What are the machines you manufacture?
The machines we make replace the plane’s engine when the plane is on the ground. They allow it to be fed with energy, whether electrical, pneumatic or climatic (via air conditioning). The goal is to save kerosene and reduce the carbon footprint. A role that they fulfill perfectly. replacing the APU, this auxiliary turbine on board the aircraft.
Its historical role is to generate electrical, pneumatic and climatic energy when the aircraft is on the ground. However, its use is not without consequences.. First of all, it is very expensive in terms of maintenance. It also consumes a lot of fuel, which causes very high CO2 emissions. Therefore, Guinault offers substitute equipment: an electric generator on the one hand and a sophisticated air conditioner on the other. It is possible to save up to 800 tons of CO2 per year with just one of our machines for a medium truck and twice as much for a heavy truck.
What is the main challenge in your market?
Although rustic versions of these machines have been around for a long time, there are still many APU-ONs at airports. Substitute equipment is often connected to it, insufficiently dimensioned or that does not provide the necessary regulation. The pilot is unaware of his faults. And for cause. Even if they don’t suit you in terms of performance, you always have the possibility to start your engine to treat your plane.
Take the example of a grounded air conditioner on the plane. In this case, the pilot completely stops his APU (APU-OFF), but if the machine does not provide the required performance, he risks being a little hot (or cold) on board. For reasons of passenger safety and comfort, the pilot then has the right to restart his APU to ensure a fresh and comfortable aircraft for future travelers.
This reality can be explained historically. Before, power equipment (electrical power, air conditioning and compressed air) was considered as any other logistics equipment around the aircraft. The question of whether the APU was ON or OFF was irrelevant! Consequently, the aircraft requirements were not accurately quantified.
Conventional suppliers then offer “simple” products, poorly calibrated, incapable of fine adjustment, insufficiently efficient, particularly in terms of air conditioning, and above all less expensive. Faced with price pressure, these lower quality (but affordable) products seemed to be the best solution. Its low performance being in any case compensated by the APU-ON.
For APUs to stop definitively, it is therefore necessary to offer larger and more sophisticated products in terms of regulation. But how do you do that in a market that often promotes the cheapest equipment?
This is the whole point of Guinault! We guide our customers towards APU shutdown with efficient, powerful and versatile machines associated with a unique telemetry system. This telemetry, integrated in each machine, allows remote monitoring (via a 3/4/5G connection) and the collection of all operating data,
We then report these transactions to the airline, which can then quickly check if your equipment is used correctly (or not). We are even working on aircraft identification, to qualify your data and relate it to a specific device. These connected machines may seem expensive to buy, but they actually allow you to achieve huge savings: between €150,000 and €200,000 on a single mid-size aircraft each year, twice as much as on a wide-body aircraft, excluding savings related to carbon offsets (800 T/year and per machine).
In addition, to encourage the purchase of these machines and overcome the investment barrier, Guinault offers a “pay per hour” service solution : the machines are financed by the hour by the airlines, which do not pay THAT by saving money.
The argument is also ecological to encourage stopping the APU…
Total closure of the APU (with the lowest residual carbon footprint) is indeed a significant step in the energy transition. Now it goes through the connection of mobile and sometimes autonomous machines, since it happens that in airports there is no power outlet. These mobile machines provide great flexibility as airline operations constantly change (type of aircraft handled) and variable and changing needs (weather, airline requirements in terms of passenger comfort).
The mobile solution is scalable, unlike the fixed solution, installed in the airport infrastructure. It is easy to maintain and can be taken to a maintenance shop. We offer “diesel”, mains electric and battery electric machines. Diesel should not be banned if electrical infrastructure is not available at the airport. Provides a 90% reduction in the CO2 footprint of the APU. The electrical solution allows an additional reduction of 10%.
The APU-OFF is the main problem: 800 tons of CO2 saved by switching from aircraft turbine to diesel. There is just under 80 tonnes to be gained by switching from diesel to electric equipment. The goal is to end the use of the APU, regardless of the solution. If it is possible to replace all our diesel machines tomorrow with electric or hydrogen machines, we will be happy to do so. In addition, Guinault already offers a new lithium battery solution (aircraft electrical generator, or GPU). The technology exists. The difficulty is the lack of charging infrastructure around the world.
Going back to Guinault, what would you say about him?
Guinault is a French company with private family participation. Almost 80% of the value sold is manufactured in France and 90% of our business is exported to 150 countries. Our company has always believed in industry, local values, and short-circuiting.. We never imagined relocating our activity, prioritizing product quality and innovative strength. It’s best to keep factories close to our design engineers to keep innovating.
Finally, Guinault is characterized by its vertical technological integration. We have always chosen to control the entire value chain, which gives us the freedom to develop and, therefore, a greater capacity for innovation. Guinault masters all machine technologies: digital electronics, power electronics (that is, we are capable of converting and modifying high-power electrical currents), electromagnetism (Guinault designs and manufactures its own 400 Hz generators), thermodynamics, industrial refrigeration … Everything is handled internally! A true strength during the Covid, given the shortage of components.
Finally, how do you imagine its future?
Climate problems put the APU-OFF at the center of concerns. This is good news for us! Guinault’s ambition is to continue its growth by focusing on the fulfillment of its employees and continuing to mix young recruits with experienced employees. We actively seek investments in technological innovation to support the decarbonisation of air transport.
In short, Guinault claims reasonable, sustainable and controlled growth. The excellent reputation of the company worldwide is the asset that we take great care of in order to allow Guinault to cross generations. From 35 people in 2003, we are now 200, through organic growth alone. This evolution has seen the development of many new professions, expertise within Guinault, for the development of all stakeholders.
This content was produced with SCRIBEO. The BFMBUSINESS editorial team was not involved in the production of this content.
Source: BFM TV
