Aubert & Duval

Aubert & Duval
Name	Aubert & Duval
Industry	Metallurgy; Aerospace; Energy; Automotive
Founded	1862
Headquarters	Le Creusot, Saône-et-Loire, France
Key people	Laurent Aubert (historical founder), corporate executives
Products	Special steels; superalloys; forgings
Employees	~4,000 (estimate)
Parent	Eramet (majority shareholder)

Aubert & Duval

Aubert & Duval is a French metallurgical firm specializing in high-performance steels, superalloys, and forged components for industries such as aerospace, nuclear power, automotive industry, and oil and gas. Founded in the 19th century during the industrialization of France, the company developed capabilities in specialty metallurgy that positioned it as a supplier to major industrial groups including European and international firms such as Airbus, Safran, Rolls-Royce, General Electric, and integrators serving programs like the A320 family, Trent series, and other civil and military platforms. The company’s products are used in applications that intersect with programs and institutions including EDF (Électricité de France), TotalEnergies, and research partnerships with organizations like CEA (Commissariat à l'énergie atomique et aux énergies alternatives).

History

The company traces its roots to 1862 in Le Creusot, a site associated with the legacy of Schneider-Creusot and the industrial patrons Eugène Schneider and Adolphe Schneider. Over the late 19th and 20th centuries the enterprise participated in metallurgy supply chains that serviced projects such as construction for Suez Canal era industries, armaments for conflicts including Franco-Prussian War and both World War I and World War II, and post-war reconstruction alongside firms like Compagnie des Forges et Aciéries de la Marine et d'Homécourt. In the post-war era Aubert & Duval developed specialty alloys in concert with aerospace and energy booms, supplying components to manufacturers such as Dassault Aviation, Thales Group, and turbine producers including Siemens and Alstom. Late 20th- and early 21st-century consolidation in the metals sector saw ownership and partnership shifts involving groups like Eramet, private equity actors, and strategic alliances with suppliers to major programs such as Eurofighter Typhoon and civil nuclear projects under Areva programs.

Products and Technologies

The product portfolio centers on high-performance forgings, precision-machined parts, and advanced metallurgy including nickel-based superalloys, martensitic and austenitic stainless steel grades, and powder-metallurgy variants used in critical rotating and static components. Typical items include turbine disks and shafts used in engines from Rolls-Royce, compressor components for Safran engines, rings and casings for General Electric programs, and large forgings for steam generators and pressure vessels in projects associated with EDF and international nuclear operators like Rosatom and Westinghouse Electric Company. The company also supplies components for high-performance automotive applications with clients such as PSA Peugeot Citroën and Renault, and for subsea hardware used by Schlumberger and Baker Hughes. Its technology set intersects with standards and test regimes promulgated by organizations like ASTM International, CEN/EN, and aeronautical authorities including EASA.

Manufacturing and Facilities

Manufacturing footprint is anchored in France with principal facilities in Le Creusot and sites dedicated to forging, heat treatment, and machining. The company’s installations include heavy forging presses, heat-treatment furnaces, and non-destructive testing laboratories compatible with qualifications from bodies such as NADCAP and certification schemes used by Airbus and Boeing. Production processes encompass closed-die and open-die forging, vacuum arc remelting (VAR) furnaces akin to those used by other specialty producers, precision CNC machining, and surface treatments required by clients like Safran Helicopter Engines and industrial OEMs such as Siemens Energy. Logistics and supply-chain interfaces link to European transport nodes including the ports serving Le Havre and rail corridors toward Lyon and Düsseldorf.

Markets and Clients

Key markets include civil and military aerospace, nuclear and thermal power generation, oil and gas, and high-performance automotive. Principal clients and program associations span multinational corporations and prime contractors: Airbus, Boeing, Rolls-Royce, General Electric, Safran, Thales Group, Dassault Aviation, Areva, EDF, TotalEnergies, Schlumberger, and Baker Hughes. The firm competes and collaborates within supply chains alongside industrial peers such as Aubert & Duval competitor examples: Eramet subsidiary peers omitted per constraints, specialist forgers and alloy producers including VSMPO-AVISMA in titanium and other European steelworks. Export markets extend to partners and projects in United States, China, India, and Russia when permitted by export control regimes such as ITAR and European Union sanctions or licensing frameworks.

Research and Development

R&D activities target alloy design, fatigue life improvement, fracture toughness, and process innovations in thermomechanical processing, powder metallurgy, and additive manufacturing hybrids. The company collaborates with institutional research centers and universities such as CNRS, INSA Lyon, and Université de Bourgogne as well as national laboratories like CEA for materials qualification and testing campaigns tied to programs like Clean Sky and national innovation efforts. R&D outputs inform certification pathways with aviation authorities including EASA and technical committees at ASTM International, and feed into cross-industry initiatives with partners such as Airbus for next-generation engines and EDF for reactor component qualification.

Corporate Structure and Ownership

The corporate ownership has evolved through industrial restructurings and strategic investments; a significant shareholder is the mining and metallurgical group Eramet, while governance includes executive management and boards aligned with French industrial policy stakeholders such as regional authorities in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Strategic decisions intersect with European industrial initiatives, competition law overseen by the European Commission, and sectoral defense procurement frameworks administered by ministries including the French Ministry of Armed Forces and agencies responsible for civilian aerospace procurement.

Category:Metallurgical companies of France