Consolidates All Civil and Military Manufacturing in One Site
Indra has strengthened its position in the radar manufacturing sector by opening a one-of-a-kind factory in Spain where equipment for both civil and military applications will be produced, the company announced on 23 January.
“The new Indra radar production facility in San Fernando de Henares represents a clear commitment of the company for the design and production of such systems, in which Indra is one of the global leaders, mostly thanks to the 3D technology for civil as well as military use,” commented Jorge Estévez, Director of Transportation and Defence Operations at Indra. It comes as no surprise that Indra has won all the 3D radar tenders by NATO since 2005 and has supplied 40 units in various configurations world-wide: long-range, fixed or mobile, medium-range, high-mobility tactical configuration and naval radars. The order book is extensive. Indra radars have the most advanced digital signal processing technologies (digital beam forming) and additional improvements to enhance their operational flexibility and reliability throughout their life cycle.
Indra has concentrated the manufacturing of all its radar systems in a single 7,000sq m factory. Nearly 200 professionals, many of them with a level of experience that is hard to find in Europe, cover the entire radar manufacturing cycle, from production of electronic cards to actual assembly. Most of these next-generation radars are destined for the export market.
Estévez emphasized the competitiveness and innovation that characterizes the factory. “The capacity of this factory will allow us to absorb the sales growth that we anticipate for the coming years in the domestic and international markets. This factory integrates from the manufacturing processes of highly complex electronic boards to the final tests, and has allowed us to make substantial improvements in the production processes, embodying lean manufacturing and automation elements.”
No factory in Spain – and very few in Europe – can match the diversity of radars and proprietary technology that the San Fernando factory embodies. The catalogue, under development since the 1980s, includes fixed, tactical and mobile radars as well as airborne and naval systems, radars for drone detection and components for space exploration. The company is present in five continents and exported to more than 60 countries, from the UK to Australia, through Sweden, Denmark, Uruguay, Ecuador, India, Thailand, Azerbaijan and Oman, among others.
The new factory is an integral part of the company’s digital and cultural transformation. The professionals at San Fernando operate in line with the ‘lean manufacturing’ philosophy, which not only streamlines processes, but also minimizes waste, thereby reducing the use of raw materials. The aim: to minimize environmental impact and to ensure sustainable production.
In 2019, the Spanish government appointed Indra as national industrial coordinator of the European Future Combat Air System (FCAS) programme, the largest joint European defence project, which is a critical programme for Spain with regard to its sovereignty, technological and industrial development and the creation of highly-skilled employment.
