Member Spotlight: ADS Toulouse visits Gardner Aerospace in Mazères

ADS Toulouse Member’s Spotlight: Gardner Aerospace

ADS Toulouse recently visited Gardner Aerospace at their Mazères site, a critical part of the company’s global operations. The visit offered an opportunity to explore the facility’s advanced capabilities and its significant role in supporting high-profile aerospace projects. ADS Toulouse extends special thanks to Christophe Carol (Key Account Manager France) and François Zabrowski (Director of Operations of the Mazères Site) for their warm welcome and insightful discussions.

** Gardner Aerospace: A global leader in aerospace manufacturing

Founded in 1998 (independent since 2003), Gardner Aerospace is a leading international manufacturer of metallic aerospace detail parts: machined parts and fabrications, simple to highly complex, small to very large with substantial assembly capabilities. Gardner Aerospace produces parts ranging in all sizes (from ¼ inch to 26 meters), and assemblies with different levels of complexity (from 5 to 750 components) for various aerostructures (wings, fuselage, cabin, cockpit) and some equipment applications (engine, landing gear). Vertically integrated, Gardner Aerospace develops in-house manufacturing capabilities to reduce needs for sub-contracting.

With its comprehensive manufacturing capabilities and process approvals, Gardner Aerospace is renowned for its industry-leading large-scale aerospace manufacturing facilities, delivering quality and responsiveness that has earned it a stellar reputation in the aerospace supply chain. The company serves aerospace OEMs and tier-1 suppliers such as Airbus (largest client), Gulfstream, GKN, Spirit, Mubea, and Safran. Gardner Aerospace is well positioned on the A320, and the A350 program and supports Airbus on various other programs including A220. Gardner Aerospace is an Airbus D2P certified partner and an Airbus Supplier Council member.

Headquarters – Derby, UK

9 Locations WW – UK, France, Poland, India, China

Revenues – >200M USD

Employees – 1700+

** The Mazères Facility

The Gardner Aerospace Mazères site, located 60 km south of Toulouse, is a critical part of the company’s global operations and a Center of Excellence for hard metal fabrication and complex assemblies. The facility spans 7,500 square meters and supports 180 employees, playing a pivotal role in delivering high-quality metallic components and assemblies and support serial production & efficient speedshop with very competitive cycles for the aerospace sector. It is well positioned on Airbus Widebody and the ATR program delivering among others the A350 Plug and Fly, the A330 Central Pylon Structure, and the ATR Skeleton (central wingbox).

** Core Capabilities

Fabrication:

Advanced processes like 5-axis laser cutting, rubber and fluid cell pressing, heat treatment, and bending.
Expertise in welding (titanium, stainless steel, and aluminium) and hand forming.

Complex Assemblies:

Gardner Aerospace integrates components into detailed assemblies, streamlining production for its clients.
Wet and dry assemblies, electric harness installation, and metallic/composite integration.
Special focus on Engine Pylon Structure (Plug & Fly), Central Wing Box, and Pylon Fairing

Machining & Precision:

Equipped with 3-axis and 5-axis CNC machines, turn-mill CNC machines, and long-bed axis CMM
In-house vertical integration for metallic tooling, including additive layer manufacturing for small series and rapid prototyping.

Digital Innovation: Mazères is a pilot site for Industry 4.0 initiatives, employing advanced digital tools like a warehouse management system (WMS) and augmented reality-assisted Standard Operating Instructions (SOI) for workers.

Facilities:

12-meter painting booth.
6 automated storage towers.
Dedicated shop floor with specific jigs for Plug & Fly assembly.

This modern and fully integrated site is positioned to support serial production and maintain its status as a key supplier for major aerospace programs, delivering robust, lightweight, and precise components. The site benefits from 90% vertical integration within Gardner Aerospace’s supply chain across the UK, France, Poland, and India.

For more information on Gardner Aerospace – https://gardner-aerospace.com/