Putting a face with a name

One of our major customers becomes more than just a name to an Operations employee still impacted by visit to France.

By Anne Wiskerchen

For the past 35 years, Rockwell Collins Quality Auditor Cheryl Clark has been working hard to help our company produce flawless products and meet delivery deadlines. She also has spent time helping to rid our equipment of any defects prior to entering production in our Cedar Rapids, Iowa, facility.

Almost as important as making sure that Rockwell Collins products are made with optimum quality are Clark's efforts to build strong relationships with industry colleagues and key customers such as Airbus.

Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America Holdings, Inc., (right) presents Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones with a matted and framed photograph of the A380.
Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene, LLC.

In December 2005, Clark joined other union representatives from across the United States on a trip to Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, France. During this company-sponsored educational journey, she toured the campus and met with several Airbus employees.

"I couldn't believe the sheer size of their factory," said Clark. "We were able to see the A380 being built and the landing gears being made at the local Goodrich plant. It helped me understand exactly where the parts that we produce end up. It also put a face with our customer."

Most Rockwell Collins employees aren't fortunate enough to have an opportunity to travel to Airbus. However, the millions of other interactions we have with our customers on a daily basis are exactly how we help our company deliver on our brand promise — building trust every day.

"You don't start doing business with someone overnight," said Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Clay Jones during a recent Airbus event at our company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids. "You have to start a relationship and demonstrate our commitment to reliability, quality and customer support."

A top-rated supplier

Founded 35 years ago, Airbus is a subsidiary of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) Company. Headquartered in Toulouse, the aircraft manufacturer produces 14 different aircraft types and employs about 55,000 people in 14 facilities located around the world.

Although our company's relationship with Airbus can be traced back to its founding, major progress has been made during the past 10 years toward solidifying that relationship.

"Our companies have a long history together," said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America Holdings, Inc., during a recent visit to Rockwell Collins headquarters. "Together, we have created innovative aircraft that have served our customers well."

In addition to several new program wins and potential business opportunities, Rockwell Collins' relationship with Airbus became even more evident when Airbus leaders presented our company with its number one external supplier award for our avionics expertise. This is the second time in the past three years our company has received this honor.

Rockwell Collins placed third behind two Airbus internal suppliers in a rank of 42 companies from around the world that supply the aircraft manufacturer with equipment. This is the fourth consecutive year our company has been listed among Airbus' Top 10 suppliers. In addition, Rockwell Collins is the only company based in the United States to finish in the Top 10.

"This is such an important award because it truly is a team effort and our employees are working hard day in and day out," said Jan Timmers, managing director of Airbus Programs at Rockwell Collins in France. "This recognition indicates how our company is perceived and it's something everyone should be very proud of."

According to Kelly Ortberg, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Commercial Systems at Rockwell Collins, our role as a subsystem integrator on what has been referred to as the world's biggest passenger airplane – the A380 – is a special milestone.

"We are not only providing communication and navigation equipment on the A380, Airbus also has asked our company to develop a solution for reducing the amount of Ethernet wiring on the plane," said Ortberg. "This has been no easy task on an airplane with a wingspan larger than the length of an American football field."

Referred to as AFDX, our solution is a key module in the aircraft's Ethernet network and provides the communications infrastructure to connect aircraft systems including displays, radios and navigation sensors.

"Many of the products we provide are safety critical, so we need to make sure all of our products are secure," said Ortberg.

He also applauded the efforts of the core team of employees who are spread around the world and have worked tirelessly on this program.

"I know there were months of early morning meetings and personal dedication that have gone into the design, development and production of our equipment for this historic plane," said Ortberg. "Today, the A380 is flying flawlessly, and that is a great testament to you and the products that we are delivering."

A growing relationship

According to Jones, it is through our company's performance on the A380 that we have earned the confidence of Airbus. He believes we need to build on this foundation of trust as we seek to grow our relationship.

As for Clark, she had an opportunity to reconnect with many of the Airbus team members she met while abroad during McArtor's recent visit to Cedar Rapids.

"It was fun to see some familiar faces," said Clark, who hopes more of her colleagues get an opportunity in the future to meet our customers. "Seeing how the products that are made by our company fit into the actual airplane is incredible. It really gives you a sense of pride in your work."

