HLD

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Aresia

Aresia
Industry
Turnover
160 M€
Workforce
640 employees
Types of aircraft equipped
100+
CSR
Ecovadis evaluation since 2022

Aresia is a French civil and defense aeronautical engineering group. In the civil sector, Aresia is a Tier 1 subcontractor to Airbus for the supply of lifting beams for the A320 and A330 ranges. In the defense sector, Aresia designs, develops and manufactures load-carrying systems for combat aircraft, including load-carrying systems for the Rafale for the French Ministry of Defense and for Dassault Aviation.

In June 2018, HLD acquired a majority stake in Aresia alongside Jacques Rafaut, the historical shareholder, the management team and minority shareholders. While the company was initially not for sale, we succeeded in establishing a relationship of trust with Mr. Rafaut and Mr. Berthet and convinced them to enter into exclusive discussions, thereby pre-empting the transaction and avoiding any competitive processes.

The aim of our investment is to build a leading European manufacturer of civil and defense aeronautical equipment. Our project is accompanied by a targeted external growth strategy, maintaining a balanced exposure to civil and defense aviation. Aresia is the result of the merger of 5 aerospace companies : Rafaut, Alkan, AEds, Secapem and Lace. The acquisition of Alkan in 2021, Rafaut's main historical competitor, was a key step in creating the European leader in lift and ejection systems.

“In order to achieve our goal of establishing Aresia as an innovative, responsible and sovereign equipment manufacturer, we can count on a number of privileged partners, including HLD. Through its comprehensive and attentive support, HLD is playing its dual role as business developer and sparring partner to perfection so that we can reach our defined goal together. ”
Nicolas Orance [CEO]

Ongoing actions

  • Operational excellence

    Strengthening of the management teams to prepare the group for its new growth phase. Modernization of the supply chain, optimization of the purchasing policy and sourcing of suppliers, quality monitoring.

  • External growth

    Integration of build-ups after 4 acquisitions in 2021, 2020 and 2019.

  • Organic growth

    Strengthening of the sales teams, with a particular focus on international business.

  • ESG

    Formalization of the CSR policy and introduction of the Ecovadis assessment to make Aresia a benchmark within its sector.

  • Innovation and product roadmap

    3 R&D programs on hydrogen tanks to promote innovation in the decarbonization of the aeronautical sector.

How far we have come

  • +4
    4 acquisitions, in both civil and defense aeronautics, to reach the targeted critical size
  • 4.0
    Construction of an automated and digitalized 4.0 factory in Valenciennes
  • 22 000
    Delivery of the 22,000th lifting beam for the A320 program, i.e. 10,000 aircraft equipped
  • 10 000+
    Surpassing the threshold of 10,000 items of defense transport equipment put into service

Latest news

2022
Rafaut Group and all of its entities are combining their activities to create a new aeronautical player: ARESIA. By combining these entities, all leaders in their respective fields, ARESIA offers global expertise based on the know-how of each and the recognized experience of all. This synergy makes it a strong and resilient entity, a major dual player.
2021
The acquisition of Alkan makes the Group the European leader in the design and manufacture of mission equipment for combat aircraft and helicopters. With this acquisition, the Group is ideally positioned for the SCAF program (future European fighter aircraft) and has reached the critical size needed to accelerate its international expansion and diversify its revenue base.
2020
Rafaut acquires Secapem in December 2020, a leader in training systems for fighter pilots. Secapem counts nearly 14 air forces around the world in its customer portfolio, and this acquisition allows the Group to complete its equipment range and generate additional commercial synergies.
2019
Rafaut is expanding its product portfolio to include external tanks and fighter pods. This offering further cements its relationship with Dassault and brings the Group closer to the critical mass needed for greater visibility in the market.

Team

Aresia
  • Bruno Berthet
    [Chairman]
  • Nicolas Orance
    [CEO]
HLD