Photo Info

Turbo charged

By Vertical Mag

by Oliver Johnson | February 21, 2014

Published on: February 21, 2014
Estimated reading time 21 minutes, 46 seconds.

Vertical visits Turbomeca's headquarters to talk new engines, new collaborations, and re-thinking customer support.
Joseph Szydlowski sure picked a picturesque spot. Walking along the main street in the elegantly designed new production facility that bears his name, it’s hard to escape the beauty of the Pyrenees Mountains that surround it — and easy to understand why these surroundings have provided such inspiration to the company he cofounded just over 75 years ago. That company is Turbomeca, which today claims about one third of the global engine sales for rotary-wing aircraft. Many of those engines share the names of peaks, lakes and valleys that surround Turbomeca’s facility in Bordes, in the southwest of France; it has long been a company tradition to hike with visiting customers to the place that shares their product’s name — whether it be the Arrius or Arriel lakes, or the Astazou or Ardiden mountaintops.
Today, Turbomeca proudly claims to be the world’s only engine manufacturer to focus solely on the helicopter market. And the ties it has with this industry seem just as strong as its ties to the land; the borrowing of names from one to the other isn’t just a one-way process. Rue Joseph Szydlowski forms one of the pathways working its way up the spine of Turbomeca’s new facility, joining Rue Igor Sikorsky and Rue Leonardo da Vinci, among others. Yes, Turbomeca people really are helicopter people. And as a helicopter person, this is an easy place to navigate.
About 2,500 people work at Turbomeca’s headquarters in Bordes; half are based in the Joseph Szydlowski plant, which was completed in 2010, while the remainder work across the variously sized and -shaped buildings that sprouted up in an organic fashion as the company grew over the years. A handful of these date back to 1942, when the company first moved to this location following the French government’s decision to relocate its entire aerospace industry to the south of France at the beginning of World War Two (the company arrived via Lourdes, where it had moved from the outskirts of Paris in 1940).
Like any company with such longevity, Turbomeca has seen some enormous changes over the last three quarters of a century. When Szydlowski and André Planiol founded the company in 1938, it was to make compressors for custom engines (the name was created from an abbreviation of the words “turbocompressor” and “mechanics”). Today, it designs, manufactures and supports eight engine “families” that power helicopters covering the full spectrum of size and operation — from the Airbus Helicopters EC120 up to the AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin.
After a landmark 2013, the level of product development and innovation has never been higher. In March 2013, at Helicopter Association International’s Heli-Expo in Las Vegas, Nev., Turbomeca unveiled the newest member of its product line, the Arrano — a 1,100 to 1,300 shafthorsepower (s.h.p.) engine that will be one of two available options for the future Airbus Helicopters X4.
This was followed in June by the announcement that Turbomeca would provide the engine for Bell Helicopter’s new five-seat light aircraft (known simply as the Short Light Single — or SLS — for the time being). The news was particularly noteworthy as it will mark the first time the two companies have collaborated — even though both have had a significant presence in the rotorcraft market for almost 80 years.
The third major development for Turbomeca in 2013 was its move to take sole ownership of the RTM 322 engine; it completed the purchase of codeveloper Rolls-Royce’s 50 percent stake in the engine in September, at a cost of €293 million (about US$397 million).
Two of these announcements represent key steps in the company’s strategy for future growth: enlarging its portfolio of customers, and increasing its product presence in the relatively small, but lucrative, heavy helicopter segment. Vertical visited Turbomeca’s Bordes headquarters in December to learn more about the changes taking place — both in terms of engine and customer development, as well as to find out what it has been doing to change people’s perception of, and restore confidence in, its level of product support.
The Blueprint
With the current rate of announcement about new developments or technology launches, it shouldn’t be too much of a surprise to learn that Turbomeca is heavily invested in research and development. But, the scale of that figure — 15 percent of its revenue — shows a substantial commitment to innovation. To meet the company’s ambitious targets, it has hired 200 engineers in the last 18 months to reinforce its design office. At the time of Vertical’s visit, the manufacturer was working on nine engine developments that encompass six of its families. Within the next 18 months, six of these new variants will see certification: the Arriel 2E and 2N (in the Airbus Helicopters EC145 T2 and AS365 N3e, respectively); the Ardiden 3C (Avicopter AS352); Ardiden 3G (Kamov Ka-62); Arrius 2B2 Plus (Airbus Helicopters EC135 T3); and the Arrius 2R (Bell SLS).
The Arrius (450 to 750 s.h.p.) and Arriel (650 to 950 s.h.p.) are Turbomeca’s smallest engines, powering aircraft from 1.5 to about five tonnes, and represent an area of the market in which the manufacturer has traditionally had a strong presence. Over 10,000 Arriel engines have been produced since its first run in 1974, making it the bestselling Turbomeca product. According to Cyrille Poetsch, Turbomeca’s executive vice president of programs, the company is now producing between 300 and 350 Arriel 2 plus engines (in three variants) each year. The future for the Arrius is looking similarly positive with the Bell SLS and the EC135 T3.
