SOFITEC AERO SL

Their core work

Sofitec Aero is a Spanish aerospace manufacturing company specializing in the production and assembly of aircraft structural components. Their core work involves advanced forming, machining, and integration of metallic and composite aerostructures — including keel beams, stiffened composite panels, window frames, and wing skins. They participate heavily in Clean Sky 2 programmes, developing manufacturing solutions for next-generation aircraft structures with a growing focus on advanced titanium forming and human-robot collaboration on the shop floor.

What they specialise in

How they've shifted over time

Sofitec's early H2020 projects (2018-2019) concentrated on conventional aerostructure manufacturing challenges — keel beams, composite stiffener optimization, and hybrid metallic-composite boxes. From 2020 onward, their work shifted toward more advanced processes: FEM-assisted titanium forming for laminar flow wings (MICROFORM, their largest project) and collaborative robotics for manufacturing (SHERLOCK). This trajectory shows a company moving from component-level manufacturing toward digitally enhanced, next-generation aerospace production methods.

Sofitec is evolving from a traditional aerostructures manufacturer into a digitally augmented production partner, combining advanced forming simulation with human-robot collaboration on the shop floor.

How they like to work

Sofitec operates exclusively as a consortium participant — they have never coordinated an H2020 project, which is typical for a manufacturing company contributing production expertise to research-driven programmes. With 26 unique partners across 10 countries and 6 projects, they maintain a broad but not deeply repeated network. Their role is that of an industrial end-user and manufacturing specialist who validates and demonstrates research results in real aerospace production contexts.

Sofitec has collaborated with 26 distinct partners across 10 countries, primarily within the Clean Sky 2 ecosystem. Their network spans major European aerospace manufacturing nations, reflecting the cross-border supply chain structure of European aviation programmes.

What sets them apart

Sofitec brings direct aerospace manufacturing floor experience to research consortia — they are not a research lab but an industrial partner who can demonstrate and validate processes at production scale. Their rare combination of composite-metal hybrid structure expertise with emerging capabilities in robotic manufacturing and advanced titanium forming makes them a strong end-user partner for anyone developing new aerospace production technologies. Based in Andalusia (Carmona, near Seville), they operate within Spain's growing aerospace cluster near the Airbus production facilities.

Highlights from their portfolio

• MICROFORM
  Their largest project (EUR 492K) tackling the demanding challenge of forming microperforated titanium for laminar flow control wings — a key technology for next-generation fuel-efficient aircraft.
• SHERLOCK
  Their only non-aerospace-specific project, exploring human-robot collaboration, exoskeletons, and AI-enabled cognition — signaling a strategic move toward Industry 4.0 manufacturing.
• WINFRAME 4.0
  Full-scale demonstration of composite window frames for regional aircraft fuselage, showing their capability to work at production-representative scale.