"take off" - Issue 12 - FACC

12 

F A C C C U S T O M E R M A G A Z I N E 

take off 

New Impulses 

Virtual Reality 

December 2002 

Lean Production 

The Success of FES 

FACC 

FISCHER ADVANCED COMPOSITE COMPONENTS AG


Dear readers, 

The catch phrase is Virtual Reality: man and machine 

entering a new form of interaction. Three-dimensional 

graphics from a computer transplant humans 

into an artificial reality. In the future, immersing into 

virtual worlds, expanding reality with inserted information, 

and experiencing products that do not yet 

actually exist will be standard for many people on 

and off the job. FACC is also innovatively applying 

this key technology. FACC engineers and technicians, 

in cooperation with designers from Ars Electronica 

Futrelab, have designed a digital mock-up of a 

passenger cabin. This new visualizing and simulation 

technology opens new doors. Plunge with us into a 

three-dimensional world! 

Bombardier Aerospace has long since moved on 

past the Virtual Reality stage in the development of 

their two new business jets Learjet 40 and Learjet 

45XR: the first of both planes will already be 

delivered to customers in 2003 and 2004. This 

Canadian aircraft manufacturer has chosen FACC 

for the production of the interiors for both series. 

A company's long-term success is to a great extent 

based on its courage to make changes and its 

willingness to be progressive. Why? We are living in 

a time of far-reaching changes - changes that are 

possibly even more radical than those of the 

second industrial revolution of the mid-19th century. 

In order to keep pace with this situation, a company 

must constantly renew itself and continue developing. 

At the same time, structures must be established 

that assure the continual and long-term successful 

development of the company. take off would like to 

present two of many excellent measures that FACC 

has taken to assure its success: 

1) "fleXman", a lean manufacturing system, and 

2) the future-oriented restructuring in our development 

division. 

On the following pages you will find further 

interesting topics about FACC. We hope you enjoy 

this issue of take off and gain insight into the 

workings and changes of our company. 

Manfred Neuböck / Andrea Schachinger 

Editors 

Cover: Bombardier Learjet 40 

takeoff2 

take 

off 

Contents: 

New Impulses 3 

New Standards 

in the Development of 

Aircraft Passenger Cabins 

Modern Design Application by Means of Virtual Reality 4 

Cabin Interior Liners 6 

6 

The future 

is on the wing 

New Winglets For Boeing Aircraft 8 

Steps Towards Lean Production 10 

"A Pike 

in a Fishpond" 

FACC’s Development Design Office Is Continuing On Its Road To Success 12 

Fan Cowls For Gulfstream GIV 14 

Christkindl near Steyr 

Austria´s Christmas post office 15 

Published by: FISCHER ADVANCED COMPOSITE COMPONENTS AG, Fischerstraße 9, A-4910 

Ried/Austria. Editorial Staff: (verantwortlich) Manfred Neuböck, Walter Stephan, Andrea 

Schachinger. Photos: FACC Ried, AEC Linz, Bombardier Montreal, APB Seattle, Österreichische 

Post Wien, Furtner Ried. Design and Composition: Oskar Pointecker, 4941 Mehrnbach.


New Impulses - 

New Chances 

The overall economic situation is still rough 

for many companies, especially for those in 

the aviation industry. The year 2002 will 

show a lower growth rate than had been 

expected, and for 2003 the economic forecast 

does not promise the significant growth 

that would be needed to ease this tense 

situation on a long-term basis. 

The civil aviation industry is being influenced 

by the declining financial situation of some 

leading airlines, above all in the USA. Even 

the slight recovery of the Asian and 

European markets could not spare the civil 

aviation industry from a lasting slump. The 

two large airplane manufacturers EADS and 

Boeing record a continuing slack in demand 

for new airplanes and expect the situation 

to last through 2003 and 2004. The 

European company EADS is even describing 

the branch´s situation as a "double-dip 

recession" - a relapse into a recession after 

a short period of recovery. 

Due to new elections, Austria has delayed 

the decision whether to purchase Eurofighter 

jets or not. This was yet another negative 

effect on the Austrian aviation industry. 

However, a difficult market situation can 

also bring new impulses and new chances 

for FACC. We must seize the opportunity 

and turn them into new advantages. 

I would like to mention one of our most 

recent projects: the development and production 

of the outer bypass ducts for our 

new customer Pratt & Whitney. FACC was 

able to develop the product in record time 

and produce a prototype that offers the 

customer an excellent price-performance 

ratio. FACC´s development team worked 

with competence and commitment to 

develop a new innovative material for engine 

components of this kind. By using this 

material and improved processes, 

significant cost cutting could be achieved, 

along with improved products. 

The industry needs initiatives such as these 

in order to make the few deals profitable 

that our customers Airbus and Boeing mostly 

close with low-cost airlines such as 

Southwest, easyJet and Ryanair. 

In recent months FACC has delivered the 

first components from other new projects. 

