After a record year in terms of aircraft orders, 2024 promises to be one of delivery delays. European planemaker Airbus has started informing airlines that it will push back by several months some deliveries planned for the end of the year and part of 2025, amid ongoing supply problems. “We are in constant dialogue with our customers. We always operate in a complex environment,” indicated, Friday February 9, a spokesperson for the group, cited by the Reuters agency, during of the Airline Economics conference in Dublin.
These difficulties add to the strain placed on all subcontractors to respond to the bustle of air traffic. The concern is to produce more planes, of the order of 10%, while being attentive to the quality of the parts.
“It is out of the question to take the slightest risk for security and safety reasons. We can’t afford to be careless.”, says Didier Kayat. To guarantee the reliability of the production chain, the president of the Aeronautical and Defense Equipment Group worked to develop a single standard common to the entire sector, Aero Excellence. “This tool, about to be launched, will allow each company to self-assess itself according to three criteria (operational excellence, environment and cybersecurity) and to be labeled”specifies Mr. Kayat, also general director of the equipment manufacturer Daher.
In Pamiers (Ariège), in the Galy company that he manages, Vincent Goizet is working to ultrasonically check the discs for engines that it manufactures for Safran. This client has entrusted it with the annual production of 3,000 pieces until 2028. “With Covid-19, my business almost died and Safran saved us with a contract worth 2 million euros in turnover over five yearsrecognizes Mr. Goizet. He wants us to be transparent and rigorous. You should not hide anything from him because he would be intransigent. » Also, every Friday, the manager is required to send Safran a report detailing the deliveries of parts, the machining hours carried out and the difficulties encountered. For its part, the engine manufacturer sends a production line performance manager to Pamiers every quarter. Intermediary between the customer and the supplier, he is responsible for ensuring the ramp-up in the factory and evaluating malfunctions to correct them.
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