AKKA Technologies

AKKA Technologies is an engineering and consulting group founded and led by Mauro Ricci. The group is active in all industrial and tertiary sectors, including aeronautics, automotive, energy, railways, defense, aerospace, information systems, and telecommunications. The Group's companies have more than fifty locations in France, Germany, Belgium, Spain, India, Italy, Morocco, Romania, Great Britain, China, North America, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom. Like many other digital services companies (NSEs), AKKA Technologies needs to hire new people to retain and expand its workforce. To this end, many recruitment strategies are being implemented. The group has the particularity of having an internal research and development center called AKKA Research. AKKA Technologies is the title partner of the AKKA-ASP motorsport team. Like many large corporations, AKKA Technologies suffers from some controversies, such as cases of unjustified dismissals, deterioration of employees' performance after the takeover of their company, and the salary of their manager. On the other hand, the group is known for its commitment to partnership and sponsorship in the associative and cultural fields, some of its activities having been ongoing for several years.

Summary of the activities 1 History 1.1 Development of AKKA Technologies 1.2 Acquisitions for diversification purposes 1.3 European Development Focus Germany 2 Group companies 3 Fields of activity 4 Numbers 5 Recruiting 5.1 Extensive recruitment plans 5.2 Recruitment strategies 6 AKKA Research 7 AKKA ASP Team 8 Controversies 8.1 Unjustified redundancies 8.1.1 Occasional dismissals of trade unionists 8.1.2 Employees, an adjustment variable 8.2 Salary of the Executive Board member 9 Partnership or sponsorship 10 Notes and References 11 Reports from AKKA Technologies 11.1 Reference documents 11.2 Activity reports 11.3 Semi-annual reports

History

History of the origin of AKKA Technologies The history of the first companies in the AKKA Technologies Group dates back to 1984. It began in the town of Caluire-et-Cuire on the banks of the Rhône, where Mauro Ricci, a former employee of Renault Automation, founded a small Hysys company with around ten employees. In a few years, Mauro Ricci founded three more companies. In 1999, the consulting and engineering companies were merged under the name AKKA Technologies. The name of the group was chosen by Franck Isaac-Sibille, Vice President and General Manager of OU Lyon, who at the time headed a communications company. Acquisitions for diversification The acquisition of Assip in 2000 doubled the size of AKKA Technologies. Assip has mechanical engineering activities with major automobile manufacturers. In the following year, the rest of the company's non-strategic business activity was sold. In 2003, AKKA Technologies acquired BE System, a design office focused on the aerospace and defense sectors. At the end of 2004, the nuclear division of Teuchos, a subsidiary of the Snecma Group, was acquired. In March 2005, AKKA Technologies acquired Infotechlog to strengthen its competence in technological information design and engineering. In March 2017, AKKA Technologies acquired the German specialist for Internet of Things, Digital, and Infotainment, Gigatronik. European development focus Germany (photo left side: Breakdown of the group by geographical area in 2015) (photo right side: Presentation of the autonomous vehicle Link&Go at the Geneva Motor Show 2013.) On 31 March 2005, the Group was listed on Euronext Paris Eurolist. On 26 April 2006, AKKA Technologies acquired Silogic. In December 2006, AKKA Technologies merged with SD&A, a Belgian company. On September 4, 2007, AKKA Technologies acquired Coframi. In December 2009, AKKA Technologies acquired Ekis, a company specializing in operational security, document development, and integrated logistics support. At the same time, the company, managed by Mauro Ricci, acquired a stake in Real Fusio, a small company with only nine employees. Founded in 2004, the company specializes in virtual reality and simulation for the aerospace and defense markets. In July 2011, AKKA Technologies acquired Aeroconseil, a Toulouse-based company with 1,200 employees. With the acquisition of a company specializing in the development of aircraft cabins, AKKA Technologies offers complete coverage of the aeronautical industry throughout the product life cycle: from research and development to design and industrialization. In 2012, the company acquired 65% of the German MBtech, the engineering subsidiary of Daimler. The operation increased the workforce from 7,000 to nearly 10,000 engineers, mainly in Europe, North America, and China. In early November 2013, AKKA Technologies received the Grand National Engineer Award from the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development, and Energy and the Ministry of Productive Recreation for its Link&Go electric car. In 2014, AKKA Technologies acquired the German technology consulting firm Auronik. In the same year, the group won the third Intermediate Size Company (IST) Award in the Deloitte In Extenso Technology Fast 50 Ranking. This prize is awarded to companies with a turnover exceeding 50 million euros in 2009. In 2015, AKKA Technologies exceeded the sales mark of 1 billion euros.