These include the winglets for Boeing 737, 

fan cowls for the Gulfstream GIV, components 

for A380's Trent 900 engine, new secure 

cockpit doors for the B717, as well as the 

first interiors for the Learjet models 45XR 

and 40. (You can read more about these 

projects in the other articles.) These are 

projects which go into serial production on 

short notice soon after the placement of an 

order and generate a quick and secure cash 

flow during the production period. This is 

the necessary financial basis for long-term 

development projects, such as the widebody 

jet A380. 

Innovations from the think-tank of FACC 

can be found in every new component. 

Advanced resin transfer molding, with which 

we can build spoilers that are 30% lighter 

than those made of conventional construction, 

as well as new light and intelligent overhead 

stowage compartments, are only two of the 

many good design solutions. The innovations 

are, however, not only of a technical nature, 

but are also concerned with extending 

logistics and expanding service for our 

customers. 

In the coming years FACC will meet the 

pressures of the market with considerable 

investments. These will be investments in 

new developments and, above all, in the 

people who work at FACC who commit 

themselves to meet the requirements 

during hard times and invest their excellent 

performance in the future of FACC, and, at 

the same time, in their own futures. 

This success can only be achieved, however, 

in close cooperation with our business 

partners. Our suppliers are an important 

support and their investments are imperative 

in order for us to follow the path of 

progress. On the other hand, our customers 

can support us with their strategic 

investments and further give us their hotlycontested 

orders, independent of shortterm 

political decisions in the current phase 

of the market. 

This way they can strengthen our financial 

power so that we can participate as a 

competent partner in major development 

programs of the future. 

With these efforts, we hope to be one 

of the leading companies in our 

industry, today as well as at the point 

in time when the industry will again 

pick up the rapid growth rate it had 

been used to. Let us jointly make the 

best of these impulses! 

Walter A. Stephan 

Chairman of the Board 

3 takeoff


New Standards in the 

Development of 

Aircraft Passenger Cabins 

Virtual Reality in Modern Design Application 

Whether a modern passenger aircraft will find acceptance among travelers is largely 

determined by passenger comfort and cabin design. In order to provide a pleasant flight 

and maximum passenger comfort, aircraft manufacturers and airlines offer the passenger 

future-oriented design with comfortable equipment. At the same time they want the 

cabin interior to reflect their corporate design. 

The basis for a successful cabin design are 

often already put in the first development 

stages of the cabin. A visually well and 

close-to-reality prepared design model is 

crucial. As a systems provider of cabin interiors 

for civil aircraft FACC goes a new way in the 

visualization of design concepts and works 

in co-operation with iDS Industrial Design 

Studio Hamburg and Ars Electronica 

Futurelab on implementing new futureoriented 

design solutions and their application: 

Virtual Reality is thereby the medium of the 

future. 

As an excellent tool to visualize design 

concepts, in particular for product presentation 

and to help the customers make fast 

decisions, FACC will more and more use 

Virtual Reality applications. New technologies, 

materials, procedures and production 

methods can be constantly integrated from 

the very first idea to the actual market 

launch and be presented the customers 

over the medium Virtual Reality. It will help 

to respond more flexibly to changing 

customer expectations and to substantially 

accelerate and qualitatively improve the 

development process. At the same time the 

visualization of digital cabin models by 

means of Virtual Reality allows in some 

cases to eliminate the physical models that 

have been used in the past, obtaining 

significant time and cost savings. 


What is Virtual Reality? 

Creating three-dimensional objects and 

presenting them in perspective and as close 

to reality as possible in the form of flat 

pictures often fails to convey the impression 

of space, essential with spatial objects and 

in interior design in particular. Two-dimensional 

pictures may at best succeed in demonstrating 

to the beholder the overall spatial impression 

but not in reproducing it. 

Virtual Reality (VR) is the three-dimensional 

spatial presentation of design concepts or 

product developments through computer 

simulations. In order to be used in a VR 

system the CAD data first need to be 

adapted: invisible elements are removed 

and free form areas in VR Tool are converted 

to triangles. As a next step, colors, decor, 

textures and transparent effects are defined 

together with light effects (intensity, hues). 

This virtual mock-up is very flexible. In no 

time one can change coverings, surfaces, 

textures and colors or try out variations in 

details like handrails, for example. 

A Team of Specialists 

Provides the Real Feel of 

an Aircraft Cabin 

Virtual Reality application is made possible 

through the conjunction of a number of 

competency centers: FACC represents 

engineering skills and the production knowhow, 

iDS industrial Design Studio Hamburg 

provides industrial design and the Ars 

Electronica Futurelab supplies the transfer 

competency that converts the concept and 

design results into virtual data as the basis 

for their application. 

iDS Industrial Design Studio Hamburg 

has been working in the passenger cabin 

field since 1984 (e.g. the B717, the Fairchild 

Dornier 728/928, VIP and Corporate 

Aircraft). iDS has developed design 

concepts for all transportation systems. One 

of their projects done in cooperation with 

FACC was the development of the Boeing 

717 cabin interior. The company operates 

world-wide and focuses on innovative 

marketable product concepts that are 

geared to the future. Its sophisticated concept 

renderings, 3-D concept presentations and 

the experimental 1:1 mock up facilitates 

instant well-founded decisions.


