FERCHAU AVIATION News (en)

Successful Students Rewarded after Case Study Workshop

Wed, 16 Jun 2010 14:51:00 +0200

Guided by experts in the field, 13 committed students seized the chance to discuss engineering problems and possible solution approaches in Avionic System Engineering, regarding both basics and principles of avionic systems as well as its tools and methods in the development process. As a second thematic focus of the event, the students also gained some detailed insights into the day-to day job as systems engineer.

In practical case studies, the students were invited to explore and present individual solution processes and suggestions to given job tasks that covered field such as System Requirement Analysis and Architecture, Software Architecture and Design and System Testing. Realizing the close cross-linking of all these areas, the students soon understood the importance of an operative interfacing by means of efficient project, communication and information management. In the end, the winning team was awarded with the Event’s Trophy and an invitation to a special guided Aviation Tour through the “Deutsches Museum” in Munich.

The continued progress in avionic system development with its high system complexity, intricate interface connectivities and safety-critical issues makes high demands on avionic manufacturers. System engineering will thus grow in its importance for the development of complex and safety-critical systems, offering future graduates of the Ingolstadt University an exciting work field for their career planning.

Ferchau Aviation (EADS A Supplier) chases the aim, to sensibilize graduate students for the professional image of an systems engineer in the aerospace industry and the exciting challenges in this area. “We seek the early direct contact to our target group and give them the chance to deploy their achieved theoretical knowledge into practical experience and receive first hand information regarding technical questions and further career planning, says Human Resources Manager within Ferchau Aviation Simone Heinrich.

Crystal Cabin Award 2010: The Winners!

Thu, 27 May 2010 11:00:00 +0200

On Tuesday evening, to the applause of select, invited guests, seven Crystal Cabin Awards were presented to beaming winners. This year’s prize for innovative aircraft cabin products, the only one of its kind to date, has been won by Airbus, Bishop and Dasell from Hamburg, the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover, Lumexis from the USA, Norduyn from Montreal, and Teague from Seattle. A total of 64 entries were received from 13 different countries. 21 of them reached the final round. “The final was once again very close and very exciting,” reports Christian Körfgen, Vice President Product Management & Innovation at Deutsche Lufthansa AG and Chairman of the Judging Panel. “We have seen convincing, visionary concepts. The Judging Panel has discussed the entries at great length and, in the end, reached a fair decision.”

“I am delighted that the Crystal Cabin Award has attracted attention all around the world since its inception in 2007. We have high-calibre entries, a first class Judging Panel and, at the awards ceremony, guests from the industry’s elite, including Dr Gerald Weber and Dr Thomas Diehl along with airline representatives from Air New Zealand, Cathay Pacific and Emirates,” says Walter Birkhan, Cluster Manager of the Aviation Cluster Hamburg Metropolitan Region and President of the Crystal Cabin Award Association.

First prize in the category Passenger Comfort went to Dasell Cabin Interior GmbH for the product “HILA – high integrated flexible lavatory”. The Hamburg company won over the Judging Panel with a flexible space concept for on-board toilets. As soon as the aircraft reaches cruising altitude, the cabin crew can swiftly enlarge the lavatory in a few simple steps. Extra space is taken from the cross-aisle area near the main door, which is only used during boarding but not during flight.

The trophy in the category Industrial Design / Interior Concept went to Teague of Seattle. The Integrated Smart Monitor, developed by the US firm in collaboration with Weber Aircraft and Panasonic is an ultra-slimline, lightweight seat with fully integrated In-Flight Entertainment System.

In the Greener Cabin, Health and Safety category, Norduyn won the day. Together with LSG Sky Chefs, the company from Montreal, Canada, developed a new type of aviation trolley which is significantly lighter, better insulated, sturdier, has fewer moving parts and is therefore easy to track and trace, thus optimising operating times.

Airbus won a trophy in the Material and Components category for its Digital Cabin Logbook (DCL). One of the main advantages of DCL is standardised cabin defect reporting. The cabin crew selects cabin defects from a standard defect catalogue, which is customised according to cabin configuration, with a graphical user interface guiding the user to localise the cabin defect. Defect reports are transmitted to ground control whilst the aircraft is still flying. The logistics for repair can commence before landing, thus avoiding delays to the next take-off.

