Austrian aviation supplier FACC awarded its first Leonardo on November 29. In front of around 1,100 guests attending the event at the Rieder Messehalle, the Interior Team for the A320 tacted assembly line project received this innovation team award for their outstanding performance in the company. The prize-winning team worked hard to harmonize a wide range of individual processing steps based on state-of-the-art technology and methods that allowed it to boost productivity in this area by 16 percent.
The long list of awards that FACC has received over the past 12 months alone includes the Inventum Award, the Pegasus, the ineo, the Fit for Future state award, the “state-approved training company” title, as well as the JEC Award. On November 29, 2014, FACC bestowed its first in-company innovation team award. "We are very proud of the awards that we have received, in large part thanks to our successful crew. Now, with the FACC Leonardo, we are passing on these accolades internally and awarding the accomplishments of our crew. In line with our motto, ‘Soar with us to new heights,’ every year we focus on a joint high-flying accomplishment," says Robert Machtlinger, COO of FACC AG. The goal of this award is to celebrate particularly innovative team milestones and outstanding in-company achievements.
A320 Interior is the proud winning team
The A320 tacted production line team emerged as the winner of the 2014 FACC Leonardo. Thanks to this project, the current interior manufacturing concept progressed from cell production to a modern, transparent and automated synchronous production line. The launch of this challenging project was only possible thanks to the project team’s commitment to explore new directions and abandon old approaches. The project’s objectives had to meet a wide range of demands. While improving working conditions, the team also aimed to ensure that it could meet the customer’s quantity requirements. Indeed, the company is currently producing 13,000 hatracks annually on this line and orders are increasing. By reducing inventories, the goal was to enhance efficiency by at least 16 percent. Thanks to excellent product preparation, ongoing risk assessment, well coordinated processes and interdepartmental teamwork, this objective has even been surpassed. "This achievement is truly remarkable, especially since the project team had to work under difficult conditions. The project took place during a restructuring phase in the plant while, at the same time, five new projects were launched. It was also important that the productivity and the construction work in the plant remained unaffected. All of this was marvelously achieved by the team,” said Machtlinger, as he summed up the challenges faced by the winning team.
A festive ceremony
At the company's annual Christmas party at Messe Ried, project manager Johann Schaschinger expressed his delight at receiving the award: "It is a great honor for us to be the holders of the FACC Leonardo for a year. FACC is a successful company with many dedicated teams and colleagues. I am extremely proud that my team and I have been able to win in such a field." At the awards ceremony, COO Robert Machtlinger also referred to the challenges faced by the jury members: "My heartfelt thanks to the winning team! It was a big challenge for us to pick the semifinalists, finalists and then the winner from the abundance of top-notch entries."
Company values as assessment criteria
A total of 32 projects from a wide range of teams were submitted to the 2014 FACC Leonardo. All employees who actively took part in team accomplishments were eligible for the competition. Contestants had to define their projects according to this quartet of values: performance, output, respect and team spirit. After the deadline for submissions, representatives from all divisions and departments assessed the projects according to these key company values. This anonymous voting based on questionnaire results produced 12 semi-finalists. A jury consisting of board members and managers selected the five finalists from this group. These projects were presented at the FACC Christmas party. The crowning moment was when the FACC Leonardo was conferred to the winning team. The team will be immortalized with the trophy and has the honor of keeping it for one year before the award goes to the next winner in late 2015. Each member of the winning team will receive a miniature version of the trophy as a permanent keepsake. Afterwards, CEO Walter A. Stephan expressed his thanks to all of the participating teams: "My heartfelt thanks to all the members of the teams for their hard work. There will be many more FACC Leonardo awards in which the 31 contenders will have an opportunity to take first place."
About FACC
FACC AG is one of the world’s leading companies in the design, development and production of advanced fiber reinforced composite components and systems for the aviation industry. Their range of products reaches from structural components for the fuselage and wings to engine components to complete passenger cabins for commercial aircraft, business jets and helicopters. FACC is a supplier to all large aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Sukhoi, and COMAC as well as for engine manufacturers and sub-suppliers of manufacturers.
In the 2013/14 business year FACC achieved an annual turnover of 547.4 million euros. The company employs a staff of around 2,800 employees in Austria. More information is available at www.facc.com.
We are at your service for any enquiries:
Anja Bichlbauer
Project Manager Communications
Fischerstrasse 9
4910 Ried im Innkreis, Austria
Phone: 43 59 616-1137
Email: a.bichlbauer@facc.com