Bercella

Bercella S.p.A. is an Italian composites company based at via Enzo Ferrari 10 in Varano de' Melegari, Parma, founded in 1996 by Franco Bercella after he set out to build an ultralight aircraft entirely from composite materials. From its first work in racing, making monocoques and crash structures for single-seater championships such as F3, Formula Renault and IndyCar from 2000, the company diversified into aviation, space and defence, which today form its main application fields. It describes itself as a single partner covering the whole supply chain from design and engineering to advanced manufacturing, painting and inspection, with an annual output of more than 2,500 finished components.

Space

• Composite structures for government agencies ESA and ASI, large system integrators Airbus, Thales Alenia Space Italy and OHB Italy, and new space companies including Sitael, D-Orbit and GomSpace
• Missions include Eurostar Neo semi-rigid solar array substrates and yokes, the Small Spacecraft Mission Service dispenser structure, composite structures for Airbus Defence and Space satellite solar panels, the Debris Collision Alert System and the ESA Vega VV16 flight
• A qualified materials and process database, in-house design and production and collaboration with Mitsubishi Electric Corporation

Aviation and defence

• First aviation qualifications obtained in 2002, followed in 2009 by entry into defence with large radomes and reflectors for Italian and international customers, including a carbon fibre reflector project
• Evolution from a build-to-print to a build-to-spec supplier from 2012, with the company's site reporting its selection by Airbus
• Large, sophisticated structures in advanced composites and light alloys, with prepreg and autoclave processes plus filament winding and compression moulding

Key figures

• 25 years of composites experience and 5,000 square metres of plant across three production sites
• Five autoclaves up to 4,000 mm in diameter and 6,000 mm long
• ISO 9001:2015 and EN 9100:2018 aerospace quality certifications, with non-destructive inspection in partnership with Vetorix

Sustainability

Bercella runs a Zero Waste Life programme, has introduced hemp fibre composites with Romeo Ferraris, and competed in the 2022 Dakar rally in Saudi Arabia. The site is published in Italian and English with stories, interviews, a press kit and job openings.

Shows

Bercella appears in the exhibitor lists of Space Tech Expo Europe 2026 and AERO Friedrichshafen 2027.

Contact

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