Reports A Strong 2010 Despite Global Economy
Eurocopter said in a statement Monday that it generated an
increased turnover in 2010 with the delivery of 527 helicopters.
The year also was marked by achievements in innovation, new
products, services and the company’s SHAPE transformation
program – all of which position the group for a future
upturn of the civil and military rotary-wing marketplace.
The 2010 deliveries provided a turnover of 4.8 billion euros,
representing a growth of six percent compared to 2009. They
included 28 NH90 multi-role military helicopters and 15 Tiger
attack helicopters – twice as many as in 2009 for both
aircraft – as well as the first three of 50 EC725s for the
Brazilian Armed Forces and the 100th UH-72A delivered to the U.S.
Army on time and on budget.
Tiger Attack Helicopter
New orders for 346 Eurocopter rotary-wing aircraft last year
were equivalent to the company’s business volume of previous
years prior to the peak periods of 2007/2009, and represented a
value of 4.3 billion euros. These bookings included key Super Puma
family contracts for Malaysia and Mexico, along with strategic
Ecureuil orders in Russia and the United States. “While 2010
was another challenging year for our industry, we made solid
advancements that enable us to be well-placed for an expected
market recovery in 2012 and beyond,” Eurocopter President
& CEO Lutz Bertling said. “Our strengths for the future
will come from Eurocopter’s continually increasing investment
in the product range and industrial capabilities, the expansion of
our global footprint, along with major enhancements in our services
offering.”
Deliveries of new production helicopters accounted for 53
percent of Eurocopter’s 2010 consolidated turnover, while
support and services provided 36 percent of the total. The
remaining 11 percent was generated by development and other
activities. Services and export sales were key drivers in
Eurocopter’s 2010 bookings. Orders for new helicopters
represented 49 percent of the total, followed by the 42 percent
share for services, and nine percent for development and other
activities. The growing share of services bookings supports
Eurocopter’s Vision 2020, with the goal of further
strengthening its services business. The new helicopter order
shares were 51 percent civil and 49 percent military. Of the total
2010 bookings, 73 percent were for export sales, with the remaining
27 percent for Eurocopter’s domestic European markets.
Eurocopter X-3 Hybrid
Highlights in 2010 included the beginning of flight testing with
Eurocopter’s X3 high-speed helicopter demonstrator, which is
part of the company’s focus on innovation as a central
element in its business strategy. The X3 achieved its first
important milestone of reaching the speed of 180 knots only two
months after first flight. The second EC175 prototype’s
maiden flight also occurred last year, marking an important step in
this joint program with China. Flight testing also was initiated
for the CH-53GA helicopters being completely modernized by
Eurocopter for the German Army.
The framework of Eurocopter’s training and
support/services capabilities was strengthened in 2010 with such
developments as the creation of a new subsidiary in India, the
go-ahead for expanded maintenance services in China, the opening of
a new, enlarged facility in Singapore, the expansion of
Eurocopter’s Aviation Training Academy premises in Germany,
and the development of the new Eurocopter global logistics platform
in France.
The SHAPE transformation program, which Eurocopter implemented
early 2010 to counter the global economic downturn and respond to
the industry’s competitive challenges, already has delivered
results in terms of new product developments, enhanced customer
service, innovation, streamlined organization and cost savings -
with over $136 million achieved from the $273 million targeted by
the end of 2011. Additional benefits from the SHAPE program
are expected in 2011.
EC725
Eurocopter’s strategy for the next 12 months includes one
program development launch for the expansion and modernization of
its helicopter family, the first flight of a major product upgrade
and one new helicopter certification. The company’s
industrial capabilities will be broadened and strengthened with its
new rotarywing center of excellence for EC725 helicopters in
Brazil, the establishment of a joint venture to assemble EC145s in
Kazakhstan, along with the consolidation and improvement of
Eurocopter’s facilities in Europe. Eurocopter’s focus
on its services offer will range from the investment in full-flight
simulators and the addition of new certified training/maintenance
centers in the UK, Southeast Asia and Brazil to a planned further
expansion of global capabilities through partnership and
acquisition. An emphasis during 2011 will be on improving fleet
safety with smaller operators, as well as in markets where
Eurocopter is beginning to obtain a foothold.