Airbus Helicopters launched its first Suppliers Awards ceremony yesterday evening at the Musée de L’Air near the Paris Air Show at Le Bourget. This was the first event in what is to become an annual affair in order to recognize suppliers actively contributing to Airbus Helicopters’ quest for competitiveness.
”We are transforming ourselves to move from the biggest to the best helicopter manufacturer, and our suppliers are part of this journey. Around the fundamentals of price, quality and time, we are becoming both more collaborative and more demanding at the same time so as to increase our competitiveness,” said Martin Schuebel, Airbus Helicopters Executive Vice President of Strategic Procurement.
The award nominees were a selection of French and international companies, both SMEs and large groups – representative of Airbus Helicopters’ panel of suppliers.
Last night’s winners were:
In the Supplier Relationship Management category, the gold award went to Rexiaa, a manufacturer of aerostructure composite parts who has achieved excellent performance in terms of its overall relationship with Airbus Helicopters. The silver award went to STTS, the company responsible for painting Airbus Helicopters’ aircraft.
The gold award in the Support & Services category went the Amphenol–Sefee as the best achiever in spares and MRO activities for the electronic equipment it provides for all programs. Liebherr Aerospace Toulouse came in second for the air-conditioning systems activity.
Sagem Avionics has been awarded as the Best Improver in both the Supplier Relationship Management and the Support & Services categories. The improvements seen in 2014 in all dimensions of Sagem’s performances were highlighted during the awards ceremony.
In the third category, Innovation, Airbus Helicopters awarded three different suppliers: Euroavionics for its contribution to the oil rig approach for pilots currently being tested on the latest upgrade of the H225, and its enhanced reality system for the German Police. Solution F, an SME located in southern France, was also recognized for its rapid prototype solution used during the development phase of the H160’s new main gearbox architecture.
Following several years of collaboration, SOREAM was likewise recognized for its contribution in the design of mechanical parts and test benches, which led to eight patents with Airbus Helicopters.
