John Cockerill continues to replicate its 2024 Surface Treatment success in 2025, receiving orders from defense

Off to a great start in 2025, John Cockerill is adding momentum to its global Surface Treatment operations with major orders from the aviation and defense sectors.

Part of John Cockerill’s Industry business, our Surface Treatment activities support a wide range of industries including aviation, defense, and automotive. With over 40 years of experience and operations in France, Finland, Poland, and China, John Cockerill is proud to serve customers worldwide with reliable, automated surface treatment solutions.

Here’s a quick look at what’s shaping the year ahead. In late 2024 the following orders were announced:

1. Korean Air has decided to build a facility for jet engine MRO (Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul) with capacity of 350 engines per year. After completion it will be the largest installation in Asia for given type of operations. John Cockerill’s Galvatek entity was selected as technology provider for Cleaning line for the engine parts for the inspection process.
2. Another significant order was awarded by Finnish-Norwegian Defence company Nammo. Their new factory, located in Jyväskylä, Finland, will be equipped with state-of-the-art surface treatment line with automatic parts handling. The delivery will take place during the first half of 2026.

The value of these contracts is close to 20 M€.

The momentum continues with orders from European defense sector. The Surface Treatment business line signed two agreements for similar phosphating lines for artillery projectiles manufacturing. The engineering activities are starting immediately and putting in practice the good learnings from the previous project. The installation and commissioning will take place in 2026. The value of these two recent agreements land at around 10 M€. Read more about our unique solutions for shell phosphating line on our artillery shell surface treatment facility solution page.

With a strong track record and validated technology in automated surface treatment solutions and production line, John Cockerill is actively engaged in multiple upcoming projects where John Cockerill’s expertise can deliver value—especially in projectile manufacturing and engine part treatment.