Airbus' foreign assembly shows potential of cooperation

World
Europe

02:15

‍Most aircraft manufacturers assemble their planes at headquarters, and then fly the final products to their customers. But European company Airbus has flipped the script, by adopting a strategy of delivering components by ship for assembly overseas.

It may seem redundant for one vehicle to transport another, but here in Hamburg, aircraft manufacturer Airbus is sending some of its larger components to China by sea to be assembled by a local operation line.

“This is a strategy that Airbus is using to fulfill market demand for its product in China. On the one hand, the Chinese side will gain manufacturing skills. On the other hand, this shows Airbus's sincere commitment to industrial cooperation,” said Gao Tianxian, representative of Airbus Fal-Asia Transportation based in Hamburg.

Components of Airbus 320 is being loaded on a COSCO SHIPPING vessel in Hamburg. /CGTN Photo

The shipping process takes an entire month. Then the larger pieces are put together in Tianjin, which takes another 10 weeks before the plane is ready for delivery.

“This is really a model of cooperation, especially between Europe and China. Ten or 12 years ago when this project was on the table, it was the first time that Airbus company was thinking about assembling aircraft out of Europe,” said Ronan Oudot, Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Company's head of line operations.

Airbus is looking to improve its long-distance logistics even further. The company has made great strides over the past decade, like training up local talent to reach the high standard of skills required for such a large task.

Airbus's final assembly line in Tianjin is the company's first one outside of Europe. /CGTN Photo

Ten years on, the assembly line in Tianjin has delivered nearly 400 A320s. And the site's success has had a spillover effect on the broader aviation industry here in Tianjin.

“This high-tech project has boosted the local economy and have attracted more and more aviation industries setting up in this area,” said David Zheng, Airbus Tianjin Final Assembly Company's Deputy General Manager.

With the experience and lessons of the Tianjin site now under its belt, Airbus's other international assembly lines like this one has taken off.

(Video filmed by Li Jian and Gao Boyuan)