Airbus Helicopters held its second Supplier Awards ceremony on Tuesday, Oct. 11, during Helitech International in Amsterdam, the Netherlands to recognize 16 of its suppliers who have demonstrated an outstanding commitment to supporting Airbus Helicopters’ quest for competitiveness.
“The Supplier Awards are an annual opportunity for us to recognize those suppliers who have stood out in terms of performance and competitiveness and with whom we have seen a real strengthening of relations over the years,” said Martin Schuebel, Airbus Helicopters executive vice president of strategic procurement.
Sixteen companies were awarded in the four categories of Supplier Relationship Management, Industrial Performance, Customer Support and Services and Innovation.
The award winners included both small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and large organizations, representative of Airbus Helicopters’ network of suppliers.
In the Supplier Relationship Management category, the gold award went to Rockwell Collins, a provider of radio communications, displays and computers, for their overall performance in terms of logistics and supply chain and their commitment to competiveness, cooperation and flexibility.
The silver prize went to JPC Aviation, an enterprise working with Airbus Helicopters for more than 30 years delivering high precision lighting for a wide range of helicopters.
They were recognized for their strong performance, risk-sharing on developments, open dialogue and common approach to reaching company targets, about which JPC Aviation general director Christian Escoto said: “We will do our best to stay among the best suppliers in terms of quality and service.”
In the Industrial Performance category, three companies received recognition for best performance in terms of on-time delivery (OTD) and on-time quality (OTQ): Aernnova, a Spanish multinational that manufactures metal and composite parts; Elbit Systems, an avionics systems provider; and Pankl, a supplier of transmission components and systems.
“Airbus Helicopters is one of our most important customers, and we are proud to equip Airbus Helicopters with the latest technology,” said Yoram Shmuely, general manager of Elbit Systems’ Aerospace Division.
In the Customer Support and Services category, Liebherr Toulouse, a manufacturer of air management systems, was awarded for their strong OTD and OTQ performance for repairs and spare parts.
And the companies honored in the fourth category, Innovation, in no particular order, included Efitam, Soben, Thales Avionics, and Ventana. These companies received the highest marks for innovative proposals and fulfilling development milestones.
At the same time, six companies were recognized as Best Improver in the Supplier Relationship Management, Industrial Performance and Customer Support &Services categories.
Nexter Systems, a provider of military artillery systems, was named Best Improver for Supplier Relationship Management. Four suppliers were honored as Best Improver in the Industrial Performance category: Chelton Ltd (Gold), Machaero (Silver), Utas LHotellier (Bronze) and Labinal PS (also Bronze).
And finally, UTAS Actuation took Best Improver for Customer Support & Services for their OTD performance for spare parts and repairs.
