LD helmets already on track to being free world’s second largest manufacturer
A company that produces state-of-the-art civil and military aeronautical helmets has opened a factory in Ponte de Sor, central Portugal, with an investment of around €3.3 million.
The executive director of LD Helmet, Richard Françoise, says the company has ploughed “around €2 million” into the factory at the Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome, while the hangar it is housed in was built by the local council with EU funding, at a cost of around €1.3 million.
At the official opening ceremony today, Francoise said the company already has a lot of orders, producing “between five and 10 helmets” a day.
“We are ‘flying’ in around 25 countries worldwide”, namely with helmets for civilians, “in the area of medical evacuation, because we have won the largest market for medical evacuation, which is Germany”, he said.
LD Helmet also equips the French navy and army, the United States police, the German police and the coast guards of Taiwan and Japan, among “many” other police and military branches “around the world”. “We can be proud of this fact because we have expanded everywhere”, he said.
And, according to Richard Françoise, “the story is not over”: LD Helmet is waiting to receive “more orders” to expand the business.
“This year we will be the second largest manufacturer in the world in terms of the number of helmets on the open market,” i.e. excluding “the Chinese and Russians,” who are “in a closed market, where Russia sells to China and China sells to Russia,” he said.
In addition to producing helmets, the company also manufactures components for them (visors and other accessories).
The business has been operating for over a year at Ponte de Sor, after a period of adaptation and obtaining aeronautical licences and certifications, as well as recruiting and training the technical team.
The new factory currently employs 18 professionals, with a growth forecast to reach more than 25 by the end of 2026.
In the short term, LD Helmet plans to make an additional investment of €500,000 in the site, by acquiring more equipment, hiring new employees and providing specialised training.
On the sidelines of the opening ceremony, Ponte de Sor’s mayor Hugo Hilário told journalists that the aerodrome is due to host two further investments – one in the area of handling for civil aviation and another in the area of large aircraft maintenance and training of maintenance technicians.
“The commitment has been made, but it has yet to be formalised and, without formalisation, I do not want to say anything more about it”, he said. But the inference was that announcements will be coming soon.
The Ponte de Sor Municipal Aerodrome currently has 15 companies in the aeronautical sector already based there, which between them have created around 600 jobs.
Source material: LUSA