One of the key competencies of Ars 

Electronica Futurelab lies in the creation 

of new interfaces for Virtual Reality and 

Augmented Reality as well as in the specific 

conception and realization of applications. 

The Virtual Reality ARS BOX as designed by 

Ars Electronica Futurelab facilitates the 

stereoscopic projection of digital models 

in their actual size and their adequate 

rendition in a real time frame. 

Ever since its founding, Ars Electronica 

Futurelab and its team of physicists, data 

processing engineers, artists and designers 

have acquired the necessary transfer competency, 

i.e. making the actual application 

work, through international projects. One of 

their long-standing partners is the Electronic 

Visualisation Laboratory at the University of 

Illinois, where CAVE technology was originally 

invented and developed. 

Their 

partners in the 

automotive industry ( e.g. PSA 

Peugeot/Citreon), the IT sector (e.g. 

Siemens CT SE), heavy industries (e.g. 

VA Industrial Plants), the research field 

(NASA, Langley Research Center) and now 

the aircraft industry (FACC) are all vivid 

proof that technology and aesthetics 

need not necessarily be opposites. 

The cooperation goes to show once again 

that questions concerning the future at the 

vertex of art, technology and society require 

innovative solutions and that this team 

makes it possible to take a peek at the future 

of aircraft construction. 

Virtual Reality 

in all Phases 

Virtual Reality stands therefore not only at a 

specific stage of the product development 

process, but is employed in the early 

phases of the development in order to 

support styling decisions as well as during 

the whole development chain to document 

intermediary steps or alternative design 

concepts. Great emphasis is placed on a 

high 

degree of detail 

reproduction. This way it becomes 

possible to check the position and transition 

of seams between the individual 

components and to assess the quality of 

surface areas. In complex systems virtual 

prototyping allows for the swift modification 

of structures and processes and 

consequently helps to greatly reduce the 

number of potential design changes, 

construction errors and revamping times. 

All analyses and tests can be carried out in 

the form of a digital mock-up (dmu), which 

dramatically shortens development times. 

Once again the focus is on real time 

applications, which are used in the design 

process as well as for presentation purposes. 

5 

takeoff


The first contacts between Bombardier Aerospace, the world’s third largest aircraft 

manufacturer, and FACC date back to 1987, and now the two companies are expanding 

their partnership. Under a new agreement, FACC is to produce cabin interior components 

for the new Bombardier Learjet 40 and Learjet 45XR light business jets, launched at the 

Farnborough International Air Show last July. 

In September 2002, Bombardier and FACC 

signed a contract for the production of cabin 

interior liners for the Learjet 40 and 45XR. 

The first components were already delivered 

in October 2002. 

Bombardier Aerospace, a unit of 

Bombardier Inc., is a world leader in the 

design, and manufacture of innovative aviation 

products and services for the regional, 

business and amphibious aircraft markets. 

Headquartered in Montreal, Canada, 

Bombardier Aerospace employs approximately 

33,000 people around the globe, 

including its manufacturing facilities in 

Canada, the United States, and the United 

Kingdom. 

The Bombardier line of business jet is 

divided into three families. The high 

takeoff 

Cabin Interior Liners 

Bombardier Learjet 40 & 45XR 

6 

performance Learjet group consists of the 

Learjet 40, the Learjet 45, the Learjet 45XR 

and the Learjet 60. In the large jet category, 

Bombardier offers the Challenger family, 

comprised of the all-new Challenger 300, 

the Challenger 604 and the Challenger 

800. The Global family is led by the ultra 

long-range Global Express, and the new, 

high-speed intercontinental Global 5000. 

The New Generation 

Of Learjets – Superior 

Performance 

The Learjet 40 and Learjet 45XR, the two 

short-range business jets that Bombardier 

presented for the first time at the 

Farnborough Air International Air Show, will 

complement the successful Learjet family. 

The Learjet 40 is a new aircraft that, with a 

maximum speed of 859 km/h and an operating 

altitude of 15,545 meters, flies further, faster 

and higher than comparable business jets. 

The first Learjet 40 will be delivered in early 

2004. The Learjet 45XR is an extended 

version of the Learjet 45 and offers 

improvements in flight speed and operating 

altitude as well as a new larger interior with 

optimized comfort for the passengers. 

