BIKAR AEROSPACE and Sonaca sign contract

From the start of the contract in spring 2025, the aviation experts at BIKAR AEROSPACE will provide comprehensive procurement, warehousing, processing and commissioning services for the just-in-time materials required for the Sonaca site in Gosselies, Belgium.

BIKAR AEROSPACE was selected as a partner following extensive qualification and control audits, during which the company successfully demonstrated its expertise in meeting Sonaca's stringent supplier requirements. When selecting its partners, Sonaca says it focuses on the continuity of top quality and delivery reliability, reducing overall process costs and promoting innovation. The future-oriented approaches and new technologies in use at BIKAR AEROSPACE tipped the scales in favor of the German company. This cooperation is the largest contract Sonaca Belgium has ever awarded to a single supplier of semi-finished aluminum products.

“We are proud to have won this contract. Our digital and automated solutions have helped us to secure this important contract and underline our pioneering spirit in the aerospace market. Our outstanding internal, cross-team collaboration made a decisive contribution to the successful conclusion of the contract,” says Janek Müller, Head of Aerospace at BIKAR's headquarters in North Rhine-Westphalia.

End-to-end solutions thanks to investments and digitalization

BIKAR AEROSPACE is building the second fully automated cutting center for non-ferrous metals, the BIKAR ZONE EAST, at the Korbußen site in order to create additional production capacities that are specifically tailored to the customer's requirements and needs. In this ultra-modern processing center for plates and sheets, the automation concepts successfully tested in series production in other industries are adapted, thus enabling extremely flexible and comprehensive processing of semi-finished aluminium products, even for individual pieces and very small series.

This includes the automated storage of raw panels in the high-bay warehouse, its direct connection to several robot-guided sawing lines, driverless transport systems, fully automated scrap handling including extraction and pressing of the chips as well as robot packaging of the finished blanks. The individual system components are networked using specially developed control logic. Intelligent algorithms and the seamless connection to the internally developed and hosted ERP system NEXT enable automated control of the entire production system. In this way, BIKAR paves the way for dynamic, real-time optimized and self-organizing value creation processes.

For Sonaca, this means an efficient and reliable end-to-end solution for sensitive material components for aerospace parts. Non-standardized dimensions, preparatory milling work and logistically efficient packaging of non-ferrous metals are just some of the requirements that BIKAR AEROSPACE meets for its customers thanks to the implementation of digital and automated manufacturing processes.

“We are confident that the BIKAR ZONE EAST will bring us a significant step closer to our goal of becoming the leading supplier of aluminum to the aerospace industry,” says Dr. Jan Wolf, Chief Information Officer (CIO) at BIKAR. He adds: “Our aim is to implement process automation, digitization and optimization in all areas using the latest technologies, especially to simplify and accelerate processes, perfectly tailored to the needs of our customers and our company.”

BIKAR AEROSPACE masters the requirements of the aviation business

Customer-specific software solutions optimize the ordering process and enable BIKAR AEROSPACE to respond as quickly as possible to its customers' material call-offs and planning. This ensures an efficient production process for Sonaca and ensures that deliveries meet the agreed schedules and quality standards at all times. A contract monitoring tool provides Sonaca with real-time data on stock levels and enables a constant comparison of the goods required in Belgium with the stock levels at BIKAR. This forecast monitor guarantees Sonaca a reliable overview of the supply chain at all times and enables it to react to uncertainties in the global market at an early stage.

Since 2016, BIKAR AEROSPACE has successfully established itself as a metal service center for the aerospace industry. The Sonaca deal once again consolidates BIKAR's position as a global player. With the commissioning of the new plants in Bristol, England, and Belagavi, India, as well as further planned branches worldwide, BIKAR AEROSPACE is expanding its international presence specifically to meet the needs of the aerospace industry. The focus is clearly on offering all services relating to material procurement, preparation and delivery from a single source. With the development of its own software solutions and the intelligent networking of systems, the long-established company is successfully forging a path into the digital future of the metal trade.

Boilerplates:
BIKAR AEROSPACE GmbH, based in Korbußen, Thuringia, is a major player in the aerospace industry as a supplier of aluminum, among other things. The family-owned company can look back on a history of more than 60 years in the trade and processing of non-ferrous metal semi-finished products. With 850 employees worldwide, BIKAR has specialized in the entire aerospace supply chain in recent years and is committed to providing high-quality products and services in the fields of aluminium, titanium and superalloys. With a focus on continuous expansion, BIKAR AEROSPACE aims to strengthen its global presence and contribute to the further development of the aerospace industry.

Sonaca is a global company headquartered in Belgium, active in the development, manufacture and assembly of structural parts for civil and military aviation and aerospace. With a turnover of over half a billion dollars and 3600 employees, it is a leading Tier 1 player in the aerospace industry. Thanks to its subsidiaries and production sites close to its customers in Europe, North and South America, the Sonaca Group offers fully integrated solutions to challenging problems, from concept to detailed design and manufacturing. All sites are organized for one-stop manufacturing with all necessary qualifications and approvals. Our holistic approach ensures that our customers receive the highest quality products, the best customer service and the best value in the industry. Every time you travel by air anywhere in the world, it is likely that Sonaca will accompany you on your journey.