The Entertainment and Communication category was won by Lumexis Corporation from the USA with its Fiber-To-The-ScreenTM system, the first fully fiber-optics based In-Flight Entertainment (IFE) system. The seat box and half of the other boxes required by legacy systems are eliminated. Huge bandwidth is provided to each individual seat, so that future functionality can be added over the 30-year life of the aircraft. The system, integrated in the seat, reduces the weight and, as a result, the cost of ownership by half.

This year’s new University category generated great excitement. The trophy – and 5,000 euros in prize money – went to a graduate of the University of Applied Sciences and Arts in Hanover. Esther Gläsker’s Com.pax system is an aircraft seat for wheelchair-bound passengers. The Com.pax 2-in-1 concept offers a more comfortable way of travelling for disabled passengers. The mobile aircraft seat is waiting at the check-in counter for the passenger, who then travels with the seat directly to the base element within the aircraft, where the seat is clicked into the lock-position safety catch mechanism.

The Judges’ Commendation Prize this year went to Bishop GmbH from Hamburg, Germany, for a 1cm seat rail. The 1cm seat rail is the world’s first metric seat rail designed with a distance of 1cm between two consecutive attachment holes on the seat track. The seat rail is sturdier than conventional 1" (2.54cm) seat rails and makes it possible to install seats and other elements with double the normal precision. The number of seat rows in the aircraft can also be increased, resulting in increased revenue for airlines.

New Year’s reception for the AVIATION partner network held for the fifth time

Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:05:00 +0100

The partners were meeting to network and confer for what was already the fifth time. “Challenge” – that was the catchword for the whole event. Despite 2009 not having been an easy year, more companies came together than ever before: 20 partner enterprises and client companies with about 50 participants from six countries (Germany, Spain, France, the UK, the Czech Republic and India) took advantage of the opportunity to get to know each other at the “come together” on the 20th and the conference on the 21st, to renew acquaintances, swap tales and discuss the challenges to be faced over the coming years in the aerospace sector.

The customer side also made a contribution this year once again: a representative of EADS France, for example, spoke about the trend in supplier business for AIRBUS. A speaker from EADS Space Transportation took the auditorium a step closer towards the dream of space tourism with his talk on “Going into space is always a challenge”. The Division was pleased to welcome a number of new partners in 2009. They introduced their companies and what they do, and thus again provided plenty to talk about for everyone networking during the breaks in the meeting.

Let your ideas take off – now!

Wed, 21 Oct 2009 13:00:00 +0200

Crystal Cabin Award: call for entries

“In the past two years, Lufthansa Technik’s innovations in cabin interiors and the RFID tagging technology have been honoured with the Crystal Cabin Award. This international recognition is an incentive and motivation for our team. It shows that our developments meet the demands of our time and that future efforts will be fruitful“, comments August Wilhelm Henningsen, CEO of Lufthansa Technik AG. The world market leader in maintenance, repair and overhaul of aircraft was granted the Crystal Cabin Award in 2008 in the Material and Components category for its radio frequency identification (RFI) tagging technology. A year later, the company successfully participated with its niceview™ infotainment system and was named winner in the Entertainment and Communication category.

Two snow-white trophies have also been granted to the German aircraft seating manufacturer Recaro. This year, the company was named winner not only in the Passenger Comfort category, but also in the Industrial Design/Interior Concepts category. Chief Executive Officer Axel Kahsnitz rejoiced: "This is a huge success for Recaro Aircraft Seating – we won the Crystal Cabin Award in two categories! The prizes confirm that we are on the right track with our pioneering strategy and focus on design and comfort with lower seat weight. We plan to continue along these lines and have already orders for both our awardwinning economy class seats: Qatar Airways ordered several thousand Comfort Line 3620 seats and congratulated us on this impressive and innovative design. As launch customer, Air France will be the first airline to use our lightweight Smart Line 3510 in economy class."

