A quarter-billion-dollar contract is a big deal for many, if not most, companies. That’s why Hocine Benaoum, the Vice President for International Sales and General Manager of Figeac Aero USA, is going to discuss how Figeac Aero USA managed to secure a $250 million contract for his company.

“Contracts in the hundreds of millions of dollars can change the entire trajectory of a company. Such a contract allows you to expand staff, invest in yourself, achieve efficiencies of scale, and so much more,” Hocine Benaoum argues.

Figeac Aero has secured numerous big contracts in recent years. However, the $250 million USD contract is among the biggest yet. The contract is for producing parts and sub-assemblies for the Airbus A320, A321, and B787 platforms.

“Airbus is a leading airplane manufacturer and even as the aviation industry recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic, we expect demand for Airbus planes to be high,” Hocine Benaoum says. “This means the demand for our products and services should remain high as well in the future. This contract was a major focus for us because it helps us chart out the next decade”

For Figeac Aero, the recent contract is in line with ambitions to expand in the North American aviation market, which is one of the biggest in the world. Hocine Benaoum and his team have been working hard to expand the company’s footprint in North America.

“The United States represents a huge market for Figeac Aero,” Hocine Benaoum points out. “We’ve been working hard to expand in North America for some years. Every market brings its own challenges with it. We came to the USA with a fresh but clean perspective. We leaned on past experience, sure, but we recognized this was a new challenge.”

Figeac Aero is a French-based company. While European ventures remain important to the company, expansion is now a priority. Hocine Benaoum notes that new markets bring new opportunities, but also new challenges.

“When we enter a new market, we can’t just focus on the business aspects,” Hocine Benaoum notes. “The people factor is important too. We need to identify local staff who can add to our global ambitions. So far, we’ve found a tremendous amount of talent in North America. This talent was vital for securing our contract.”

Now, Figeac Aero will focus on expanding its footprint globally, leveraging skills the world over to strengthen businesses in individual markets. While 2020 was a tough year for many aviation companies, Figeac Aero remains focused on the future.

“We felt the impact of the COVID-19 impact,” Hocine Benaoum says. “Every aviation company felt it, and the incredible pressures exerted. It’s been a good year overall for my company. But we kept grinding, kept working, and we got an important contract. We see this contract as a foundation for future successes.”