Utingal is a success story of industrial diversification, applying and adapting its know-how in the automotive industry, a field in which it began its activity in 2000, to new sectors such as aeronautics, to which it made the leap in 2012 and in which it is now one of the most consolidated and benchmark companies.

"In 2015 we acquired our current warehouse, of almost 4,000 square meters, and today practically 85% of our business is aeronautical," details Jesús González López, CEO of the company, based in the Areas Business Park (Tui), and vice president of the Galician Aeronautical Consortium.

Utingal offers integral solutions and tailor-made projects, with a "turnkey" service oriented to the automation of industrial projects of different sizes: from engineering for the improvement of production processes in the aeronautical sector, to the manufacture of specific tooling or aircraft parts in composite materials.

Europe is currently their main market, although they have also developed projects for the USA, Mexico and Morocco. Their client portfolio includes some of the main multinational aeronautical groups, such as Airbus - for which they work for all their plants in Spain and France -, Actiturri, Grupo Aernnova, Grupo ITP, MTorres or Embraer; as well as the defense company General Dynamics. In fact, one of its most recognized works is the design, manufacture and assembly of MRO aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul platforms for the Airbus C 295 aircraft.

Innovation projects

Certified with the Innovative SME seal by the Ministry of Science and Innovation, the innovative spirit has always been a constant at Utingal. "We have many innovation projects throughout the year and most of them arise from the technological challenges that our customers, especially Airbus, present us with to provide solutions to their production needs in order to be more competitive," explains González López. Currently, many of these challenges are focused on the field of circular economy, seeking the maximum reuse of materials and waste; and the challenge posed by the high levels of manufacturing that are beginning to be generated in the aeronautical sector, "until now a fairly manual process due to the type of work, but little by little technologies are being implemented so that processes begin to be automated, increasingly reliable and competitive in price within the framework of a globalized market," he explains.

One of the most recent projects is Replay. The Xunta de Galicia, through the Axencia Galega de Innovación, has collaborated with Utingal in the development of the first integrated solution for recycling polyamides from the aeronautical sector for use in advanced technologies such as 3D printing. The initiative has had the strategic support of Airbus and, together with Utingal, four other companies have participated in it to respond to the three main areas of this project: chemistry, mechanics and automation and control. In addition, the Multisectoral Research Technological Center (Cetim) and the University of Vigo have collaborated to bring their research capabilities to the project.

Boosting the aeronautical ecosystem

The Galician aeronautical and aerospace industry has great potential and has consolidated experience, with the Rozas Aerospace Pole as the main reference in the field of unmanned aerial vehicles, thanks to the Civil UAVs Initiative promoted by the Xunta de Galicia. "The Pole is very important, not only for the companies in the sector, but also as an opportunity for the entire industrial fabric of the surrounding area," remarked González López. "The UAVS sector, besides being new, does not involve the investment and machinery conditions that a civil aircraft requires, and it is a field that adapts well to the type of companies that, for example, come from the automotive sector, making an effort in knowledge, traceability and regulations. In addition, Galicia is a suitable environment for drone testing and there are a lot of needs generated by the community itself and the ecosystem," he explains.