Specifications Bombardier Learjet 40 Bombardier Learjet 45XR 

Capacity Passengers: Up to 7 Passengers: Up to 9 

Crew: 2 Crew: 2 

Maximum range 1,803 nm, 3,339 km 2,098 nm, 3,885km 

(IFR Reserves, ISA, with 4 pax/2 crew) 

The Learjet Legend Lives On 

Maximum speed 0.81 Mach, 534 mph, 859 km/h 0.81 Mach, 534 mph, 859 km/h 

Maximum operating altitude 51,000 ft, 15,545 m 51,000 ft, 15,545 m 

Cabin length 17.7 ft, 5.40 m 19.75 ft, 6.02 m 

Cabin width 5.12 ft, 1.56 m 5.12 ft, 1.56 m 

Cabin height 4.92 ft, 1.50 m 4.92 ft, 1.50 m 

Cabin volume 363 ft 3 ., 10.28 m 3 410 ft 3 , 11.61 m 3


New Improvements 

In Cabin Layout 

Under the new agreement, FACC produces 

the interior linings for the entire cabin 

which includes sidewall panels, window 

components, arm rest coverings, PSU 

panels, ceiling panels, cargo hold panels 

and cockpit doors, as well as all panels in 

the lavatories. The interior will be completely 

produced by FACC and delivered to the 

Bombardier Aerospace Completion Center 

in Tucson, Arizona, for integration into the 

aircraft fuselage. 

The components are made of fiberglass in a 

sandwich construction, and customers will 

be able to choose from different materials 

for the interior. 

The new interior lining of the Bombardier 

Learjet incorporates modern design lines 

with ergonomic cabin elements and offers 

the passengers maximum comfort. Open 

and soft surfaces with sophisticated lighting 

and functional details are characteristic. The 

cabin lighting sets new benchmarks and is 

cleverly integrated into the cabin layout. 

Savings Through 

Automated Production 

Bombardier and FACC intend to integrate 

automated production technologies. Where 

in the past the processing and 

assembly of the components was 

exclusively done manually, an 

automated production and as a 

consequence a substantially 

more efficient assembly will be 

implemented using CAD/CAM 

(CATIA), offering the potential of 

significant cost savings for aircraft 

interior producers. 

FACC carried out the integration of 

the new interiors in extremely 

short time, starting Learjet 45XR 

interior deliveries in October 

2002. The first deliveries for 

interiors of the Learjet 40 will 

take place shortly. For this aircraft, 

the focus has been on optimizing 

the fitting between the fuselage 

and the interior, which should 

produce a minimal gap between 

the panels. This should eliminate 

the need for prework during the 

aircraft assembly. During this phase of the 

project, close cooperation between 

Bombardier’s Belfast facility, where the 

fuselage is manufactured, Bombardier’s 

Tucson completion center, and FACC will 

take place. Bombardier and FACC employees 

will work together in Tucson, Arizona on 

analyzing, optimizing and putting the 

concept into action. 

This new contract marks FACC´s entrance 

into the market segment for interiors for 

business jets. By implementing its well-known 

strengths - extensive engineering competence 

and modern production technologies - 

FACC intends to continually expand into this 

market segment. 



The Future Is On The Wing: 

New Winglets For Boeing Aircraft 

Aviation Partner Boeing, a small American company located in Seattle, has developed a new 

winglet technology that promises significant performance advantages. The B737 aircraft 

and all Boeing Business Jets will be fitted with the Blended Winglets. FACC has been 

chosen to manufacture these new wingtips. 

At the Farnborough Airshow Aviation 

Partners Boeing and FACC signed a contract 

for the manufacture of the new Blended 

Winglets for Boeing airplanes. FACC is 

responsible for the manufacture of the 

composite winglets for the new generation 

of B737 aircraft, the B737-700 and B737-800 

and for all Boeing Business Jets. The 

contract is worth approx. 17 mil. US$ to FACC. 

FACC will deliver the first new Blended 

Winglets in December 2002, either to 

Aviation Partners Boeing in Seattle for 

installation in a new Boeing aircraft or directly 

to the airline customer for retrofit in existing 

in-service B737-700 or -800. 

Aviation Partners Boeing (APB), a joint-venture 

company of The Boeing Co. and Aviation 

Partners Inc. located at Seattle, is a new 

customer of FACC. The company is responsible 

for developing and marketing the new 

Blended Winglet Technology for Boeing 

Commercial Aircraft. 


8 

Using Nature as a Model: 

New Blended Winglet 

Technology 

By developing the new Blended Winglet 

Technology, Aviation Partners Boeing has 

brought a product on the market that not 

only revolutionizes aerodynamic performance 

and saves fuel, but also takes a giant step 

towards eco-friendliness. 

Winglets, shaped in the form of a bird´s 

wing, are components which are mounted 

on the wingtips and thus lengthen the wings. 

As opposed to the conventional winglets 

that stand at a sharp angle to the wing, the 

new Blended Winglets gently curve up, as if 

they were part of the wing. 

Through this new technology, air vortex at 

the wingtips and drag are sharply reduced, 

producing higher aerodynamic efficiency, 

which in turn means lower operating costs. 

For a B737-800, fuel consumption is reduced 

by about 5%, which amounts to several 

hundred tons of fuel per aircraft per year.


The reduced carbon 

dioxide emissions - 1,900 tons 

less per aircraft per year - make 

this technology not only 

economically but also environmentally 

advantageous. 

