is in an ebullient mood. Embraer (Booth 5073) has had another incredible year with new product announcements and support offerings progressing pretty much on schedule. Both the Phenom 100 and the 300 are on display at the static park, with the 300 making its first appearance outside Brazil.
Certification of the 100 is expected imminently, though at the time of going to press Affonso remained tight-lipped as to an exact date: “We are very close to full certification, which will probably happen this month or next month. We are confident that we will meet all specification requirements.”
The 300 should be a crowd-puller. It made its first appearance at LABACE in Brazil this summer. Affonso says: “The aircraft is painted in our marketing colors and I think it is one of the most beautiful planes ever designed at Embraer. We flew it in April ahead of our projected mid-year first flight and have already flown the second plane.”
The Lineage 1000 is also due for certification and first delivery towards the end of the year, and the two new Embraer products, the midsize Legacy 500 and the mid-light Legacy 450 announced at EBACE are also progressing well. Affonso says: “We have selected the vast majority of suppliers and put together a good team.”
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Affonso is also pleased with the development of the support network to back up the new products. “We have recently opened two out of three new service centers in the US. The last one will be operational by the end of October.”
He pointed out that in 2005 when Embraer first announced its new focus on business aviation, the company announced a line up of new products with strong support to back them up. The manufacturer committed to having 45 centers by the end of 2008. Affonso says: “I am glad to say we have those centers and will have them open by the end of the year.”
He admits that developing the production and support program has been tough alongside the advent of five simultaneous new aircraft, four of which are clean sheet designs. He says: “The sales force was not in place in 2005, so it was a huge challenge.”
Embraer has said it will build between 120 -150 Phenoms next year. Affonso says that a combination of lean strategies, processes and supply chain means that the manufacturer will be able to meet this commitment. He adds: “Embraer is not a start –up. We will soon be a 40-year old company. We have lots of strength in terms of production, engineering, and manufacturing supply chains. We are also financially solid.”
The OEM will exhibit full-scale mock-ups of the Phenom 300 and Legacy 500, and a cabin cross-section of the Lineage 1000 at its booth, and the Legacy 600 and the two Phenom types on the static.
Source: Flight Daily News
