Mecachrome and Aubert & Duval, two global players in the aerospace sector, are pooling their strengths and expertise in a joint venture called MKAD.

Mecachrome and Aubert & Duval announce the creation of MKAD, a joint venture specialising in finishing aviation-grade titanium parts. Extending Aubert & Duval's current titanium stream, MKAD will have machining and surface treatment facilities and will integrate end-of-flow operations through to delivery of finished parts, all on a single site.

Aubert & Duval and Mecachrome, with the creation of MKAD, are building on the partnership of Aubert & Duval, UKTMP and UKAD to form a fully integrated stream for closed die-forged aviation-grade titanium parts, from mining through to delivery of finished parts.

Extraction at UKTMP in Kazakhstan, forging at UKAD, finishing at MKAD and, finally, closed-die forging of parts at Aubert & Duval : the integrated aviation-grade titanium stream is now a reality in Europe.

MKAD is an industrial partnership with the aim of supporting our customers by creating an optimised Supply Chain with the capacity needed for forged titanium parts, while improving and its products' competiveness and Buy-to-Fly ratio by limiting waste and making recycling easier.

MKAD's creation will enable Aubert & Duval and Mecachrome, which are already very active on the hard metal machining market, to enhance their expertise in this area, strengthen their positioning on the latest global aerospace programmes, and keep up their development strategy, which has been very active in recent years.

MKAD will take the form of an over 7,000 m2 plant to be built in Varilhes, near Aubert & Duval's Pamiers site and Toulouse, France's main aerospace hub. The capital project is planned to ramp up over three years to come on stream starting mid-2016, with the creation of around 80 jobs.

The French State, the Midi-Pyrénées region, the Ariège département council and Varilhes local authorities have rallied round this promising project.