Asquini MGP-NEXTEAM Group takes off at the Technoparc des Florides

The company sees new potential for growth

In 2011, the Marmande-based company Asquini MGP, a NEXTEAM Group offshoot that specializes in manufacturing mechanical parts and assemblies, opened a research office in Vitrolles. The site serves two purposes: work more closely with their client Airbus Helicopters in Marignane and offer them a comprehensive approach ranging from project definition to product design. The collaborative, multi-sector methodology inspired by the Henri Fabre project, prompted Asquini MGP to move its research office to the Les Florides park in 2014. Since then, partnerships and research work have been proliferating with small businesses in the region and with the Arts et Métiers campus in Aix-en-Provence. Total sales have grown by more than 10% per year.

Founded in southwestern France, Asquini MGP bet on the Aix-Marseille-Provence metropolitan area in 2011. "Machined metal parts is our core business. Our goal is to develop an upstream engineering department and to leverage our proximity to Airbus Helicopters to offer them more services," explains Ludovic Asquini, President-CEO of the NEXTEAM Group. This tier one supplier to major aeronautics and aerospace companies was originally based in Vitrolles, but three years later it chose to move to the Les Florides district in Marignane.

"We thought the techno-center at Les Florides was the perfect place for us to grow and forge synergies"

Provence Promotion assisted the company with finding "mixed use" infrastructure that included 200 m² of offices, as well as 1,000 m² of workshops to test experimental and/or industrial techniques.

"We thought the techno-center at Les Florides was the perfect place for us to grow and forge synergies," adds Ludovic Asquini. The group he manages employs 760 employees and will have total sales of €160 million in 2017. The location has proven to be rich on many levels, according to Dr. Cédric Lopez, Manager of the Asquini MGP Research Office, who runs the site: "Thanks to R&D and prototyping, we now offer full integration from design to production, while remaining highly responsive."

This comprehensive approach led to the design and production of a hoist arm for the H160, the most recent addition to the Airbus Helicopters program. Asquini MGP is no longer content to be a machining specialist for the European manufacturer. For several months, the company has been working jointly with small businesses around L’Etang de Berre (MPEB and Méca13).

Collaboration with SuperOx and linkages with Arts et Métiers

The nearness of the Team Henri Fabre staff and member companies is also a powerful driver.

For example, thanks to introductions made by Provence Promotion, Asquini MGP and the Russian company SuperOx have begun collaborating. There is a strong connection between the supraconduction expert and the designer of mechanical assemblies. "Our partnership enables SuperOx to rely on Asquini MGP's capacity for integration and, in return, we are capitalizing on their support to penetrate the Russian market. We are integrating their technology," adds Cédric Lopez. SuperOx even chose to locate its offices in the same building as Asquini MGP for its first European outpost. In addition to their complementary fields of knowledge, the company sees new potential for growth by also investing in energy and the naval sector, two other key industries in the region. The Asquini MGP Research Office aims not only to provide technical assistance to industrial firms, but also to establish itself in upstream design and development. This is why the company signed an agreement with the École des Arts et Métiers of Aix-en-Provence in late 2016. A doctoral student is preparing a thesis on the development of dynamic assemblies and transmission shafts for aeronautics and aerospace clients.

Some of the testing will be carried out at the campus workshop.

Asquini MGP is proud to be in Provence. In six years it has built out its staff and now has seven employees. It has also boosted its sales with an annual growth rate of over 10%.