Eurocopter has inaugurated its new logistics platform at its industrial site in Marignane, France, marking the end of a two-year programme to re-engineer the Group's entire logistics chain and implement a flexible, high-performance tool.
"The investments made over the past two years to develop modern means will enable Eurocopter to reduce both logistics costs and delivery cycles, so that the company's assembly lines, customers and industrial partners will all be receiving their parts much faster," said the airframer.
The new logistics centre has 53,500m² (570,000ft²) of floor space and an inventory of more than 1.5 million spare parts.
In parallel, the industrial logistics chain was also reorganised, and the Marignane plant now manages all incoming flows and industrial logistics activities. Two automated warehouses have been set up, with a combined capacity to store 180,000 parts "a first in Europe", said Eurocopter.
Meanwhile, Chinese operator Sichuan Xilin Fengteng General Aviation is acquiring an EC120B and a EC135. The single and twine-engine aircraft will be used for photography, passenger transportation, fire-fighting, emergency medical services, and training when they enter service in the middle of next year.
Source: Flight International
