Dr. Tomka Barnabás

Europe isn’t just rearming.It is rebuilding its industrial identity.Defence & Aerospace is the one sector where Europe can still:export globallylead technologicallycreate long-term jobsmaintain strategic sovereigntyavoid offshoringcompete with the US and AsiaBut none of this will work unless Europe builds:its own supplier baseits own capacityits own capabilityits own compliance ecosystemits own industrial backbone👉 This is where the next decade will be decided: in the supply chain.👉 And this is the space where DANS works: helping companies step into the future Europe...

Europe can design brilliant systems.But can it build them?This is the question every OEM is asking.At DANS we see the same pattern across Europe:- demand is exploding- OEMs are expanding- but the supply chain is not scaling fast enoughAnd here is the strategic truth:👉 Europe’s next decade will be defined not by budgets or politics but by the strength of its supply chain.This is why we focus exactly on the bottleneck:👉 helping companies enter, grow, and stabilise within the defence...

The opportunity for SMEs is larger than most realise.Defence and aerospace offer:multi-year contractsrecurring revenuehigher marginsstable demand backed by governmentsexport potentialaccess to complex engineeringstrong long-term relationshipsAnd the numbers are compelling:👉 SMEs active in aerospace/defence report 20–40% higher average margins than in purely commercial sectors.👉 The EU expects defence investments to grow by 30–70% in the next decade.For SMEs with the right capabilities and the right mindset, this is a once-in-a-generation industrial opportunity.

You can produce perfect parts.But if your documentation is weak you won’t enter a defence supply chain.OEMs now expect:digital traceabilitysecure documentationcybersecurity compliancecontrolled processesreal-time quality trackingconsistent audit readinessMost SMEs underestimate this step.The data point that matters:👉 In recent audits, over 50% of SMEs failed on digital maturity alone even when their technical capability was excellent.The companies that survive the next decade will not be the strongest.They will be the most traceable.

The biggest constraint for European SMEs is not capability.It’s time.Across Europe, SMEs report:40–120% increases in lead timesproduction queues stretching 6–18 monthsno time to invest in new capacityno time to qualify for new OEM programsno time for documentation upgradesno time to onboard new customersAnd here’s the number that explains everything:👉 60–70% of SMEs operate at or above 90% utilisation – non-stop, all year.This means one thing:👉 Europe’s defence expansion is running into a physical limit – the clock.If we don’t help...