Leonardo and the European Investment Bank (EIB) have signed a loan agreement of 200 million euros.
Developing innovative products
The financing has the purpose of supporting the investment projects planned in the Group’s Industrial Plan against the background of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. This further loan by the EIB brings the investment support of the loan signed on 29 November 2018 from 300 to 500 million euros.
Alessandro Profumo, Leonardo Chief Executive Officer, commented that “This further financing agreement, in this scenario, is an important contribution in developing innovative products and technologies to increase our plants efficiency, optimisation of our production systems and a strengthening of our competitiveness in the businesses where we operate.”
Highly innovative products
The investments pursued by Leonardo are very closely aligned with the EIB’s principles aimed at supporting development of Cyber Security products and solutions and Advanced Manufacturing as well as in innovative technologies that enable the decrease in emissions of pollutants through the product weight reduction and the improvement of fuel efficiency.
This is the third operation carried out between the EIB and Leonardo; the first of 500 million euros, in 2009, was aimed at developing technologically innovative aeronautical components; the second one of 300 million euros in 2018, to which is added the new contract signed, aimed at supporting investment projects in four main areas: development of highly innovative products in the Helicopter Division, Cyber Security, Advanced Manufacturing (Industry 4.0) and infrastructure projects needed to increase the production efficiency of the plants.