A Franco-German Civil War at Airbus?

Enders bleating about the lack of integration at Airbus simply will not do.
Isn`t he supposed to be running the business? Didn`t Airbus top management tell the workforce back in 2001 that the logic of national workshares would be a thing of the past in the new integrated company ? The failure to reduce dependence on hugely expensive expatriated labor on the Final Assembly Lines is another example of Airbus Management`s failure to deliver on the
benefits of integration (Route 06 ,Power 8 ?)

It would be quite interesting to see the Germans, the French, our Alabamans and Northrup Grumman build a KC-45A. I will watch with amusement.

EADS has been building the A-400M transport for 26 years and it has yet to fly. And our Air Force gives them High marks for past performance!

http://www.latribune.fr/info/Tom-Enders--president-d-Airbus-SAS---Aucune-de-mes-decisions-chez-Airbus-n-est-motivee-par-des-ambitions-nationalistes--~-ID30A8DE475421F01FC1257471001AD063

Simply STATING that Airbus isn't a political animal doesn't stop it from BEING a political animal.

In a time of expansion/growth the fundamental national divisions could be fairly easily papered over. With record prices for Jet-A, and EADS on the ropes over insider trading, the A380 which will NEVER recoup its development expenses, the A400 which is the wrong aircaraft and way too late, and the A350XWB which is little more than wishful thinking on a CAD program (and let's hope everyone is using the same one this time) there is a very real possibility that despite the government support flowing to EADS and Airbus, the whole organization may just collapse, and the closer it comes to that, the less likely customers are to want to deal with EADS.

EADS may actually go away.

RE: "engineers in the two countries were using different kinds of design software."

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What is different about the software that was used?

Are they different versions of the SAME product? Are they completely different software products? Are they incompatible, but made by the same software company?

Oh BDBD - They were using two different versions of the same software package - however - it was a bigger issue than that. The French were using a 3-d version of the package - the Germans used the earlier 2D version. That is a program management screw up of the highest order.

It is a shame that the effort being made by Airbus workers is being botched by management more concerned about political points than actually running an Aircraft company.

AllDayinVA is correct about the different versions. Airbus might have detected the mismatch if the specs had flowed into a single digital mockup for the A380 (something that Boeing and Dassault have been doing for quite a few years now). But they didn't set up a single mockup until the summer of 2006, too late to prevent the wiring mess.

Good question, Oh Blah Dee Blah Dah.
I think the author of the article was remiss in not going into a bit more detail on something so major. One would think that a project management function would be to look at software - especially critical design software - to ensure that everyone is using the same software, the same version, and everyone receives the same training. If management cannot perform this obvious responsibility, what else are they missing? For me, I will fly Boeing (disclaimer - I retired from Boeing but even if I had never worked there I would have the same position).

Stating the obvious, Airbus has failed to become a multinational and is still a melange of former national "champions".
Senior managers have behaved like politicians, avoiding the unpopular decisions not to be confronted by unions and hence stay in power, that is, until they all got cake all over their faces.
My humble advice to Mr Enders: that you don't want see it doesn't mean that it ain't coming your way, face your evils or step aside and leave chair for some other person with the guts to do the job.

Its quite difficult to work together with the Germans, simply because they are a closed group. The communicate well only within themselves and when outsiders dont understand they blame it on them.
It is simply a cultural issue and i think the Germans simply overrate themselves.

It's the old "bell shaped curve" of corporate culture. The only solution is dynamic leadership at the top. Boeing and EADS have both been involved in "dueling disasters." These internal issues have been softened by an excellent external climate. Will be interesting to see how both cope with external economic issues such as the rapid rise in jet fuel costs. If they don't handle the external problems well, then we just may see BOEADS becoming a reality. A merger for survival of the breed.

Bob

Boeing could put the issue to bed by offering the 787-1000 to be built on the current 767 production line. Doubling production rates of 787's, to include whatever airframes the Air Force requires, would satisfy all military requirements, plus have a large, positive impact on the environment. This would provide for the firm beginning of mass production of carbon fiber structures. Structures that range from windmills to buildings,
automobiles and other metallic constructs.

Bob