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Getting leaner, without being meaner, is Airbus aim

Airbus A350XWB

Airbus A350XWB

28th May 2015

By: Keith Campbell

Creamer Media Senior Deputy Editor

  

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Airliner manufacturer Airbus continues to seek to improve its production efficiency. This was highlighted to aviation journalists from around the world on Thursday at Airbus's Innovation Day 2015 by company COO Tom Williams.

"The main issue for us is commitments," he said. The sales department has been doing very well in selling aircraft, and consequently the company must please both its customers and its shareholders. In the past, however, aviation was an industry that had low production rates and manufacture was somewhat artisanal in nature, with skilled workers doing many things manually. But production rates are now much higher.

"From a manufacturing point of view, we have to drive efficiency," he affirmed. "Today, that kind of artisanal approach -- you're really coming to the limits of that approach. We have to produce a narrow-body airliner every six-and-a-half hours."

But aerospace companies cannot simply copy other, mass production, industries. "We've got to realise that we're in a highly customised industry," he pointed out. The Henry Ford approach of 'they can have any colour they like, as long as it is black,' is not possible for Airbus. "We're not in the automotive business of building the same thing every time. A lot of our production is customised, even heavily customised."

The company will have to become more lean and efficient in its manufacturing. "We want to try and optimise the buildings and assets we already have," he stated. "We've got to be lean and more efficient and not just on the shop floor. We have made real progress there." Other departments, including engineering and procurement, also need to do the same.

"We look at productivity improvements, for sure. But we also look at incremental improvements." Automation, including use of robots, is increasing, but slowly. Airbus needs workers and robots to work alongside each other. "My practical approach [regarding automation and robotics] is: show me the business case, application by application and I'll consider it."

Williams' aim is to achieve a more automated and efficient production system with motivated workers. "The combination of human skills, which will always be important, with appropriate technologies."

The intent is to develop an industrial system that is robust, intelligent (using simulation in the planning process, as well as using automation), flexible, still centred on people, eco-efficient and which gets things right the first time. New technologies are being introduced. For example, 3D printing is being used to produce thermoplastic parts for the A350 XWB airliner. New tools have been introduced, such as "intelligent" electronic drills (which can, for example, identify the material they are drilling and can also be used to torque the bolt) in place of "dumb" pneumatic drills.

This also affects the company's suppliers. These number some 7 500 businesses all around the world, including South Africa. These range from large and sophisticated Tier 1 suppliers, which are major companies in their own right, to tiny, family-owned, basically artisanal enterprises. "You've got to have a supply chain management system that is robust enough to manage both these extremes," he noted. With airliners rolling off Airbus' lines every few hours, 95% reliability from suppliers is no longer good enough.

These companies have to have the same vision as Airbus. But that can involve them taking risks -- such as investing in expensive new machinery. To do this, they have to be certain that such investments will benefit them, not endanger them. "The danger is, our suppliers -- some of them tend to second guess us," explained Williams. "We have to be convincing. One of the way to do that is to show them our order book, in detail. It's all about transparency." Airbus holds supplier conferences every year, allowing them to question the company about what it is trying to do.

Keith Campbell is attending the Airbus Innovation Day 2015, in Toulouse, as a guest of the company.

Edited by Creamer Media Reporter

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