Airplanes that are fitted with Blended 

Winglets fly higher and further than planes 

with conventional wingtips. A B737-800 has 

an increased range of about 300 kilometers 

and can reach an approximately 600 meter 

higher cruising altitude. 

In addition, takeoff performance is greatly 

improved. The winglets allow for a steeper 

climb 

a n d 

reduced 

runway time 

and this shortened 

takeoff phase 

results in a significantly 

lowered noise level 

during this stage. 

Until now larger passenger planes could 

either not land at all at smaller airports, or 

only with a limited number of passengers. 

In the future, a B737-800 that is fitted with 

Blended Winglets will be able to take off 

and land at smaller airports (e.g. on small 

Greek islands). 

Efficient Production thanks 

to New Processes 

FACC is responsible for the production of 

the composite components, as well as the 

assembly of the complete winglets and the 

installation of diverse lights. For this, highquality 

components of titanium, aluminum 

and similar 

materials are 

used. 

The individual prepreg 

layers and cores of the 

sophisticated composite skins 

are positioned on the tool surface 

by using laser technology, for which 

modern laser projection systems have 

been specially procured. This high-precision 

equipment allows for improved efficiency in 

production as well as improved accuracy in 

positioning. 

A new way was hit also in the material 

procurement of standard parts: in this context 

the production of winglets is a pilot project 

for the initial application of the Kanban process 

for component-related material at FACC. 

This new process brings with it, among 

other advantages, a considerable reduction 

of stock and a marked simplification of the 

procurement process. For the new Kanban 

process, keeping the bins for the needed 

standard parts filled is the responsibility of 

the supplier. By using a barcode reader 

directly at the bins, an FACC employee sees 

what supplies are required and orders online 

from the central store of the supplier. The 

supplies can then be delivered just-in-time. 

To the maintenance of stock only the given 

lot size of standard parts lies in stock. 

Intensive Cooperation 

between APB and FACC 

Beyond the production of new winglets for 

the Business Jets and B737s, a more 

intensive cooperation with APB is a possibility 

for FACC, in the form of manufacturing 

advanced winglets for other Boeing aircraft 

as well. In this co-operation FACC can bring 

in the constantly obtained experiences from 

the current project as well as their extensive 

knowledge with the development and 

manufacturing of other high-quality composite 

components for aircraft wings and support 

APB in the best way during their demand 

after best aerodynamics and flight 

performance during smallest environmental 

impact. 



When the Interiors Facility in Ort was opened 

in the summer of 2000, management 

decided to implement measures relating to 

the concept of lean production. Under the 

leadership of Fritz Hofwartner, production 

expert at FACC and General Manager, the 

Interiors team has since then successfully 

implemented a number of lean manufacturing 

concepts. The system of "drumbeat 

manufacturing” developed thereby 

supplied best results in practice and represents 

the basis for the introduction of lean manufacturing 

in the entire production area of 

FACC. 

Following an extreme growth period in the 

Structures plant in Ried it was decided in 

summer 2001 to examine the introduction 

of lean manufacturing in the context of a 

dissertation. "Fixed Leading Edges Boeing 

777" was chosen as the pilot project with 

the objective of developing and implementing 

a concept within the six months allocated 

for the dissertation, with the goal of 

achieving sustainable improvements in the 

following areas: 

● reduction of work in progress and 

finished goods 

● reduction of production cycle time and 

waiting time 

● increase of productivity 

● increased transparency in manufacturing 

● simplification of production planning 

and -monitoring 

● planning of equipment utilisation 

● quality and non conformities 

● swift reaction to deviations in the 

production flow. 

The improvements were to be achieved primarily 

through the usage of the "lean production" 

tools, the objectives of which can 

best be illustrated through the following 

terms: 


Steps 

Towards Lean Production 

Consolidation offers a chance to introduce substantial and sustainable improvements in 

the production process. Implementation and results of Daniel Gattinger´s practice 

oriented dissertation. 

5 Zeros 

● zero paper (not 100% computerization 

but simple and clear procedures) 

● zero stock (minimal batch sizes and 

amounts of stock) 

● zero breakdown time 

● zero scrap 

● zero waiting time 

Avoiding 7 types 

of waste 

● waste by overproduction 

● waste by waiting time 

● waste by transport 

● waste by the production process 

● waste by large inventory 

● waste by motion 

● waste by faulty manufacturing 

The fleXman logo, for flexible manufacture 

was created as the central term for the 

project and to generate its own Corporate 

Identity. 

In the course of a situation analysis of the 

status quo, the parts spectrum and the 

ordering practice of the customer, it became 

clear that the solution should be found in a 

a special type of serial production. As opposed 

to serial production in the automotive 

industry, the aircraft manufacturing industry 

needs to operate with the actual batch size 1, 

due to very small quantities. The complexity 

of the parts spectrum in the pilot project 

called for a specific solution to achieve the 

objectives: 

● 4 configurations with 7 product groups, 

each ordered in non-cycling intervals 

● consisting of a total of 167 single parts 

of different dimensions and shapes 

● 2 different autoclave cycles within the 

product groups. 

