Zodiac Aerospace Defines the New Normal in Aircraft Interiors
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APEX Insight: With the persistent demand for tailored and customized airline interiors, the aerospace supply chain faces several challenges in accommodating longer production cycles and producing more modular options. According to Zodiac Aerospace’s Scott Savian, executive VP, simplification wherever possible will be key to adapting.
Kicking off his presentation at the Passenger Experience Conference in Hamburg, Germany, today, Scott Savian, executive vice-president, ZEO, Zodiac Aerospace, stated, “We have entered a new normal in aircraft interiors.”
Precipitated by trends in the consumer electronics market, customers have become accustomed to highly tailored, customizable products. Citing Apple’s product line as an example, Savian notes that, “Some of the most ubiquitous products, we value because we can make them our own. We can adapt them over time.” Trouble is, when your customer is an airline, customizing products entails a number of challenges.
“In recent years we’ve seen branding come into play,” Savian says, adding that yesterday’s products were configured, whereas the need for today’s products is to be customized and branded. “We’re building thousands of planes a year, and everyone wants to be different – this is the challenge that the industry faces. We’re seeing more complexities in composites, and composites are not easy to work with. From mechanical assembly to composite assembly is a big leap.”
“We’re building thousands of planes a year, and everyone wants to be different – this is the challenge that the industry faces.” €” Zodiac Aerospace’s Scott Savian, executive VP
As customization increases, so does the need for additional engineering. “A branded product requires 10 to 20 times more engineering,” he notes. Adjusting to these added production requirements is essential for the manufacturer and the entire supply chain. “We have a perfect storm around the new normal, and the OEMs and the supply chain are going to have to adapt very quickly to this.”
As a supplier, Zodiac may be struggling to adapt. Continued backlogs and delays have disrupted deliveries for Airbus and Boeing, most recently provoking the ire of Airbus over delays in the production of cabin equipment for its A350s. But Savian points to recent innovations, such as Zodiac’s modular MaxFlex galley and DMS lavatory, as products that have adapted their architecture around the increasing demand for customization.
Moving forward, Savian notes, simplification will be key: “The most important innovations in our industry will be those that enable us to deliver what our customer want in the simplest manner possible.”
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