Delivering on our brand promise

Can forming a positive relationship with key customers such as Airbus and Boeing really make a difference in the air transport marketplace?

By Jill Wojciechowski

At Rockwell Collins, a great deal of emphasis has been placed on one simple word – trust. It is inherent in our company's Vision to create the most trusted source of communication and aviation electronics solutions, and it's incorporated into everything our employees do on a daily basis.

Delivering on our brand promise – building trust every day – is something our employees take to heart. And if we want to see trust in action, we simply need to look at the relationships we are continuing to build with two of the world's largest manufacturers of commercial jetliners: Airbus and Boeing.

"Relationships are the foundation of our business success," said Jeff Standerski, vice president and general manager of Air Transport Systems at Rockwell Collins. "We provide quality products, technology, service and support, but the relationships we form with
our customers really are the foundation."

Maintaining relationships at Boeing

When Boeing announced development in December 2002 of the 787 Dreamliner – the company's first new jet design in 13 years – senior leaders at Rockwell Collins began to notice a shift in the air transport marketplace.

Instead of allowing airlines the option of selecting the equipment installed on each of their new airplanes, Boeing executives decided to outfit the 787 with standard equipment. This meant all equipment decisions including avionics would be made prior to the manufacturing of the airplane.

"We knew we had one chance to be part of this airplane development because the decisions were being made up front," said Standerski. "I believe the amount of content we won says a lot about our company and our reputation in the industry."

Rockwell Collins was ultimately awarded a significant portion of the airplane's avionics, including flat panel and head-up displays, communication and surveillance systems, and the core-network cabinet and pilot controls. In addition, our company – in cooperation with Smiths Aerospace – will provide the Ethernet switches and end systems that comprise the common data network for the aircraft.

Considered by many as one of the most significant Rockwell Collins victories in the past two decades, the potential value of the combined 787 awards is estimated to be $3.5 billion over the life of the program.

"Our success on the 787 program is definitely a result of the positive relationships our employees have formed with Boeing," said Greg Irmen, senior director of Boeing Programs at Rockwell Collins. "We won everything we wanted to win on the 787 and that was done in part because we were able to have open and honest conversations with our customer."

One of the individuals heavily involved in those key discussions was Technical Project Manager Tom Claps. Based at our facility in Bothell, Wash., Claps has been working on-site at the Boeing plant in Everett, Wash., for the past two years.

"We take our commitment to our customers very seriously and you can't do that effectively without being on-site with them," said Claps, chief engineer for avionics integration on the 787 program. "We're here to help them recognize upcoming roadblocks, address their concerns and provide solutions."

Shawn Ryan, who also is based in our Bothell facility, but works primarily onsite at Boeing in Everett, agrees. As Life Cycle Value Stream manager for the 787 program, he spends the majority of his day in meetings either with Boeing leaders or his Rockwell Collins colleagues who are based in various locations.

"Our goal is to raise the bar for execution and to be the best 787 supplier," said Ryan. "This airplane will forever change the airline and customer flight experience. It also will change the type of relationships developed between Boeing and its suppliers. Our entire company should be very proud of our involvement."

Building relationships at Airbus

About 7,000 miles away from Boeing's main production facility in Washington is another of the world's leading aircraft manufacturers – Airbus.

Headquartered in Toulouse, France, just minutes away from the Rockwell Collins facility also located there, Airbus introduced development of the A380 in 2001.

While the amount of standard equipment our company was awarded on this massive, double deck airplane is somewhat limited, the relationship we have formed with Airbus leaders has opened the door to future opportunities.

Not only does our company have communication and navigation systems, as well as key networking components on the A380, we also are in pursuit of several systems on Airbus' next new airplane – the A350.

"A period like this one where both Airbus and Boeing are introducing new widebody airplanes doesn't happen very often," said Luc Signargout, technical marketing manager for Airbus programs at Rockwell Collins in Toulouse. "That's why it's so important for us to build and maintain long-term relationships. The basic design engineers we meet today
will likely be the decision makers of tomorrow."

Designed to confront the challenges of high fuel prices, rising passenger expectations, and environmental concerns in its market segment, the A350 program provides Rockwell Collins with a chance to take our relationship with Airbus to the next level.

"If we want to play globally in the air transport marketplace, we need to create relationships at Airbus," said Didier Perrin, senior director of marketing at Rockwell Collins. "There are only two original equipment manufacturers in this world – Airbus and Boeing – and they're competing against one another; but that doesn't mean we can't help each of them succeed."

With first delivery of the Airbus A380 to Singapore Airlines less than six months away, and decisions regarding avionics content for the new A350 aircraft planned for this fall, employees at Rockwell Collins are working hard to support the A380's entry into service while also creating a winning strategy for the A350.

"Our company has made the necessary long-term investment by having a physical presence here in Toulouse," said Jan Timmers, managing director of Airbus Programs at Rockwell Collins. "Being in-country makes it much easier for us to identify the needs of our customer and help resolve their problems."

That commitment to deliver innovative solutions has not gone unnoticed by key Airbus executives.

"Building trusted relationships is beyond important – it's critical," said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America Holdings, Inc., during a recent visit to our company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. "There are a lot of companies out there who can build quality equipment, but not every company is there for you when you need to have something fixed or changed. We know we're going to get the attention we need from Rockwell Collins."

About the photos in this article's banner image

(Left): Rockwell Collins employees involved with the Boeing 787 program are raising the bar for execution. Pictured in the 787 eCab at Boeing's facility in Everett, Wash., are (standing, from left): Shawn Ryan and Tom Olsson; (seated, from left): Tom Claps and Dale Wolf. The eCab is a non-motion flight simulator used by Boeing for testing and training.
Photo by Ed Turner, The Boeing Company

(Right): Playing globally in the air transport marketplace means creating trusted relationships at Airbus. Rockwell Collins employees Luc Signargout (left), Jan Timmers (middle) and Didier Perrin work closely with Airbus employees in Toulouse, France, on a daily basis.
Photo by exm company P. Masclet / Copyright Airbus