BERCELLA SRL

Their core work

Bercella is an Italian SME specializing in advanced composite materials manufacturing, based in Varano De Melegari — Italy's Motor Valley region known for high-performance engineering. They develop and produce composite structures using techniques such as induction welding, fibre placement, and thermoplastic shaping. Their H2020 work spans aerospace interior composites (IntAir), railway running gear components (NEXTGEAR), and thermoplastic composite processing methods (WEL-FIT), positioning them as a versatile composites manufacturer serving transport industries.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Bercella began their H2020 participation in 2015 with a feasibility study on thermoplastic composite processing (induction welding, fibre placement), then moved into aerospace composites for aircraft interiors (2016-2018). By 2019, they shifted toward railway applications, combining their composite expertise with additive manufacturing for running gear components. The trajectory shows a company expanding from core composite fabrication into broader transport applications while adding new production technologies like additive manufacturing.

Moving from aerospace-focused composites toward multi-modal transport applications, integrating additive manufacturing with traditional composite techniques — expect future work at this intersection.

How they like to work

Bercella operates primarily as a participant in larger consortia (2 of 3 projects), with one coordinator role in a small SME Phase 1 feasibility study. With 20 unique partners across 8 countries from just 3 projects, they engage in broad European consortia rather than small bilateral collaborations. This suggests they contribute specialized manufacturing capabilities to large research-driven projects rather than leading the research agenda themselves.

Bercella has built connections with 20 distinct partners across 8 European countries through 3 projects, indicating they are well-integrated into multi-national transport and materials research consortia despite their small size.

What sets them apart

Bercella combines deep composite manufacturing know-how with a location in Italy's Motor Valley, a region dense with automotive and motorsport engineering expertise. Their ability to work across both aerospace and railway sectors with composite materials makes them a rare cross-transport composites specialist among SMEs. For consortium builders, they offer hands-on manufacturing and prototyping capability — not just research — which is valuable for innovation actions requiring physical demonstrators.

Highlights from their portfolio

• IntAir
  Largest funding (EUR 400,750) — focused on making aircraft interior composites cheaper, lighter, and safer, directly addressing aviation industry cost and safety pressures.
• NEXTGEAR
  Most recent and technically diverse project, combining composite materials with additive manufacturing for railway running gear — signals the company's evolving capabilities.
• WEL-FIT
  Their only coordinator role — an SME Phase 1 feasibility study on induction welding of thermoplastic composites, representing their core proprietary interest.