FACC Leonardo: 950 guests celebrated the 2015 winning team

Ried im Innkreis, December 1, 2015 – Upper Austrian aviation supplier FACC awarded its FACC Leonardo for the second time on November 28. In front of around 950 guests at the Rieder Messehalle, the "Aerostructures Productivity" team took the innovation team award for outstanding performance in the company. The prize-winning team developed a best-practice tool for monitoring and controlling key production figures. During its three-year lifespan, the project has generated savings amounting to approximately 18 million euros.

Upper Austrian company FACC presented its internal innovation team award – the FACC Leonardo – for the first time last year. The initial spark was the wish to reward achievements within the company itself, in a similar way to the many accolades that FACC receives continuously. Following the resounding success of last year’s premiere, the FACC Leonardo was awarded for the second time on November 28, 2015. "FACC components can now be found in all modern commercial aircraft. Technology, quality, performance, output, respect, and team spirit are key attributes of the FACC culture, which have played a decisive role in the last 26 years in turning our company into one of the world’s leading suppliers of aircraft components," says FACC’s CEO, Walter A. Stephan. His fellow board member, Robert Machtlinger, established the link between corporate success and the award: ""This year too, thanks to the many submitted projects, the FACC Leonardo highlights the achievements of the crew in a very impressive manner. It’s especially important to us to draw attention to these achievements." And the concept of the FACC Leonardo has also received external recognition.

An award for the award
"Winning an external award for the concept of an internal award closes our circle of internal and external successes in such a charming way," according to the delighted Robert Machtlinger and Helmut Andexer, Vice President Human Resources. In mid-November, the company was rewarded for awarding the annual FACC Leonardo with the European Chance Communication Award in silver. A total of 21 teams entered the competition for the Leonardo itself this year. A jury selected the five finalists and these teams were presented at the Christmas party. In the end though, only one team could take the prize.

"Aerostructures Productivity" team wins FACC Leonardo 2015
The Aerostructures Productivity team emerged as the winner of the 2015 FACC Leonardo. The aim of this project was and is to develop and implement a best practice tool for controlling and monitoring key production figures. "In doing so, the project team developed a system that way overshot the original goal in a positive sense. To be precise, the tool can be used in any plant, regardless of project, cost center, or division, and contributes everywhere to optimizing our cost-effectiveness," Robert Machtlinger explains. The project has been running for three years now, during which time it has generated savings amounting to approximately 18 million euros. "The great thing is that these are not staff-related savings, but ones that apply exclusively to current important activities and projects. The focus of attention here is the smoothing of production and the balancing of resources across different teams. Everywhere where our tool is used, the original objectives have been exceeded in terms of productivity," explains Bernhard Buchmayer, who, together with his team, managed to win through in the final against strong competition. The other nominees for the final included the A320 Sharklet team for implementing a project setup in record time and the Red Bull Air Race Winglet team, which designed and produced a complete winglet for the Red Bull Air Race series in only six weeks. Another finalist was the Kaizen team, whose work to date in implementing more than 3,500 suggestions for improvement is much valued.

Apprentices raffle unique bar for a good purpose
FACC’s apprentices also made it to the final selection. As the "FACC Future Team", they were recognized for their perfect embodiment of the FACC value compass, their excellent performance in competitions, and for their social engagement, which they once again demonstrated at the Christmas party. The final-year apprentices designed and produced a bar made largely of carbon, which was raffled at the festive evening. Tickets for the draw were sold throughout the company in advance and the proceeds donated to the Innviertel Children’s Protection Center. Beforehand, FACC doubled the amount donated in support of children in need. In this manner, a total of 4,500 euros was raised in the company.

Company values as assessment criteria
All employees who played an active part in team achievements were eligible for the FACC Leonardo. Contestants had to define their projects according to this quartet of values: performance, output, respect, and team spirit. After the deadline for submissions, representatives from all divisions and departments assessed the projects according to these key company values and selected twelve semifinalists. A jury consisting of board members and managers selected the five finalists from this group and the five teams were presented at the FACC Christmas party. The crowning moment was when the FACC Leonardo was conferred to the winning team. The team will be immortalized with the trophy and has the honor of keeping it for one year before the award goes to the next winner in late 2016. Each member of the winning team received a miniature version of the trophy as a permanent keepsake.

About FACC
FACC AG is one of the world’s leading companies in the design, development and production of advanced fiber reinforced composite components and systems for the aviation industry. Their range of products reaches from structural components for the fuselage and wings to engine components to complete passenger cabins for commercial aircraft, business jets and helicopters. FACC is a supplier to all large aircraft manufacturers such as Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, Sukhoi, and COMAC as well as for engine manufacturers and sub-suppliers of manufacturers.

In the 2014/15 business year FACC achieved an annual turnover of 528.9 million euros. The company employs a staff of around 2,700 employees in Austria.

More information is available at www.facc.com