Airbus confirms the set up in Toulouse of a brand new manufacturing facility. In 2022. It is going to generate the creation of 500 jobs.
Airbus will set up a brand new manufacturing line in Toulouse by 2022. As we introduced in our January 7 version, the Pink Metropolis was chosen to host a closing meeting line for the A321. It’s the largest mannequin within the A320 household able to carrying 180 to 240 passengers relying on the model. Thus far, solely the Hamburg, Germany and Cell, Alabama (USA) websites have been in a position to assemble this system. However confronted with robust demand from airways for this mannequin (three,255 models ordered), particularly for long-distance variations (LR and XLR), Airbus is compelled to hurry up manufacturing.
The Hamburg web site would have preferred to land this new manufacturing facility, however the topography made any extension tough. Airbus had launched an inner name for tenders to evaluate every industrial web site. The plane producer’s industrial administration took under consideration the general competitiveness, the commissioning time, the funding price, the ground area and the sources out there to determine its selection.
500 jobs in Toulouse
It’s true that in Toulouse, Airbus doesn’t lack area. The A380 plant, which can stop manufacturing of the superjumbo by 2021, will liberate hundreds of sq. meters. The brand new A321 line shall be put in on this industrial cathedral by mid 2022. These new manufacturing capacities will relieve the 4 German meeting traces, a few of that are dealing with industrial delays, notably on the “ACF” model of the A321 which gives airways extra modular cabins however tougher to industrialize.
These deadlines are additionally pitfalls for the ramp-up of Airbus which assembles 60 A320s monthly and desires to succeed in 63 subsequent 12 months. Research in progress even relate to a fee of 70 to 73 units monthly over the course of the last decade. “The brand new Toulouse line will assist assist this ramp-up,” Airbus headquarters stated. The set up of the brand new line in corridor A380 will take eighteen months of labor to put in the instruments, IT and automation methods.
If robotization shall be broadly deployed (see field), the brand new manufacturing facility will generate 500 jobs in Toulouse. Companions beforehand devoted to the A380 shall be transferred to the A320. Administration has additionally reached an settlement with the Toulouse unions on competitiveness measures. On the similar time, the present and solely Toulouse A320 chain in service since 1987 shall be modernized to make it extra environment friendly. Its manufacturing must be elevated from fifteen to twenty units monthly.
No Chinese language robotic in Toulouse
The final German A321 manufacturing facility known as “corridor 245” has been very robotized. The drilling and riveting of the sections are carried out specifically by Kuka robots. Initially German, this firm was purchased by the Chinese language Midea inflicting a trauma in public opinion. In response to our data, Airbus senior administration has requested that the robots deployed sooner or later A321 plant in Toulouse not be Chinese language within the face of the danger of espionage.