B/E Aerospace is also one of the lucky winners, who received the trophies twice. 2008 the US-based manufacturer of cabin equipment took the first place in the Passenger Comfort category for its First Class Suite, this year they impressed the judging panel in the category Material and Components with their Major Advancement in Aircraft Vacuum Waste Systems. Doug Rasmussen, Vice President and General Manager: “The Award served as validation of our efforts to design bespoke customer products to the highest quality and aesthetic standards in the industry. The CCA was and remains an important external validation of this vision for our products."

The Crystal Cabin Award 2010 is supported by Airbus, the Aircraft Interiors Expo, Aircraft Interiors International Magazine, Bishop GmbH, FERCHAU AVIATION Division, HTG Media Hamburg and Jetliner Cabins.

The Joint Initiative “Hamburg – The place for aviation“

In 2001, Hamburg’s aviation companies, industry associations, institutions, universities and public authorities joined forces to establish the Joint Initiative “Hamburg – The place for aviation”. Out of it evolved a network of partnerships, the “Aviation Cluster of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region”. The largest employers in this technology-driven network are Airbus, Lufthansa Technik and Hamburg Airport. There are also more than 300 small and medium-sized companies serving the industry as suppliers or service providers. Many of them are represented by the industry assocations Hanse- Aerospace and HECAS. Its integrated strategy to make aviation more economical, ecologically sound, comfortable, reliable and flexible made the Aviation Cluster of the Hamburg Metropolitan Region a winner of the Federal Government’s cross-sector clusters of excellence competition in September 2008. The Federal Government will provide long-term support for the development of the competence centre, “A New Kind of Aviation”, by investing some 40 million euros in innovative and sustainable projects of northern Germany’s aviation industry.

For details, click to www.crystal-cabin-award.com.

FERCHAU AVIATION is the only German company to be appointed "EADS A Supplier for Engineering Services" – one of the five principal su

Thu, 29 Jan 2009 15:50:00 +0100

AVIATION, FERCHAU's specialised aerospace division, has been selected by EADS, a leading aerospace enterprise, as EADS A supplier for Engineering Services. This makes FERCHAU AVIATION a member of the fixed group of five preferred A suppliers for engineering services. The selection process began when EADS together with its five divisions chose a limited group of 28 capable and reliable principal suppliers from more than 2,000 tenderers in order to optimise their supplier chain, cut costs and secure their competitive position worldwide. At the end of 2008, 5 of these were designated A suppliers and 23 B suppliers. The group is defined anew each year.

''For FERCHAU AVIATION, being selected as an EADS A supplier for engineering services - the only German company to be chosen - is a great honour. We are delighted about it, for it puts the AVIATION division's planning on a very sound footing for the future, and with it job security and even expansion. In our present global financial crisis, this is a very clear, encouraging signal to both our present employees and also potential job applicants. It means that in future, our division will now be the first port of call for all EADS inquiries. So we will be in close contact with our customer and their network of subcontracted suppliers. Our appointment was based on, among other things, quality, innovation, potential for improvement and efficiency,'' comments Harald Felten, Head of FERCHAU's AVIATION Division.

AVIATION is a certificated engineering services provider for Airbus and other customers in the aerospace sector and it currently has more than 540 employees located in Bremen, Hamburg, Toulouse, Bristol, Munich, Laupheim and Donauwörth.

FERCHAU AVIATION becomes preferred supplier of engineering services to EADS - 28 tier-1 suppliers appointed from more than 2,000 bidder

Thu, 03 Jul 2008 15:49:00 +0200

FERCHAU's AVIATION division, which specialises in serving the aerospace sector, has been appointed by EADS, a leading aerospace enterprise, as a preferred supplier for engineering services. So FERCHAU AVIATION has now joined its designated group of 28 preferred suppliers of engineering services. EADS, with its five divisions, selected the fixed group of powerful and reliable tier-1 suppliers from a pool of more than 2,000 bidders with a view to optimising its supply chain, streamlining costs and assuring its competitive position worldwide.

