Analysis: First phase of A350 production

By Bjorn Fehrm

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Introduction

May 20, 2015, c. Leeham Co. The 27th Airbus A350 has started its journey in the Final Assembly Line (FAL) in Toulouse and one can do a first analysis of how the initial batch of A350s has fared on the final production line. For this purpose, we have been closely monitoring the through-flow times for each of the nine steps that constitute the final assembly of the A350.

Summary

  • Initial serial production was done without a dedicated station for post certification rework. This was introduced from the third production aircraft as station L70.
  • From initially spending up to four months in this station, the rework situation has improved fast.
  • FAL production times are now stabilizing and when rework is no longer needed the profile of a learning curve can be seen.

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