Volume 12 Issue 3 > Delivering on our brand promise > Putting a face with a name
Volume 12 Issue 3 Deeply rooted in our heritage Delivering on our brand promise Putting a face with a name Feeding our economic engine One big, happy family Committed to customer support From Clay Jones Executive Profile - Kelly Ortberg Our heritage Letters to the editor Contributors in this issue Across our company Service anniversaries Retirees In memoriam Facility spotlight		Putting a face with a name One of our major customers becomes more than just a name to an Operations employee still impacted by visit to France. By Anne Wiskerchen For the past 35 years, Rockwell Collins Quality Auditor Cheryl Clark has been working hard to help our company produce flawless products and meet delivery deadlines. She also has spent time helping to rid our equipment of any defects prior to entering production in our Cedar Rapids, Iowa, facility. Almost as important as making sure that Rockwell Collins products are made with optimum quality are Clark's efforts to build strong relationships with industry colleagues and key customers such as Airbus. Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America Holdings, Inc., (right) presents Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and CEO Clay Jones with a matted and framed photograph of the A380. Photo by Paul Marlow, The Creative Gene, LLC. In December 2005, Clark joined other union representatives from across the United States on a trip to Airbus' headquarters in Toulouse, France. During this company-sponsored educational journey, she toured the campus and met with several Airbus employees. "I couldn't believe the sheer size of their factory," said Clark. "We were able to see the A380 being built and the landing gears being made at the local Goodrich plant. It helped me understand exactly where the parts that we produce end up. It also put a face with our customer." Most Rockwell Collins employees aren't fortunate enough to have an opportunity to travel to Airbus. However, the millions of other interactions we have with our customers on a daily basis are exactly how we help our company deliver on our brand promise — building trust every day. "You don't start doing business with someone overnight," said Rockwell Collins Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer Clay Jones during a recent Airbus event at our company's headquarters in Cedar Rapids. "You have to start a relationship and demonstrate our commitment to reliability, quality and customer support." A top-rated supplier Founded 35 years ago, Airbus is a subsidiary of European Aeronautic Defence and Space (EADS) Company. Headquartered in Toulouse, the aircraft manufacturer produces 14 different aircraft types and employs about 55,000 people in 14 facilities located around the world. Although our company's relationship with Airbus can be traced back to its founding, major progress has been made during the past 10 years toward solidifying that relationship. "Our companies have a long history together," said Allan McArtor, chairman of Airbus North America Holdings, Inc., during a recent visit to Rockwell Collins headquarters. "Together, we have created innovative aircraft that have served our customers well." In addition to several new program wins and potential business opportunities, Rockwell Collins' relationship with Airbus became even more evident when Airbus leaders presented our company with its number one external supplier award for our avionics expertise. This is the second time in the past three years our company has received this honor. Rockwell Collins placed third behind two Airbus internal suppliers in a rank of 42 companies from around the world that supply the aircraft manufacturer with equipment. This is the fourth consecutive year our company has been listed among Airbus' Top 10 suppliers. In addition, Rockwell Collins is the only company based in the United States to finish in the Top 10. "This is such an important award because it truly is a team effort and our employees are working hard day in and day out," said Jan Timmers, managing director of Airbus Programs at Rockwell Collins in France. "This recognition indicates how our company is perceived and it's something everyone should be very proud of." According to Kelly Ortberg, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Commercial Systems at Rockwell Collins, our role as a subsystem integrator on what has been referred to as the world's biggest passenger airplane – the A380 – is a special milestone. "We are not only providing communication and navigation equipment on the A380, Airbus also has asked our company to develop a solution for reducing the amount of Ethernet wiring on the plane," said Ortberg. "This has been no easy task on an airplane with a wingspan larger than the length of an American football field." Referred to as AFDX, our solution is a key module in the aircraft's Ethernet network and provides the communications infrastructure to connect aircraft systems including displays, radios and navigation sensors. "Many of the products we provide are safety critical, so we need to make sure all of our products are secure," said Ortberg. He also applauded the efforts of the core team of employees who are spread around the world and have worked tirelessly on this program. "I know there were months of early morning meetings and personal dedication that have gone into the design, development and production of our equipment for this historic plane," said Ortberg. "Today, the A380 is flying flawlessly, and that is a great testament to you and the products that we are delivering." A growing relationship According to Jones, it is through our company's performance on the A380 that we have earned the confidence of Airbus. He believes we need to build on this foundation of trust as we seek to grow our relationship. As for Clark, she had an opportunity to reconnect with many of the Airbus team members she met while abroad during McArtor's recent visit to Cedar Rapids. "It was fun to see some familiar faces," said Clark, who hopes more of her colleagues get an opportunity in the future to meet our customers. "Seeing how the products that are made by our company fit into the actual airplane is incredible. It really gives you a sense of pride in your work."