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Helibras Turns 30

Eurocopter’s subsidiary in Brazil celebrated its 30th anniversary on June 30th at a ceremony attended by the country’s president, Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva. The event also marked a turning point in Brazil’s helicopter market.

The ceremony organized to celebrate Helibras’ 30th anniversary served as the occasion to announce the creation of the Brazilian aeronautical center of excellence for heavy helicopters.

June 30th, 2008, will be remembered in the history of Helibras, and not simply because it marked the company’s thirtieth anniversary: Groundbreaking decisions were also taken that day. Brazil’s president Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attended the special ceremony at one of Helibras’s sites in Itajubá, along with Nelson Jobim, Brazil’s Defense Minister, Antoine Pouilleute, French ambassador to Brazil, Louis Gallois, CEO of EADS, Lutz Bertling, CEO of Eurocopter, Jean-Noël Hardy, CEO of Helibras, officials representing the three branches of the Brazilian armed forces and other government figures. After visiting the site, President Lula announced the creation of a Brazilian aeronautical center of excellence for heavy helicopters. The center is part of an overall Franco-Brazilian accord to increase defense cooperation between the two countries. An agreement was also signed by Lutz Bertling and Jean-Noël Hardy that will lead to a technology and knowledge transfer between Eurocopter and Helibras. “Today’s celebration is a special reward for all the hard work over the last 30 years,” Jean-Noël Hardy announced at the ceremony. “But our company is already looking to the future to take on bold new challenges.” The story begins back in 1978, when Aérospatiale (as Eurocopter was known at the time) created its subsidiary Helibras in response to a recently-signed contract with the Brazilian government. Thirty years down the line, Helibras has manufactured and delivered nearly 500 helicopters and has become omnipresent on the Brazilian helicopter market, where Eurocopter currently holds 50% of the civil market, 67% of the military market and 80% of the parapublic market. Helibras has plants in Itajubá and Sao Paulo, and business offices in Rio de Janeiro and Brasilia. The 234- strong workforce manufactures the AS350/AS355 Ecureuil range and exports it throughout Latin America. But their work doesn’t end there: they also ensure customization, maintenance, and technical support for Eurocopter helicopters and pilot training at the Itajubá site, where 8,000 pilots have already been trained.

TWO QUESTIONS FOR JEAN-NOËL HARDY, CEO OF HELIBRAS

Can you tell us what is different about the helicopter market in Brazil?
Jean-Noël Hardy: Like everywhere else around the world, it’s a very buoyant market. But there are three segments that are particularly booming in Brazil. The parapublic segment is extremely active because helicopters are needed to ensure security in a country as large as Brazil. The oil & gas segment also continues to grow because oil production has sharply increased in the country: so much so in fact that Brazil can now satisfy all its oil needs through domestic production. The country is one of the world leaders in drilling deep water wells off the coast and the helicopter is absolutely essential for this type of activity. And lastly, the corporate segment has become a key market in Sao Paulo and Rio de Janeiro. It didn’t take long for business executives in these megalopolises to realize that helicopters were the obvious choice for traveling quickly and in complete safety.

What role has Helibras played over these past 30 years in the development of the helicopter market?
J.-N. H.: When Helibras was created in 1978, helicopters from our range represented about 14%(1) of the Brazilian fleet. Today, that figure has soared to 53%. One of the main reasons for our success has been our close cultural ties with and geographic proximity to our customers: we share the same language, the same time zones and the same culture. Our customers know that they can count on us. Our large workforce and extensive technical means are all at their disposal and we offer them incomparable support and assistance. This is undoubtedly another reason why we have such an advantage over the competition. Ever since its creation Helibras has manufactured all the successive versions of the Ecureuil(2), which has enjoyed immense success in Brazil – particularly in the corporate and parapublic segments. Our customers also benefit from more attractive financing because the helicopter is manufactured domestically. Let’s not forget either that Helibras is the only helicopter manufacturer in Brazil that has been around for 30 years. People know we’re here to stay and this has allowed us to develop long-standing relationships based on trust, which has been very beneficial to the development of the helicopter market.

(1) Turbine helicopters
(2) Known as the “Esquilo” in Brazil

_AUTHOR: BELÉN MORANT

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“Today Eurocopter helicopters represent close to 53% of the helicopter fleet in Brazil.“