Group companies

The AKKA Technologies Group comprises several companies mainly located in Western Europe, particularly France and Germany. (Copy table) (photo right side: Breakdown of the Group by business sector in 2015)

Areas of activity

Automotive Subsidiaries: MBtech, Proceda, Auronik. Customers : Audi, Nissan, Avtovaz, Porsche, PSA Group, BMW, Renault, Dacia, Renault Trucks, Daimler-Benz AG, Renault Trucks Defense, Dongfeng Motor Corporation, Smart, Evobus, Fiat Chrysler Automobiles, Toyota, Volkswagen, Iveco, Volvo, Continental Aviation Subsidiary: Aeroconseil Clients : AerCap, Cit Aerospace, Airbus Group, Commercial Aircraft Corporation of China, Air France, DAHER-SOCATA, Rockwell Collins, Alitalia, Dassault Aviation, Sabena technics, Embraer, Safran, ATR, GE Capital Aviation Services, Stelia Aerospace, Thales, Irkut, Bell Aircraft Corporation, Zodiac Aerospace, Boeing, LAN Airlines, Bombardier Aéronautique, Groupe Latécoère Railway Customers : Egis Rail, Thales Ground Transportation, Bombardier Transportation, Stadler Rail, Swiss Federal Railways, Škoda Transportation, Construcciones y auxiliar de ferrocarriles, Deutsche Bahn, Alstom, Systra, Infrabel, Eiffage, RATP, Réseau Ferré de France, Siemens Mobility, Colas Rail, Dellner, Faiveley Transport, SNCF, Hitachi Rail, Talgo Energy Health Customers : Novartis, Pfizer, Pierre Fabre, Schering-Plough, UCB Pharma, Sanofi, Biomérieux, Fareva, GSK. Telecommunications Services: Network design, deployment, operation. Customers : Orange, Alstom, SFR, Renault, Bouygues Telecom, Sagem, Alcatel-Lucent, Thales, Huawei, Ericsson, Airbus Defence & Space, NXP, Neopost, Crédit Agricole. Information services and systems Defense Customers : Airbus Defence & Space, Airbus Helicopters, Thales, Dassault Aviation, Morpho, Sagem, Renault Trucks Defense, DCNS, MBDA, Nexter, Engie Ineo, Renault Trucks Defense Oil and Gas Subsidiaries: Epsco, Corialis. Consulting Subsidiaries: MBtech, Casciopé. Services: Research and development; production and management; purchasing and supplier management; supply chain management; sales, marketing, and after-sales services. Customers: EDF, BAIC, Nissan, Delphi Corporation, ZF Friedrichshafen, Airbus, John Deere, Behr, Opel, Johnson Controls, Bentley Motors, Skoda Auto.

Numbers

Foreign share of sales = 51% (2012) Operating income from operations: €63.0 million (2012) Net income for the year: €41.3 million (2012) Outlook 2014: +€10 million (after a hedging plan on March 1, 2014) Shareholder structure Distribution: Ricci family 39: 61.6%. Public: 23.9%. Banque de Vizille: 7.52%. Nominal value = Euro 16,755,489 Shares on 17.05.14

Recruitment

Extensive recruitment plans Like the major Digital Services Companies (ESNs), formerly IT Engineering Services Companies (SSIIs), the AKKA Technologies Group regularly launches massive recruitment plans to retain and expand its workforce. At the beginning of 2018, the group employed 16,300 people and aims to recruit 3,000.