The considerations led to a system of fixedcycle 

production with a daily output linked 

to customer needs and a "pull system” 

from production step to production step in 

a timed cycle similar to a timetable. The 

"pull-system" should be steered by customer 

order requirements. The daily production 

varies in geometry and quantity depending 

on customer orders, respectively parameters 

mandated by production like efficient 

use of facilities and human resources. 

Starting from specific product and customer 

requirements, the system was developed in 

ten detailed steps. 

How does 

fleXman work? 

Production planning puts together clearly 

defined daily output packages based on the 

ordered product groups. The result is a clear 

production plan for that particular day as 

well as the scheduling of the necessary 

autoclave programs. 

After curing and debagging, the components 

manufactured in the cleanroom are 

placed on a special trolley (called KANBAN 

at FACC) and cycled through the production 

steps. This cycle is pre-defined with fixed 

time windows and hand-over points. A clear 

illustration of the procedure on each 

KANBAN and additional control signals 

provide an exact and well-defined process. 

Additionally, the data of all components can 

be traced in the ERP system, which offers a 

significant advantage to the fine-tuning of 

personnel and production planning, especially 

since all facilities are also used for the 

manufacture of other products.


In April of 2002, production switched over 

to the new system and instantly achieved a 

stable production routine. One of the 

success factors was the integration of 

responsible production employees already 

at the stage of concept development and 

thus the position to eliminate potential problem 

areas right there and then, e.g. during 

the coordination meetings fixed production 

windows for jointly-used facilities were 

defined or training programs for cleanroom 

workers were set up to enable them to 

produce any component of the product 

range at any time. 

Results (after 7 months) 

GOAL START ACT. DIF. 

Production cycle time (working days) 6 19 6 68% 

Internal delivery performance 

(finished to plan date) 

100% 4% 96% 92% 

Customer delivery performance 100% 

(delivery to plan date) 

80% 100% 20% 

WIP/monthly turnover 30% 44% 14% 68% 

Productivity (average 

without process changes) 

100% 80% 108% 28% 

➔ ➔ 

➔ ➔ ➔ 

After seven months of field application, the 

results clearly show that the objectives have 

been achieved. As a side effect, apart from 

cutting costs there is a very high degree of 

satisfaction among employees due to the 

fact that the transparency of the daily routine 

leaves room for quick reactions to disturbances 

and allows for continous improvements. 

"Tying in my college studies of mechatronics 

and business plus elective production 

technique at the "Fachhochschule 

Wels” with my job yielded essential 

impulses for the design of the lean production 

line. My dissertation did not 

merely aim to be a theoretical study of a 

production-related project but also the 

practical application of the ideas at FACC. 

Based on the practical experience with 

lean production gathered beforehand at 

the FACC facility in Ort and thanks to the 

support given by the team around 

Friedrich Hofwartner the project turned 

out very sucessfully. One priority in my 

new area of responsibility at the Ort facility 

will be the further enhancement and 

qualitative fine-tuning of lean production 

methods." 

Daniel Gattinger 

Designate General Manager 

Interiors 

Both of FACC's general 

managers are exceptionally 

satisfied with the 

results of the pilot project. 

The next step is the 

implementation in all 

areas in both facilities. 

"When we undertook the first steps 

towards lean production in the fall of 

2000 it became obvious that the 

employees involved in the process 

definitely welcomed the method because 

of its clear structure of both the targets 

and the processes of the individual production 

steps. This observation and the 

fact that massive savings and a high 

degree of efficiency could be achieved 

have become the driver in our intention 

to switch over to lean production in the 

entire production area at the FACC 

Structures facility in Ried." 

Friedrich Hofwartner 

General Manager Structures 




"A Pike in a Fishpond" 

FACC’s Development Design Office Is Continuing 

On Its Road To Success 

FACC has not regretted its decision: creating FACC Engineering Solutions, a small 

but effective development and design engineering team, which started up in 

May 2001 with offices in Ried and Vienna, has been praised as a technological 

spearhead in the hotly contested aviation market. The present expansion of the 

team confirms its success. 

CUSTOMER 

When the decision was made in October 

2000 to found "FACC Engineering 

Solutions", or FES, no one could have 

foreseen its rapid development and the great 

significance it would have for the company as 

a whole. The decision went hand in hand 

with an organizational restructuring in the 

company and the creation of two new 

divisions, the Interiors and the Structures 

Divisions. 

The central idea in founding FES as 

FACC´s central development division, 

was to concentrate the engineering knowhow 

and to co-ordinate practical experience 

from within the company to provide custommade 

development concepts for both divisions. 

Since then, FES has developed into an 

indispensable element of FACC's technological 

competence marketing. It has been a 

major force in landing new development 

contracts in spite of the turbulent times the 

aviation industry is going through. 

