A collaboration between the United Kingdom and Italy in one of the most sensitive and “current” areas of defense, that of drones. A synergy that leverages Italy’s unique, globally recognized experience in the production of car and motorcycle engines. On Thursday, June 4, a new company, MGI Italia, was presented in Rome at Villa Wolkonsky, the official residence of the British ambassador to Italy. It was born from a joint venture between a British company, MGI Engineering Ltd, and an Italian one, Vigilar Group Spa.
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The former is an engineering company based in Oxfordshire specializing in high-performance systems engineering in the aerospace, defense, and automotive sectors. The latter operates in intelligence, security, and advanced services. “We believe that this partnership represents an important step towards building a stronger innovation ecosystem and establishing Italy as a strategic hub for future technological and industrial development,” observes Francesco Castro, CEO of Vigilar Group.
Headquarters in Modena, heart of the Motor Valley
The new company’s headquarters are in Modena, a city that, together with Bologna, forms the heart of the “Motor Valley,” the industrial district of Emilia-Romagna, located along the Via Emilia, internationally famous for its very high concentration of legendary car and motorcycle manufacturers. A history that Mike Gascoyne, CEO and founder of MGI Engineering, former Formula One technical director (he was responsible for aerodynamics at McLaren and a designer at Tyrrell and Sauber), knows well. “I have 30 years of experience in that sector,” he emphasizes. “Italy boasts an extraordinary engineering heritage and a globally respected reputation for innovation, precision, and performance. I think of brands like Ferrari, Lamborghini. The partnership with Vigilar Group represents an exciting step forward for MGI as we expand our presence in Europe and build new long-term industrial capabilities together. This partnership,” Gascoyne adds, “combines shared values of engineering excellence, advanced manufacturing, and the delivery of world-class solutions on a large scale.” The focus is on developing advanced solutions for defense, security, aerospace, and other high-value-added sectors.
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The interlocutors
Obtaining detailed information is not easy. “The nature of some of the products means that we cannot disclose information that our customers might consider sensitive,” explains the manager. The economic investment behind the project? “It’s quite confidential information.” However, Gascoyne observes, “what can be said is that the support Ukraine enjoys from both Italy and the United Kingdom will certainly be an area in which we can cooperate, where we already have discussions underway.” “And then there’s the issue of renewing the entire defense industry, not only the Italian one, to which we primarily address ourselves, but also the European and NATO ones. This,” Gascoyne notes, “means there’s an expectation of about 200 units of product per month at full capacity. We’re talking about half a million euros per unit, more or less. All units will be produced by MGI Italia.”
Seeking highly qualified technicians
“Hiring has already begun, targeted for now,” the English manager continues, “because initially we need highly qualified technicians, as it involves assembling high-tech production. We’ve had excellent feedback and identified the people we’re looking for. Engineers, but not necessarily only them, also qualified technicians capable of handling certain materials. This will be the first group to do assembly. Subsequently, more people will be involved. But there will also be an opportunity to develop an ancillary industry with companies already operating in the Modena district.” The drone market is a bit like car racing. “In Formula 1, there’s a race every two weeks,” Gascoyne concludes, “and every two weeks everyone brings new developments. You have to be ready on Sunday at two when the race starts. This mentality will also be carried over to our production.”
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