Aequs Aerospace France: Innovation at the Heart of Industrial Excellence

Located in Cholet, M/s. Aequs Aerospace France stands as a key player in the machining of complex parts for the aerospace sector. With a team of 65 people and a heritage of expertise spanning several decades, the company embodies a model of industrial excellence. This success is based on a winning combination: highly qualified collaborators and cutting-edge equipment. Among these, the WFL M120 Multi-Function Millturn play an essential role, ensuring unmatched performance and precision in operations.

A Story of Partnership and Technology

Since 2016, Aequs Aerospace France has carried a name derived from the Latin “aequus”, meaning equal. This choice reflects the company’s philosophy, focused on equality and partnership with all its stakeholders, whether they are employees, clients, partners, or suppliers. This collaborative approach is also evidenced by Aequs’s commitment to creating value through innovative and efficient global ecosystems.

The Cholet site, the group’s center of excellence for manufacturing engine parts and landing gears, benefits from a unique synergy between tradition and modernity. Aequs combines proven expertise with cutting-edge technology to meet the growing demands of the aerospace sector. The choice of WFL machines, particularly the M120, perfectly embodies this approach.

The WFL Machines: A Major Asset for Aequs

A distinguishing feature of Aequs is its choice of equipment. The company owns two WFL M120 Multi-Function Millturns, machines capable of performing turning and milling operations on large-scale parts with exceptional precision. These machines, central to the production at the Cholet plant, play a crucial role in manufacturing critical aerospace components, such as engine parts and landing gear.

Laurent Gouin, HSE Technical Manager and a prominent figure at the company, has been a key witness to the integration of these machines into production. With over 30 years of experience at Aequs, Mr. Gouin initially trained in Linz, Austria, when purchasing the first M120 in the year 2000 and the second in 2004. He states: “We discovered this type of machine through our clients, and it quickly became clear that we needed to invest in equipment capable of performing complex operations on large parts. With a single machine, we can perform a considerable number of operations. Today, I can affirm that these machines are indispensable to our production.”

The M120 from WFL is not just a machine; it’s a strategic tool that enables Aequs to remain competitive in the global market. Thanks to its versatility, the M120 can meet demanding specifications while offering exceptional longevity. “We have been using these machines for 24 years, and they still operate as well as ever. Their quality and robustness are impressive”, adds Mr. Gouin.

A Successful Modernization Operation

In 2024, Aequs took a new step by modernizing its machine park. One of the two M120s was replaced with a retrofitted model, a complex operation that required more than a year of preparation. Frédérique Baudin, Production and Maintenance Manager, explains the challenges of this ambitious project: “The main goal was to ensure the continuity of deliveries to our clients. To achieve this, we had to anticipate production, adhere to a tight schedule, and ensure a smooth transition between the old and new M120.”

The retrofit process was rigorously organized. In a single day, WFL technicians delivered and installed the new retrofitted machine, then departed with the old M120, repurchased by WFL, to be retrofitted in Austria for another client. “Everything was perfectly coordinated. We planned a production stop of three weeks during the end-of-year holidays to minimize the impact on our operations. This meticulous planning was essential for the success of this transition”, specifies Mr. Baudin.

The success of this project also rests on the involvement of maintenance teams and operators. Noël Bellanger, operator and setter is among those who took charge of the new machine. “The main difference lies in the numerical control, which has been entirely modernized. But thanks to the brief training we received, we quickly got back on track and resumed production without any downtime”, he explains. The reliability of the new machine inspires confidence among operators, who appreciate working with a tool that is both modern and reassuring.

Claude Octave, Team Leader Maintenance, expresses his enthusiasm: “The integration of the new machine went perfectly, without any hitches. We lost no production time, thanks to a smooth transition and perfect coordination with the WFL teams. Their technical support, coupled with attentive listening, was crucial for ensuring the success of this operation. Now that this operation has gone well on this machine, we have no apprehension about performing it on the second M120, which has been operational for 24 years.”

A Commitment to a Sustainable Industry

Innovation at Aequs is not limited to machines; it extends to their vision of a sustainable industry. The Group aims for carbon neutrality in its electricity consumption by 2025, thanks to investments in renewable energies, including the installation of solar panels at its sites in India.

This commitment is accompanied by a strategy to integrate more processes internally to reduce transport and thus minimize environmental impact. There are projects under consideration to reintegrate production steps, such as surface treatment of parts, which were previously outsourced. This would allow the company to reduce transport and simultaneously strengthen internal expertise.

A New Breath to Preserve Unique Expertise

Since January 2022, Olivier de Rohan Chabot has been leading the Cholet site of Aequs Aerospace France with the goal of improving the work environment and injecting new momentum into this innovation center of the group. Under his leadership, the company relies on a highly qualified team to continue developing its skills while reinforcing its strategic role within the group. The technical parts produced in Cholet, which represent about 10% of the global turnover, illustrate the importance of this site in Aequs’s economy. To meet the challenges of an aerospace industry in full transformation, the company relies on continuous innovation and adaptation to the new realities of the post-Covid-19 market.

A Future Marked by Growth and Innovation

Aequs Aerospace France is gearing up to meet the challenges of an expanding aerospace sector, with demand growing by more than 30% each year. To remain competitive, the company is modernizing its production facilities and adopting a sustainable strategy, thus ensuring its capacity to meet the future needs of the industry. “This is why, although functional, the decision was made to modernize one of the M120s to anticipate a heavier workload on this machine,” specifies Mr. de Rohan Chabot.

The Cholet site, as a central hub of this dynamic, continues to play a crucial role thanks to a combination of cutting-edge equipment and proven expertise. Aequs exemplifies how tradition and innovation can coexist harmoniously to maintain a leadership position in a demanding market. The WFL machines, essential to their success, will continue to be at the heart of this quest for excellence. With a clear vision and ambitious goals, Aequs is well-positioned to innovate and grow sustainably in the coming years.

The post Aequs Aerospace France: Innovation at the Heart of Industrial Excellence appeared first on Machine Insider.