AIRBUS I PROFILE

Airbus flyASair travel has become more of

a daily fixture to the everydaylives of most people on the

planet, the rise of the likes of Airbus hasenabled it to become more innovative inproviding safer skies, and ultimately, thevery f lying machine that we now take for granted.

Be it helicopters, aeroplanes, or vesselsready for space travel, Airbus can reach forthe skies thanks to its strong network ofsuppliers: from Asia to Europe and the

Americas. Within two decades, its orderbook has boomed six-fold.

Airbus has 12,000 suppliers, with a sourcing volume of around €50 billionworldwide. As a European-based multina-tional, it designs, manufactures and sellscivil and military aeronautical, as well asdefence and space products.

The talent and skills of 48,000 Airbusemployees in France are the bedrock ofthe company’s global competitiveness.More than 28,000 people are employed

directly at its headquarters in the south-west region of Occitanie, near the Toulouse-Blagnac Airport.

The Airbus familyThe area around Toulouse-BlagnacAirport also has final assembly lines for the Airbus commercial jetliners –A320, A330, A350 and A380 families –as well as facilities for passenger cabin outfitting and painting of completed aircraft.

With 12,000 direct suppliers in 180 locations, aerospace industry pioneer Airbus truly leads the

way in terms of innovation, progress and eco-efficiency. Building on its impressive European

heritage, the manufacturer is proving the sky isn’t necessarily the limit. Profile by Andy Probert.

The Airbus Training Centre in Toulousefeatures full-f light simulators for all thecompany’s jetliner types, providing trainingfor customer airlines’ flight crews, mainte-nancestaff and cabin attendants, as wellas performance and operational staff.

Toulouse-Blagnac also houses operationsdedicated to Airbus commercial aircraftengineering, structural design and testing,systems organisation, flight and groundtesting, system integration testing, propul-sion and more.

Saint-Nazaire, on the French Atlanticcoast, is home to two Airbus productionsites situated on 75 hectares. Its 3,000-strong workforce specialises in assem-bling, equipping and testing the forwardsections of A320 Family aircraft, as well as the forward and centre sections of theA330 and f lagship A380 jetliners.

Sub-assemblies come from French,European and worldwide partners, makingthe Saint-Nazaire site an internationallogistical platform.

After being assembled, the fuselage ele-ments are equipped with major systemsbefore being tested and transported byAirbus’ Beluga cargo aircraft – or by sea inthe case of the larger A380 components –to various company final assembly linelocations in Europe.

The company also has production andmanufacturing facilities mainly in Germany,Spain, China, United Kingdom and theUnited States. It produces and markets thefirst commercially viable digital fly-be-wireairliner, the Airbus 320, and the world’slargest passenger airliner, the A380.

Milestones have included the 10,000thaircraft, an A350, being delivered to

Singapore Airlines in October 2016, whilethe global Airbus fleet has performed morethan 110 million f lights over 215 billionkilometres, carrying 12 billion passengers.

Technological advancesInnovation and eco-efficiency remain atthe core of the Airbus philosophy. Theseare being brought together under AirbusXO, which focuses on creating a productiveand collaborative environment to utilise anddevelop new systems, materials and powergeneration and storage solutions.

These areas include electrification, suchas the development of electric and hybrid-electric propulsion; urban air mobility whichseeks to change the future model of urbantransportation; digital design that makesgreater use of cyber-physical productionsystems; and automation.

Suppliers help

AIRBUS I PROFILE

These technological advances havebeen encompassed in the A350-1000 –the longest-fuselage version of Airbus’A350 XWB jetliner. It is now ready fordelivery following the aircraft’s TypeCertification by the European and US airworthiness authorities.

This milestone occurred less than oneyear after the A350-1000’s maiden f lightin November 2016 from Toulouse-BlagnacAirport, where the A350 XWB final assemblyline is located. With its airworthiness TypeCertificate approval, Airbus is targetingthe first A350-1000 delivery to launchoperator Qatar Airways.

