Airbus Industrie Optimizes its Complex Supply Chain Supported by Effective Applications Management Services
Airbus Industrie is a consortium of four leading European aerospace companies, and represents one of the world's leading manufacturers of passenger aircraft seating 100+.
- Industry
- Manufacturing
- Country
- France
- Alliance partner
- Sun Microsystems
- Solution
- Application Outsourcing
- CRM
- Supply Chain
Headquartered in Toulouse, France and employing some 2,700 staff, Airbus Industrie’s role is to manage, market, sell and support the operation of the consortium’s family of aircraft, comprising:
- A319/A320/A321 (124-185 seat, single-aisle aircraft)
- A300/A310 (220-266 seat wide-body aircraft)
- A330/A340 (263-400 seat wide-body aircraft).
The fleet covers the operating spectrum from short/medium-haul operations to ultra long-range flights. In less than 30 years, Airbus Industrie has booked some 3,200 confirmed orders, and delivered more than 1,800 aircraft to over 160 operators, worldwide.
With more than 1,500 suppliers in 27 countries and cooperative agreements with aerospace industries in 19 countries, about 100,000 people globally are involved in the manufacturing process for Airbus Industrie.
Three spare parts centers span Europe, Far East and the US, and training for pilots and maintenance staff is conducted at facilities in Toulouse and Miami. A support and training center has been built in the People’s Republic of China.
Business Requirements
Aircraft manufacture is a complex business, with no room for error in the process, and requires two years of preparation, construction and testing. The entire process, including the customer acceptance procedures and certification by aviation authorities, demands microscopic attention to detail.
One of the keys to success is that final assembly by Airbus Industrie represents less than 4% of the work on each aircraft. The consortium partners, and some associates for specific programs, perform much of the subassembly for their respective portions using specialized skills in their own factories.
In order to maintain its global position, Airbus Industrie’s investment in systems needed to:
- be dynamic and efficient to respond to an evolving market
- facilitate effective sales and demand management processes
- enable multi-cultural communication at all levels across the entire supply chain
- optimize support costs.
The Solution
Airbus Industrie had established a long-term partnership with Capgemini to help develop systems and processes to facilitate effective management of Airbus Industrie’s supply chain. Applications include:
System Configurator (SC) - an engineering tool to aid the sales process. It is used following a customer order and allows engineers to produce detailed specifications of systems (electrical, back-up, engine operations etc.) for the aircraft type, tailored to specific client requirements.
Cabin Configurator (CC) - an extension of SC, allowing engineers to produce specifications of cabin interiors (numbers of seats, classes, toilets etc) for given aircraft types, customised to specific client requirements.
Buyer Furnished Equipment - used in conjunction with CC to allow for any equipment (individual video screens, etc) to be procured by the purchaser and installed by Airbus Industrie.
Flight Test Application - to support the flight test cycle for an aircraft, and allow set up of test scenarios and capture results, and ensure that the aircraft complies with civil aviation authority requirements as well as those specific to the client.
Navigability Requirements Compliance - an application to support full audit trailing of the flight-capability of an aircraft during the development cycles. This supports the process for Airbus Industrie to comply with mandatory certification of airworthiness for all aircraft as dictated by aviation authorities.
Logbook - used when handing over an aircraft to a client, facilitating verification of delivery to original specifications and requirements.
Capgemini collaborated with other 3rd parties to develop the above applications in partnership with Airbus Industrie. Capgemini provides ongoing Applications Management services on the applications once they are deployed.
Capgemini has also helped Airbus Industrie to further streamline its supply chain, including SAP implementations for Billing and Human Resource modules, and use of internet-enabled technology to provide Intranet/Extranet solutions.
The Benefits
Airbus Industrie has followed a basic philosophy since its creation - exploit technology to develop economic aircraft to meet market needs and design modern, comfortable airliners to passenger requirements.
With the help of Capgemini, Airbus Industrie can continue to adhere to these sound principles with innovation - an attribute that lies at the core of Airbus Industrie’s success. This has resulted in Airbus Industrie’s production system being one of the world’s most efficient and flexible.
The civil aviation industry is fast moving. Market forecasts predict a doubling of fleet jetliners operated by the world’s airlines coupled with a tripling of air travellers over the next twenty years. For Airbus Industrie, this equates to a market worth approximately $1.2 trillion.
The partnership with Capgemini enables Airbus Industrie to have effective management of its supply chain. Airbus Industrie’s IT investment is protected with comprehensive Applications Management, backed by Capgemini’s wealth of management consultancy and IT services.
Written in co-operation with Airbus Industrie
Contact: Capgemini France, Division Sud-Ouest