The last decade has seen Turbomeca work hard to establish a bigger presence in the next class of engine sizes, covering the 1,000- to 2,000-s.h.p. range for medium/ medium heavy aircraft. The certification of the Ardiden 1 (1,400 to 2,000 s.h.p.) in 2007 was followed by the development of the Ardiden 3, which, the company said, has been created with essentially brand new technology. The announcement of the Arrano means Turbomeca has engine coverage for the lighter end of this segment (for six- to eight-tonne helicopters), and plugs the only obvious gap in the product range.
The company said the plans to develop the Arrano started three years ago, and it hopes the engine will deliver doubledigit reduction in specific fuel consumption (SFC) over existing engines when it’s certified (currently slated for 2017).
Olivier Andries, Turbomeca’s chairman and CEO, said its newest engine family member had been developed to address two markets. “We view the Arrano as a good solution for not only medium twin helicopters in the five-tonne category, but we view it as potentially of interest to heavy single [engine] helicopters… It’s a new engine, it’s a promising engine, and so it has a lot of potential.”
However, Andries said the company’s “most strategic move” over the last 12 months was its purchase of Rolls-Royce’s share of the RTM 322 engine. “We have decided to move on the highest segment, which is 2,500 to 3,000 s.h.p. engines,” he said. “What it means is that Turbomeca wants to be a player from 500 up to 3,000 s.h.p.”
Getting Heavy
Co-developed by Turbomeca and Rolls-Royce, the RTM 322 currently powers the AgustaWestland EH101 Merlin, NH Industries’ NH90, and the U.K. version of the Apache — the AgustaWestland AH Mk 1. According to Poetsch, Turbomeca and Rolls-Royce held talks a few years ago about transferring ownership of the engine, but they couldn’t reach an agreement.
“We started to think [about] what could we offer for future heavy helicopter programs, as several manufacturers plan to launch new platforms,” said Poetsch. “We started to discuss with Rolls-Royce how we could capitalize on the RTM 322 — and if it was possible to develop something together.”
However, it wasn’t a segment Rolls-Royce wanted to develop. “We agreed it would be a good way forward for us to buy them out,” said Andries.
The first step in the transfer process is in the appropriation of Rolls-Royce technology — largely in the engine’s hot section. Moving the supply chain and all production activities from Rolls-Royce to Turbomeca will be no small feat, and it’s expected to take about three years to complete.
In addition to the purchase of the RTM 322, Turbomeca has pursued a self-funded technology demonstrator program, enabling the company to create the next generation of heavy helicopter engine components. The technology created from this demonstrator, in addition to that gained from Rolls-Royce through appropriation of the RTM 322, will be used to develop a new commercial offering for the heavy helicopters of the future.
“It’s a high value market,” said Philippe Couteaux, Turbomeca’s executive vice president of strategy. “It probably represents something like 20 percent in terms of the number of aircraft, but in value, it’s closer to 40 or 45 percent over the next 20 years. So this is why we think it’s important for us to be present in that marketplace.”
A New Partnership
Turbomeca’s long and extensive relationship with Airbus Helicopters is well documented. With both having long-established headquarters in the south of France, the two share much of the same history and culture, have worked together for over 50 years, and have shared many international successes. But, while the engine manufacturer is keen to remain Airbus Helicopters’ preferred supplier in the future, it is also acutely aware of the importance of having a diverse portfolio of customers. Its engines have already powered rotorcraft from a diverse range of manufacturers over the years, including Sikorsky (S-76C++); AgustaWestland (AW109E Power); NH Industries (NH90); Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (Dhruv); Avicopter (AS352); and Russian Helicopters (Ka-62). But, until recently, there was an obvious absentee from this list: Bell Helicopter.
Andries said the selection of the Arrius 2R for the Bell SLS — the successor to Bell’s phenomenally successful 206 JetRanger — was a “historical event” that represented recognition of the reliability of the Arrius and the strides Turbomeca has made to improve its level of customer support. “As you know, support is very key for Bell,” said Andries. “The Bell CEO [John Garrison] told me, ‘Five years ago, it would have been a no-go, because the level of performance of your support at that time was not good enough. But now, we recognize what has been done, and we believe that the level of your performance fits with what we expect.’ ”
The development of the Arrius 2R is on an accelerated timeline due to Bell’s desire to get the SLS certified — and competing with the Robinson R66 — by 2015. To meet this ambitious target, Turbomeca is taking from the latest proven technology in its existing product line, rather than attempting new developments. The core of the engine’s architecture is based on the Arrius 2, its control system is largely that of the Arriel 2D, and it will have Turbomeca’s latest generation dual channel FADEC. The company hopes these efficiencies, and a more dynamic development process, will result in a reduction of about 30 percent in time to market.
Looking ahead, Turbomeca is hopeful that, with Bell’s historic connection to the U.S. military, the collaboration on the SLS could one day lead to opportunities in a U.S. military program, while the program’s high profile will help reinforce its reputation as an independent manufacturer. “It sends a signal to the market that Turbomeca is an engine maker on its own,” said Andries.
Emerging Markets
Turbomeca believes that, by 2030, half of the global demand for helicopters is likely to come from the “emerging markets” of China, Russia, India, and Brazil. The prediction is based on an in-house economic analysis of how a country starts building a helicopter fleet — and it found a direct correlation to the growth of a country’s GDP.
