Aerospace Propulsion Products B.V.

Aerospace Propulsion Products B.V. (APP) is a leading Dutch company in the field of space propulsion ignition. Our igniters ensure a reliable start of European launchers as Ariane 5 and VEGA. Furthermore, APP applies gas generator technology to non-space applications, such as dust explosion suppression systems and cool gas generators. APP is a 70% subsidiary of ArianeGroup and 30% subsidiary of First Dutch Innovations. 

APP was founded in 1989 by TNO, initially for the production of propellant grains for the Ariane 5 Vulcain Starters and Igniters. In 1995 Stork Product Engineering BV (SPE) joined TNO as a shareholder of APP and the company activities expanded to the production of the complete Vulcain igniters and starters. Since then the scope of activities has increased with the development and production of many new igniters and gas generators. In 2005 the engineering department of SPE specialised in igniter development was transferred to APP together with its heritage and project portfolio. This lead to the current company organisation and the harmonisation of engineering, testing and manufacturing skills at a single location in Klundert at the Moerdijk Industrial Park. In 2009 TNO acquired all the APP shares of SPE. In 2014 ArianeGroup (at that time Safran group) acquired 70% of the shares and became the main shareholder of APP.

Currently APP employs 52 persons most of which are highly experienced and have specific knowledge in the field of ignition systems, pyrotechnic devices and other forms of gas generators. The average employee at APP is 39 years of age and has 15 years of work experience, of which 10 years of work experience at APP. The 2017 total turnover of APP was about 11.2 million Euros.

The core activity of APP is the development and production of ignition systems for launchers. APP works with ESA and all European space propulsion companies on rocket engines of today and tomorrow. It is the strategy of APP to maintain its position as leading European company in this field. The company strongly believes that the synergy between the various igniter activities creates value for the launcher industry (e.g. cost effectiveness, specialised knowledge centre). The company ambition has been documented in a roadmap for future activities, which is well supported by the Netherlands Space Agency.

Quality
APP’s quality policy is focussed on process control, in the first place in order to reach maximum effectiveness and efficiency of existing processes, secondly to also control the introduction of new processes, necessary for the intended growth and product diversification.

APP’s quality management system complies with the rules of the ISO 9001 standard since 1999. Additional provisions can easily be taken into account when required by the customer. Especially with aerospace requirements many years of experience is acquired. This resulted in certification according EN 9100 by the ASD-EASE association of major European Aerospace companies. These additional provisions are usually described in a programme-specific product assurance and safety plan.

Products
Producing igniters, ignition systems and gas generators for the space industry is the very reason for the start of APP as an independent entity. APP seeks to continue its development as a specialised company for developing and producing highly reliable and cost efficient ignition systems to suit customer requirements. This includes powerful igniters for solid rocket motors as well as sophisticated ignition systems for liquid rocket engines and gas generators for a variety of applications. 

APP has strong relationships with all major European space propulsion companies involved in the development and production of rocket engines, both solid and liquid based. To keep at the forefront of technology development and in order to improve products and processes APP is continuously involved in various technology programmes. Examples of these programmes are the FLPP program, FP7 program, GSTP and TRP program as well as national funded programmes. The result of these programmes further expands APP’s extensive knowledge of ignition systems, gas generators and rocket engine technology including alternative systems and (green) propellants. On the basis of this APP is capable of answering to customer needs in offering technical advice and optimal design solutions for each application.

https://app.ariane.group/en/