechnik, Böhler Edelstahl, Böhler Bleche, and Böhler Profil has long been established in the aerospace industry as a leading provider of high-alloyed special steels and titanium and nickel based alloys, and who for years has been a reliable partner for international aircraft manufucturers and their suppliers.

“Böhler materials can be found in all Airbus and Boeing aircraft models. We are proud of the fact that three of our four production companies, Böhler Edelstahl, Böhler Schmiedetechnik, and Böhler Bleche are located in Styria where this weekend the spectacular aerospace presentation Red Bull Air Race will take place. The aerospace industry will thus become an increasingly important economic factor also for Styria,” states Franz Rotter, Member of the Management Board of voestalpine AG and Head of the Special Steel Division.

At the Red Bull Air Race that will take place over the weekend in Spielberg, twelve race pilots will take up the challenge to fly their racing planes at top speeds of up to 370 km/h through a designated course. Only master class pilots can land on the finishing straight next to the voestalpine wing.

Overall, aerospace is considered a growth industry. According to the Airbus Global Market Forecast, around 31,400 new aircraft will be delivered by 2033. Today, the Special Steel Division – which includes Böhler within the voestalpine Group – achieves ten percent of its revenue in the aerospace segment, which equals a total of EUR 250 million (business year 2013/14). In the next few years, voestalpine aims to continue to take advantage of the economic potential of the aerospace industry and increase group-wide revenue in this segment from the current three percent in the business year 2013/14 to five percent by 2020. voestalpine materials are used to make components for engines and engine mounts, structural components in the wings, body and tail, parts for the landing gear, doors and windows, and much more.

The voestalpine Special Steel Division is focused on technologically sophisticated materials and customer-specific services. It is a global market leader for tool steel and one of the leading providers of high-speed steel and special forgings. The most important customer segments are the automotive, energy (both production and oil/natural gas exploration), and mechanical engineering industries as well as the consumer goods and aerospace industries. In the business year 2013/14, the division reported revenue of more than EUR 2.6 billion, of which around 40% was generated outside of Europe, and an operating result (EBITDA) of EUR 360 million. It has around 12,900 employees worldwide.