Vaupell expands aircraft interiors business in Europe

September 15, 2023

Tokyo, Japan – September 15, 2023 Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd. (TOKYO: 4203 HQ: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, President and Representative Director: Kazuhiko Fujiwara) We are pleased to announce that Vaupell, a group company of Sumitomo Bakelite Co., Ltd., has been awarded the contract to supply the main deck cargo liner for the new Airbus A350F cargo aircraft.

Overview and Background

Airbus and Vaupell started their partnership in 2019 with the award of the Single Aisle Airspace Cove Light Panel contract. The achievements in this business have been recognized by Airbus and Vaupell have received a new order to manufacture the main deck cargo liner for A350.

The cargo liner with highly fire-resistant performance are used as sidewall linings on the inner walls of the Main deck cargo space. The product is made by the molding technology of thermoset plastic resin and the laminating technology of composite materials provided by Sumitomo Bakelite Co., LTD., as well as the thermoplastic injection molding , 3D shape thermoset plastic molding and assembly technology owned by Vaupell. The product will be supplied to AIRBUS from the European base of Vaupell utilizing the global network of Sumitomo Bakelite Group. The contract was determined because of the evaluation to the quality and delivery performance of the cove light panels for A320 series. In the future, it is expected that Sumitomo Bakelite Group will utilize environmentally friendly technologies such as biomass resin.
Airbus's A350 F has reduced CO2 emissions compared to conventional models, and our company product is also contributed to improve fuel efficiency.

A350 F Image provided by Airbus

Future plans

In conjunction with the production of the A350 F in 2024, our company will start delivering mass-produced products.
In our group, we aim to continue expanding our business with Airbus through the synergy between Sumitomo Bakelite's resin technology and Vaupell's assembly and manufacturing technology.

Overview of Vaupell Holdings, Inc.

Head Office: 11323 Commando Rd West, Everett, Washington, 98204, USA

US (Everett and 4 other locations)
China (Dongguan)
Germany (Hamburg)

Vaupell is a global supplier that combines materials science and molding technologies with engineering solutions for commercial aerospace applications, from resins to aircraft internal subassemblies.

Vaupell expands aircraft interiors business in Europe（PDF: 309KB）