Recruitment strategies

AKKA Technologies places great importance on recruiting individuals with a five-year higher education, ideally from partner and target engineering schools. Most new employees have permanent contracts, and as projects become more international, multilingual candidates are sought. The ability to develop within the company and geographical mobility are also important criteria. During recruitment, candidates interview with a human resources manager, as well as commercial and technical engineers and managers. The Group strives to increase its attractiveness for students through original recruitment measures. Every year, the Group organizes the AKKA Challenge, a three-day winter sports recruitment event in March in Serre-Chevalier, to which 150 future graduates of the grandes écoles are invited. In 20% of cases, the weekend leads to recruitment. Recruitment evenings, called Bar AKKA, took place in Paris and Toulouse. Interviews were held during the aperitif in the bars. During the hiring days, the group emphasizes its commitment to also hiring disabled people. In 2016, the commitment to the recruitment of employees with disabilities reached 60 people. On June 8, 2016, AKKA Technologies launched the AKKA Jobs Day event, a recruitment day at the Joseph Art Gallery in Paris. This is the largest recruitment event of the group. The latter aims to attract more than 1,000 candidates. A virtual reality animation and a 3D film animate the day. The group's innovation projects are highlighted and presented in the form of screens, photos, and three-dimensional models. Specialists introduce them, and recruiters interview candidates. After a communication campaign in newspapers and engineering schools, the event will be broadcast on Twitter with the hashtag #AkkaJobsDay and on the group's YouTube channel.

AKKA Research

AKKA Research, formerly Centre de Recherche et de Développement des Technologies Alternatives (CRDTA), is the internal research and development center of the AKKA Technologies Group. It allows engineers, recent graduates, and interns to pool their skills and expertise on a cross-location platform to present and shape the technological solutions of the future. The research center develops both new markets and the skills of its employees according to customer requirements. Every year, nearly 300 engineers work on AKKA Research projects.

The research projects include:

• Air-Cobot, the first collaborative mobile robot to inspect aircraft during maintenance.
• Co-friend, an intelligent video surveillance system to optimize the work of ground staff at airports.
• InGeoCloudS, a tool for accessing a geological database used by European organizations to investigate and prevent natural disasters and manage groundwater status.
• Link&Go, a highly networked autonomous car for the city of the future.
• S3L pin, design of an ultralight composite structure for aircraft seats.
• Omega, an unmanned aerial vehicle.

AKKA ASP Team

Mercedes-AMG GT3 from the AKKA-ASP motorsport team. Auto Sport Promotion's motorsport team, founded in 1999 by pilot Jérôme Policand, has been associated with SOFREV, a network of paint manufacturers, since 2004. At the beginning of 2015, the AKKA Technologies Group became the title partner of the team based in Rabastens-de-Bigorre, which was renamed the AKKA ASP Team. Mauro Ricci, leader of the group, is a pilot in the team. This year, the team won two titles: one in the Blancpain Endurance Series in the AM category and the other in the FFSA GT Championship. In 2016, after ten years of collaboration with Ferrari, the team decided to work with Mercedes-Benz. It is equipped with three Mercedes-AMG GT3 and a Ferrari F458 GTE. In the same year, the team participated in the European motorsport championships: Blancpain Sprint Series and Blancpain Endurance Series.

Partnership or sponsorship

Since January 2011, AKKA Technologies has been a partner of Nos Quartiers ont des Talents (NQT), a French association for the promotion of equal opportunities. The group offers a mentoring program for young graduates from disadvantaged neighborhoods who have difficulty integrating into the labor market. Volunteers help with their integration. Since 2012, AKKA Technologies has supported the German competition Jugend forscht in Baden-Württemberg. The aim of this competition is to encourage young adults to conduct research in technology and natural sciences, to inspire them, and to promote new talents. AKKA Technologies is the second largest employer in the city of Sindelfingen.

Reports from AKKA Technologies

Financial report

• Half-yearly financial report (PDF). Akka Technologies. 17 September 2018. D2018. Search this book on

CSR

• CSR Report (PDF). Akka Technologies. 2010. Search this book on

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