On the rise Zodiac Aerospace

ON THE RISE

Zodiac Aerospace is a world leader in the design and production of integrated interior cabins, galleys and on-board safety systems for commercial aircraft. Based on its on-going success in the Czech Republic, last year the company launched a new production line to support its German unit, Zodiac Premium Galleys. Romana Moares spoke to the Czech plant´s managing director, Mr Philippe Michel, about the latest development and plans for the future.

Zodiac Aerospace was founded in 1896. It currently ranks among the top 10 leading companies manufacturing aircraft interiors and equipment and its share is increasing. Zodiac Aerospace employs 30 000 people in its manufacturing plants and companies throughout the world.

Zodiac Aerospace first entered the Czech Republic via its acquisition in 2008 of Driessen Aerospace, now Zodiac Galleys Europe, which had been operating one of three global production units in Plzeň since 2001. Zodiac Galleys Europe Ltd is the only Zodiac Aerospace plant in the Czech Republic.

Since the acquisition, Zodiac Galleys Europe has grown rapidly and is now the sole supplier of galley systems for the Airbus A320 narrow-body jet airliner.

Czech expansion

“Zodiac Galleys Europe has its headquarters in Plzen, Czech Republic with 800 people in Engineering, Supply chain, Manufacturing and Assembly. This facility fully leverages its convenient location in the centre of Europe, where it employs a number of highly skilled staff. Since 2011, the company has tripled in size and revenues,” says Mr Michel.

The plant in The Czech Republic has been one of the biggest success stories for Zodiac Aerospace and has become an integrated part of this French group. However, the former premises were soon at full capacity. The plant expanded its assembly space in 2013 to support the A320 business, and a second 4400m2 hi-tech production facility was developed to support the Long-Range (A330) and Wide body (B777, A380) businesses. This second plant expands the production of Zodiac Premium Galleys, based near Frankfurt, and maximises integration with the manufacturing and assembly processes in Germany.

Zodiac Aerospace’s production process is based on modern flow lines with vertical integration to reduce time to market linked to the high customisation levels associated with the Premium Cabin Interior market segment. The new Premium Galleys production facility at CTPark Plzeň has made Plzeň the preferred location for Zodiac Aerospace in the Czech Republic and a major production hub for

the company in Europe. Further growth in Plzeň is anticipated, depending on external conditions.

Europe is not the only continent in which the company expects further growth. “We have also started operations in Tunisia, where Zodiac Aerospace Group has a major footprint. This was a much expected and welcome addition to our Assembly capacity. The Tunisian plant feeds Plzen with bonded structures which are then customised and tested before delivery.” says the managing director.

Going up

The core products are composite structures, called galleys, that are fully integrated with systems interface and customised to serve as kitchens on-board the A320 family and A330. “We are exclusively focused on aerospace, which is one of the few sectors that has seen constant growth over the past decade,” confirms Mr Michel.

Zodiac Galleys Europe’s production plants in Plzen at Borská pole are currently producing 35 to 40 shipsets per month. The number of employees has grown from 520 in May 2013 to 850 today.

The company constantly invests into research and development and one of the newest product releases has been developed, in cooperation with Airbus, to allow for an additional row of six seats for travelers. That means a major economic impact for the revenues of airliners.

Double-digit growth

Zodiac Galleys Europe has developed a solid supply chain that is able to deliver continuous and sustainable performance. It suppliers are to a large extent composed of Czech component manufacturers.

“On-time delivery and quality are a must, and then a continuous focus on increasing competitiveness is also essential to help maintain our leading position at a time of increasing volumes. For instance, in the Czech Republic Zodiac works in close cooperation with Quitner & Simek for the manufacture of harnesses and electrical panels. This is a good example of a supplier being involved right at the development and industrialisation phases,” says Mr Michel. “We are part of an international group which has operations across the entire world and customers on all continents. Aerospace is by its very nature a global market, and we serve our airlines customers everywhere, either directly or through Airbus when it comes to newly-manufactured aircraft,” says Mr Michel. He adds that the future looks promising: “The company will continue to enjoy doubledigit annual growth in the next five years.” n