Support for consolidation between the major industrial players in the aerospace sector, particularly in Europe, was expressed at Farnborough by Fabrice Bregier, chief executive of Matra BAe Dynamics. He welcomed the decisions of European governments, notably in the UK and France, which will be essential in promoting the further consolidation of what he said had been up to now a rather fragmented industry in Europe, and even more so in France.

"These decisions," he added, "are vital given the increasing size and power of our American competitors following the large-scale rationalization of their industry over the past five years."

Bregier said the actions would provide support for the strategic vision of the company 's two shareholders, the Lagardere group of France, and British Aerospace. They had anticipated, led the way, and accepted the challenge of the full integration of two defense companies from two different countries, in a field as sensitive as missiles.

"This integration is now a reality", he continued, "and has been total since the structural integration I started last April. It extends to each of the 5,600 employees of Matra BAe Dynamics through the four corporate values which unite the British and French teams around our highest priority: customer satisfaction.

"The organization is totally customer orientated," Bregier said. "It focuses all our energies on winning the contracts, achieving technical advances, and reducing costs."

Bregier said his company has established a Programs Directorate, bringing together everything apart from the purely technical, which could be of use in winning contracts and in managing them at best cost for the customer and company.

"Thanks to the success of its integration," he concluded, "Matra BAe Dynamics had demonstrated its ability to get teams from different companies, countries and cultures working together around a real company project: to become in our sector, which is the core of defense programs, the European No. 1, which we are now, and the world No. 1 tomorrow."

By John Fricker