While it thinks markets like China remain several years away from truly flourishing, it is working hard to position itself as the engine partner of choice in these countries. It has a history of over 30 years in China and India, and has co-developed engines with China’s AVIC and India’s HAL. More recently, Turbomeca was selected by Russian Helicopters to develop and supply engines for two major programs.
“It shows our ability to be recognized by these emerging aircraft manufacturers as a key player in the development of their industry,” said Couteaux. “We’re not just there for a coup; we go there for the long term, we become party to the development of their industry locally, and with Russia and China, you’ve covered a big chunk of the market.”
Rethinking Product Support
As highlighted by Bell in its decision to collaborate with Turbomeca on the SLS, in today’s world, product and customer support is a cornerstone of an original equipment manufacturer’s (OEM’s) business — and until recently, it was an area Turbomeca admits it was failing to adequately address.
According to Franck Saudo, executive vice president of support and services, the turning point for the engine manufacturer was about five years ago. “Quite simply, our customers told us: ‘You have an issue with the quality of your customer support,’ ” he said. “What is important is the trigger point when you enter into listening mode and that was totally done…. We believe that support is the work of listening and humility. Listening, because our customers are our compass. Humility, because at the end of the day, it is not us that is using our products, it is our customers — so they know the issues better than we do.”
Recognizing the criticism as valuable feedback, Turbomeca’s support division has created two simple tools to help it prioritize and address the most pressing issues: lists of the top five product and service irritants. Saudo said the top five service irritants were currently documentation quality issues, its warranty policy, and its rental policy, “Are we at market standard? Or do we have an easy to read, easy to trigger, and easy to use policy? The answer is [that] we have room for improvement,” he said. The remaining two irritants are customized by geographical area.
As for the products, he said the company recognized it had a weakness in the reliability of its accessories, and was implementing a new policy across the board to improve maturity at entry into service by increasing the number of test hours during the development stage.
Today, with a doubling of its team of field representatives and field technicians over the last five years, the company has over 2,000 people working around the world in support and service activities, as well as repair or maintenance centers on five continents. And, with regular and increasingly productive customer councils and symposiums, it is working hard to increase its proximity to its customers (one of four core values in its support strategy, along with safety, reliability, and innovation).
Turbomeca’s reinvigorated support and services division has the simple — and effective — motto of, “We keep you flying.” A key element to helping it achieve this is the increase in the number of customers utilizing its Support By the Hour and Global Support Package programs — contracts that spread an operator’s cost of maintenance (which is based on the number of flight hours), and help ensure fleet availability by essentially guaranteeing the reliability of the engine.
Turbomeca has grown its worldwide pool of equivalent engines to 1,000 to support these programs, which now provide 50 percent of its support sales.
The results of its various efforts to better its support service include time between overhaul extensions ranging from 10 to 20 percent; mean time between failure extensions of up to 60 percent; and a 30 percent reduction in turnaround time. Saudo said the company enjoyed the highest increase in its customer satisfaction ranking compared to its competitors in 2013.
“The bad news is we are not yet where we want to be in terms of customer satisfaction,” he said. “Our ambition is to offer the best of the best to our clients.”
To help Turbomeca achieve this goal, it is looking at innovative new support services such as BOOST (Bank of Online Services and Technologies). Developed with IBM, the service, as its name suggests, will allow customers to manage their maintenance and configuration through electronic engine logbooks linked to internet-based interactive technical publications. “We believe this is going to be a breakthrough in our industry,” said Saudo. “The idea is to move to a broad range of internet-based services about health monitoring, trend monitoring, [and] fleet management, so it really is a first step… moving to a new world for services.”
Planning for the future
Although its history stretches back over 75 years, and the journey it has taken to get from where it began to where it is now is already remarkable, the next few years look particularly exciting for Turbomeca. The level of development, production and service has never been higher, and the very act of coordinating these works will be a Herculean effort in itself. But, while it chases new projects, new markets, and new customers, it’s also aware that it must maintain the strengths it has developed over many decades.
“We have always been recognized for the quality of our products — providing power, [and a] high level of reliability. This is a very strong point of Turbomeca,” said Andries. “Historically, the level of our support was not adequate, but we have recovered over the last five years and now we need to keep up. We need to maintain the level we have reached. . . . It’s a never ending story, and we will always be focused on it.”
Photos courtesy of Studio Pons/Philippe Stroppa/Etienne Follet/Oeilduchat/Rémy Bertrand/Tubromeca.

Leave a comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notice a spelling mistake or typo?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Report an error or typo

Have a story idea you would like to suggest?

Click on the button below to send an email to our team and we will get to it as soon as possible.

Suggest a story