Each year, FACC puts the spotlight on high-caliber projects at the Leonardo Team Award ceremony, thereby honoring the commitment, competence and passion of the FACC crew. The team "Wing of Tomorrow - Lower Cover“ was selected as the winner of the sixth edition of the award. The winning team was presented with the award in recognition of its outstanding team success at the company Christmas party on 7 December in front of an audience of around 1,300 employees.

"Research strength and team success are in the FACC crew's DNA. The best proof of this can be found in the high number of submissions to the FACC Leonardo," commented FACC CEO Robert Machtlinger, who was delighted with the valuable contributions that are essential for the successful further development of the company. "All renowned aircraft and engine manufacturers worldwide rely on our products, our competence and our know-how. We are one of the leading technology companies in the aerospace industry and join forces on a daily basis to further strengthen our market position. The Leonardo Award ceremony is the perfect opportunity for us to put the spotlight on outstanding team achievements and to give them the recognition they deserve." This year marks the sixth edition of the Leonardo Team Award. The prize is awarded as a sign of recognition and a token of gratitude for the extraordinary dedication of FACC's employees, who go far beyond what is necessary in order to fulfill their tasks.

"Wing of Tomorrow - Lower Cover" team wins Leonardo 2019

The winning team was able to successfully implement the FACC core values as well as the technology leader approach and developed a completely new component concept within a tight schedule that impresses with its quality, top performance and maximum cost efficiency in its production. Within the framework of the "Airbus Wing of Tomorrow" research project, the FACC team produced the lower cover, the main component of composite wings for the next generation of aircraft, and created the prerequisites for highly automated series production in large numbers by implementing novel manufacturing concepts. "We owe this success to the excellent cooperation across all departments. Knowing that we can actively and effectively shape the wing of the future was a great motivation for all of us," declared Patrick Petz, head of the winning team, highlighting the achievements of his fellow team members. "We were able to supply Airbus with a technically and qualitatively sophisticated wing component within an extremely short development period and thus position ourselves as a reliable technology partner for future projects." The winning team not only impressed the jury of the FACC Leonardo Award with its innovative strength, but also the customer Airbus, which presented FACC as one of its most innovative suppliers with the "Airbus Innovation Award" for the development of the lower cover. "I would also like to take the opportunity to congratulate the Wing of Tomorrow team," said Robert Machtlinger. “Their sustainable and highly effective idea will generate long-term economic added value, increase process efficiency and secure our technology leadership.”

Set of four FACC core values as an evaluation criterion

All projects realized as a team were eligible to participate in the FACC Leonardo competition. Appreciation, success, performance and team spirit - the entrants had to define their projects on the basis of these four core values. A first selection had to be made at the time of submission by the departments, which faced the challenge of only the best project being eligible for nomination in each department. The projects were evaluated by a jury, consisting of the Management Board and executives from all divisions and units, based on these central corporate values. "Innovation, ideas management and the unique FACC spirit are key attributes that have played a decisive role in making our company one of the world's leading technology partners to the aerospace industry over the past 30 years. We are greatly committed to putting the spotlight on the numerous outstanding projects. Each and every one of the 24 submitted team performances is greatly appreciated," said Machtlinger during the exciting presentation of the finalists of the FACC Leonardo 2019 award at the festive Christmas party.