"We are delighted at this selection, for it affords our division tremendous certainty in planning its future, with job security and more jobs part of the plan. The number and size of the work packages to be given to EADS preferred suppliers will rise gradually until 2010 and beyond. EADS' selection criteria included efficiency, productivity and a willingness to invest. We also scored with the expansion of our operations in Toulouse, " commented Harald Felten, Head of FERCHAU's AVIATION Division.

AVIATION is a certified engineering services supplier to Airbus and other customers in the aerospace sector and at present it employs more than 540 people at its locations in Bremen, Hamburg, Toulouse, Bristol, Munich, Laupheim and Donauwörth. The past year was one of the most successful for FERCHAU since its formation in 1966, with sales rising from EUR 210 million in 2006 to EUR 270 million in 2007. FERCHAU is active in fields which include mechanical engineering, electrotechnology/information technology, plant and steel construction, automotive engineering and rail vehicle technology. For 2008, FERCHAU has set itself a sales target of EUR 315 million with more than 4,700 employees on its payroll worldwide.

FERCHAU AVIATION at ILA 2008 in Berlin

Sun, 01 Jun 2008 15:48:00 +0200

For the first time FERCHAU AVIATION presented their own exhibition booth at ILA 2008, from May 27 to June 1 in Berlin. A huge number of contacts to new customers and applicants was made and so the fair became a big success for the division. "We are looking forward to ILA 2010 which will certainly be a fixed date in our diary", sais Thomas Hucht, site Manager AVIATION Bremen.

FERCHAU AVIATION with the "cabin circle" at Aircraft Interiors Expo Hamburg

Thu, 03 Apr 2008 15:47:00 +0200

After all partners (TÜV Rheinland Kraftfahrt GmbH, müller/romca Industrial design, FERCHAU Aviation) have signed the Letter of Intent in August 2007, the cabin circle became public for the first time at the "Aircraft Interiors Expo" fair in April 2008.

The concept of "cabin circle" aims at customizing the process chain in cabin development and covers successively the necessary ressources for the customer.

A huge number of talks with customers during the fair showed that with this concept FERCHAU AVIATION is on the right way in the Cabin Interior market.

AVIATION Partner Network: Well-known faces, new projects, confidence grows

Thu, 17 Jan 2008 15:45:00 +0100

The new year started off very well. For the third time the AVIATION Partner Network came together for its annual New Year's Meeting.

This year's Meeting was characterized by its participants' mutual reliance and therefore by many interesting project presentations. More than 30 participants from all over Europe listened to talks given on topical projects such as "Space Solar Cell Generators" (for a space probe for a mercury mission), the AVIATION "Cabin Circle" (a joint project of FERCHAU AVIATION and two Network Partners), "Aircraft Cabin Safety" (80 % of aircraft accidents are survivable), "Off-Shoring" (Key Success Factors), "Carbon Fibre reinforced plastics" and "Flying Wind Tunnel" (the development of an amphibious aircraft). In addition, this year the Network opened itself to new participants who took advantage of the opportunity to present themselves, their companies, and to make new contacts and intensify the existing ones.

FERCHAU Engineering buys Soditech Toulouse - Aerospace expertise broadened - Direct business relationship with Airbus France

Mon, 05 Nov 2007 15:45:00 +0100

Toulouse - Signals in the aerospace sector are still pointing to growth: with its acquisition of the Toulouse Soditech company as of 01 October 2007, the AVIATION division of FERCHAU Engineering GmbH, the engineering services provider, has broadened its international activities. Soditech operations include the aerospace and automotive spheres. Through the purchase, FERCHAU AVIATION will boost and complement its aircraft know-how in the fields of mechanical systems, structure, thermal analyses and calculation. Soditech's business contacts will be maintained, so now AVIATION has an immediate and direct business relationship with Airbus France.

''We anticipate that our cooperation with Airbus France will stand us in very good stead, particularly at an international level. Work packages with France-Germany interfaces can now be handled by FERCHAU AVIATION on a one-stop basis. That means further growth for our division and both interface and cost optimization for our customers'' comments Harald Felten, head of FERCHAU's AVIATION division. Through the takeover of Soditech, the AVIATION division has 50 additional employees available for its customers. By the end of 2008, the payroll is scheduled to be 25 percent above the prior-year level.