Hermann Filsegger, Director of Engineering 

and head of FES, has this to say: "What 

sets FES significantly apart from the 

other engineering teams has been 

repeatedly confirmed by our customers 

themselves: a high degree of commitment 

coupled with great flexibility, dedication to 

the projects and a willingness to question, 

change and further improve seemingly 

adequate things. Besides, it is fun to be a 

pike in the fishpond." 

12 6 

FACC Structures FACC Interiors 

Providing technically and economically 

mature concepts as answers to the problems 

of our aviation customers guarantees 

FACC an aggressive market entry and access 

position, and supports FACC´s strategy of 

proving itself as a "Supply Chain Partner" for 

aircraft and engine manufacturers. 

Trade studies relate design and production 

concepts to economic conditions to achieve 

the perfect balance between design and 

affordability. They are imperative nowadays 

for the acquisition phase of complex aircraft 

structures. In addition to setting up numerous 

technical trade studies, the FES designers 

and stress engineers work together with 

FACC´s own R&D team, and are in charge of 

FES 

"FACC Engineering Solutions" 

FACC development projects for both the 

Interior and Structures Divisions, from initial 

design all the way up to serial production. 

So its only logical that FES leaves its mark 

right at the customer's location all over the 

world. Not only is FES active in the bidding 

phase as technical support for our sales 

divisions, but provides technical support as 

well during "co-location" or "joint definition" 

phases directly at our customers´ locations - 

sometimes for months at a time - in order 

to coordinate the first development ideas 

and concepts with the customers.


The following are some successful 

examples from the current year that 

briefly outline the tasks of FES: 

● Technical support of sales activities of 

both divisions 

● Conceptual design of wing spoilers for 

Airbus A380 

● Conceptual design of flap tracks for 

Airbus A380 

● Concept study of the Canard (complete 

horizontal stabilizer) for Boeing’s Sonic 

Cruiser 

● Conceptual design of light, integral 

Vertical Tail Plane Ribs for Airbus A380 

● Development of flap track fairings for 

Airbus A380 

● Development of Engine Inlet Barrels 

for RR TRENT 900 and GP 7200 

(Airbus A380 engines) 

● Development of rotating RTM components 

in an Rolls Royce engine 

● Conceptual design of a kinematicsystem 

of overhead bins for Airbus 

A380 interiors 

● Design study and Conceptual design of 

a complete passenger cabin interior for 

a narrow-body airplane 

At work for our customers: 

Hermann Filsegger (m.), Director Engineering and Head of FES and the engineering 

specialists Karl Heinz Grünsteidl/FES (1.f.l.), Philipp Seitl/Werk Structures (2.f.l.), Roland 

Zeillinger/FES (2.f.r.) und Kurt Pieringer/Werk Structures (1.f.r.) 

● Conceptual design of interior components 

for Airbus A380 

● Setting up and analyzing data for aircraft 

structural repair manuals 

● Stress Engineering services for the 

engineering units of both FACC divisions 

In order to continue the successful path of 

FES in the coming years and to keep pace 

with the requirements of the market, a 

further expansion of the teams in Ried and 

Vienna is underway, as well as additions of 

new office space. 

These measures will allow FACC to take on 

the challenges of the future "as swiftly and 

agilely as a pike", assure its technological 

and innovative leadership position, and in 

the long run take an important lead in 

worldwide competition, however tough it 

may get. 

"Design to Cost and Manufacture", 

placing great emphasis on cost efficiency 

in manufacturing in addition to the 

actual design of a part, is an essential 

element of component and systems 

development. Engineering offices are 

sprouting up everywhere, but FES sets 

itself apart in that it can rely on the background 

and know-how of FACC's production 

facilities in order to be able to 

offer custom-made solutions, especially 

in the area of composite technology.” 

Manfred Neuböck 

Chief Operating Officer (COO) 



Fan Cowls For Gulfstream GIV 

Transfer Of The Project Is In Full Gear 

In July 2002 Vought Aircraft Industries Inc. selected FACC to produce fan cowls for the 

Gulfstream GIV and GIV-X. This was the beginning of the successful program-transfer 

from Hexcel over to FACC. 

Vought Aircraft Industries 

Inc., an US aviation supplier 

headquartered in 

Dallas, placed the 

order for the production 

of fan cowls for 

the Gulfstream GIV at 

FACC. According to 

the contract, FACC will 

equip 300 Gulfstream 

GIVs with fan cowls in 

the coming years. 

The Gulfstream GIV is a 

business jet that has been in 

service since 1985 and can accommodate 

up to 19 passengers. There is a 

choice of two Rolls-Royce engines to power 

the jet: the Tay 611 engine for the GIV and 

the Tay 611-810 for the GIV-X. Vought 

Aircraft Industries Inc. designed and builds 

the engine nacelles and thrust reversers for 

both engines. Originally, Vought contracted 

the US company Hexcel-Structures to produce 

the fan cowls. But Hexel will now be 

withdrawing from the contract and FACC will 

contract to take over transfer and production 

of the same cowls. 