The A350-1000 is the latest member ofAirbus’ leading widebody family; it bringstogether the very latest in aerodynamics,design and advanced technologies as wellas new levels of operational efficiency andpassenger comfort. It includes higher-thrust Rolls-Royce Trent XWB-97 enginesand enhanced main landing gears with six wheels.

Core suppliers recognisedUnderpinning the Airbus success story is thededication of its suppliers, said Mr FabriceBrégier, COO of Airbus and President ofAirbus Commercial Aircraft. Airbus’ topperforming suppliers and its supply

chains are annually recognised at theGlobal Supplier Conference, which in2017 was hosted in Tianjin.

“These best in class awards recognisethe significant contribution our suppliersmake as a partner in Airbus’ business,”commented Mr Brégier.

The awards are split into three categories:Industrial Performance for delivering thehighest level of quality, on time and on cost;Innovation for providing innovative andpragmatic solutions, and Customer Supportfor going beyond customers’ expectations.

Top Industrial Performance awards wentto Safran Electrical & Power, Chemetall,AVIC and AMOVA for their exceptionaldelivery performance supporting theAirbus production ramp-up.

The Chemetall brand, which is theSurface Treatment global business unitof BASF’s Coatings division, supplies Airbuswith high-quality products which meet thestrict requirements of the internationalaerospace industry.

“This award is another milestone in thelong, successful collaboration between Airbusand Chemetall,” said Hendrik Becker,Chemetall’s Global Aerospace Manager. “It is a clear sign of trust, combined withthe Airbus conviction that Chemetall willgrow together and become an even strongerpartner in the future.”

Dr Martin Jung, Senior Vice President,Surface Treatment added: “Airbus can relyon our ongoing commitment to maintainour excellent quality and performancestandard. I see great potential in expanding

our global supply chain and exploiting ourinnovation power to further intensify ourpartnership with Airbus.”

Over the past 25 years, Chemetall andAirbus have established a long businessrelationship. From production sites inLangelsheim, Germany and Soissons/France, Chemetall supplies numerousAirbus with aircraft sealants, corrosionprotection products, cleaners and pre-treatment technologies.

In February 2017, Chemetall received thehighest award as Accredited Supplier in theAirbus ‘Material & Parts SQIP’ programme– for the third time running.

Three winners were recognised in theInnovation category: P3 for the first onboardHalon-free fire extinguisher which compliedwith challenging size and weight require-ments; Hutchinson for developing a highlyautomated production solution oflightweight, low cost air ducts which willbe introduced on the A330neo; andKUKA which designed and implemented ahighly automated Single Aisle ShellAssembly f low using advanced robotics.

The Customer Support award went toRockwell Collins who received the bestrated score by the airlines for consistentcustomer oriented service.

Meanwhile, in April 2017, Malaysia’sCTRM, a major component supplier toAirbus, was awarded the Best ImproverAward 2017 from Airbus at its Supply Chainand Quality Improvement programme.

CTRM works on the Airbus 320, A380,A400M and A350XWB projects, supplying

various components. For example, it hasdelivered over 1,500 ship sets of AirbusA320 products on time and is the largestcomposite component supplier for theA320 aircraft wing, covering a fifth ofthe wing surface. It is also the first Asian partner to commence work on the A380 programme.

Extended familyNicole Lecca, Senior Vice President ofMaterial Purchasing at Airbus said: “AtAirbus, partners and suppliers are partof an extended family, and play a crucialrole. Around 80% of Airbus’ activity issourced and it continuously develops itssupplier base, with an overall sourcingvolume valued at €49.6 billion.

“Airbus has identified global sourcingas one of its long-term objectives andaimed to source 40% outside WesternEurope and the US by 2020.”

Its procurement strategy ensuredAirbus remained competitive and at theforefront of the aviation industry, she said,adding: “Airbus values and recognises theperformance of our key suppliers in areaslike industrial performance, innovationand customer support.

“Transparency and trust are essentialingredients for us and we work with partners and suppliers who are aheadof the game, offering creative, innova-tive and digital solutions in a complexenvironment. This ensures Airbus pro-vides first-class qualitative services to all customers.” n