Transfer Of The Program 

Is In Full Gear 

There is only a short period of five months 

between the contract award in July to the 

delivery of the first article parts in December 

2002: A pretty tight schedule, but thoroughly 

realistic due to the extensive experience of 

FACC's team with numerous project transfers 

in the past. The intensive and well-functioning 

cooperation among the three companies 

involved - Vought, Hexel and FACC - contribute 

greatly to the success of the undertaking. 

Roland Machold, the project leader for 

FACC, says, " When a project is transferred, 

the customer should not notice any change 

in delivery dates. Only that the components 

are of a better quality. Because of the 

takeoff 14 

product volume and the 

technical complexity, Hexel 

carries co-responsibility from 

the technical coordination 

up to the acceptance of the 

first article parts." 

A shipset of fan cowls 

consists of six individual 

components: one upper, 

one lower and one fixed 

door per engine. The development of the 

fan cowls for GIV / Tay 611 has already 

been completed. After extensive project 

implementation steps, the components are 

ready to go into serial production at FACC in 

January of 2003. 

FACC is planning essential improvements in 

the production methods of the fan cowls for 

the GIV-X. For this purpose, FACC has taken 

on partial responsibility for the development 

of the tool fabrication and the automation 

of several production processes. In the 

course of the development phase, FACC will 

design a 3D model of the component to be 

used as a basis for the automation of the 

milling of the honeycomb core and the 

cured component on the NC machine. The 

lay-up process will be substantially accelerated 

by the use of laser tracking system. Based 

on the changes made in the production of 

the GIV-X, also the milling and lay-up processes 

for the fan cowls for GIV, which will 

have been done manually up to that point, 

will be automated. The object of this is to 

achieve a higher grade of automation and 

improved quality of these components, and 

above all substantial savings of costs and 

time. 

Outstanding Auditing 

Results: "Gold Level" 

Vought Aricraft Industries Inc. has been a 

customer of FACC since 1998. There was a 

successful initial auditing which established 

FACC as a subsupplier, and Vought now 

performs annual audits. The result of the 

most recent audit was very gratifying: FACC 

met the criteria of the audit 100% and 

reached the "Gold Level" classification.


The Village of Christkindl near Steyr: 

Austria´s Christmas post office - 

known and loved around the world 

Upper Austria´s Steyr is a lovely old industrial and trade 

town. The main square is always worth a visit, but 

especially in Advent. 

Just like in many other towns in all of 

Austria, many events, readings and concerts 

are held there to mark the time before 

Christmas. A must for those who come to 

Steyr during Advent is a visit of the charming 

little village near Steyr with the unusual 

name of "Christkindl", which means 

"Christ Child". The name is derived from a 

miracle worked by a small waxfigure of the 

Christ Child. According to Austrian tradition, 

the "Christkindl" brings Christmas presents 

to children. 

A second, more recent reason made the pilgrimage 

village famous, however: a post 

office. In 1950 the name Christkindl inspired 

the opening of a special Christmas post 

office. And ever since, Christmas mail is 

postmarked there with a special Christmas 

motive and sent all over the world. 

Christmas Mail: A New 

Record Every Year 

Christmas of 1950 saw 42,000 pieces of 

mail going through the special post office - 

a rather modest beginning. At that time no 

one could have guessed what a world-wide 

success it would become. Since 1951 this 

special branch of the Austrian Postal Service 

is open from the beginning of Advent until 

January 6. Already in the second year the 

Christkindl post office handled mail from 

foreign countries, and in no time Christmas 

greetings from Austria became an 

international postal specialty. The number 

of pieces of mail passing through Christkindl 

increases annually. In the last 50 years 

around 72 million pieces were postmarked 

in the "heavenly workshop" of the post 

office. In each of the past 10 years over 2 

million pieces were handled, about the half 

of which was from abroad. 

Collectors Items 

for Philatelists 

Christmas stamps, special postmarks and 

postmarks from the first-day cover on the 

opening day of the special post office are 

coveted collectors items for international 

philatelists. 2002 will see an important 

premiere: for the first time the 

Christmas stamp will feature the new 

Euro currency. 

Christmas Greetings 

via Christkindl 

From time to time people complain that 

Santa Claus, originating in Scandinavia and 

brought to us through commercialism, is 

slowly replacing people´s belief in the Christ 

Child. But at least in this Upper Austrian 

pilgrimage village the world of the Christ 

Child and the sparkling eyes of children will 

prevail forever. 

Would you like to send Christmas 

greetings from the Christ Child? 

Then visit the Christkindl post office 

at www.christkindl.at 


From Vision 

to Reality 

FACC 

FISCHER ADVANCED COMPOSITE COMPONENTS AG 

A-4910 Ried/Austria, Fischerstraße 9, P.O.Box 192 

Tel. +43/7752/616-0, Fax +43/7752/616-352 

www.facc.co.at, e-mail: info@facc.co.at

"take off" - Issue 12 - FACC

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