EADS North America and Airbus Americas seek stronger ties with U.S. Aerospace Suppliers
Companies to open joint U.S. Sourcing Office
Washington, DC, 19 November 2010
To further enhance the group’s procurement activities in the U.S. and strengthen their relationships with U.S. suppliers, EADS North America and Airbus Americas are setting up a joint U.S. Sourcing Office, based at Airbus Americas’ headquarters in Herndon, Virginia.
EADS and Airbus have already made a significant investment in their combined U.S. supplier base, spending over $11 billion annually in the U.S., while supporting more than 200,000 American jobs. Airbus procurement from U.S.- based suppliers currently represents over 40 percent of its total global aircraft-related purchases.
The new procurement office will facilitate closer contact with the group‘s existing supplier base as well as increasing their presence and facilitating new opportunities for additional procurement in the U.S. The team will be responsible for mapping out a U.S. sourcing strategy and implementing an active procurement marketing effort, as well as supplier screening, surveillance and development.
The office is part of the Global Sourcing Network, an EADS-wide organization dedicated to promote the globalization of the EADS procurement activities, with offices already open in China and India. The decision follows through on the EADS Vision 2020 to expand the group’s international footprint, gaining access to new markets and technology resources, as well as value-for-cost and multi-currency-based sourcing.
“This is a major step forward to enhance our procurement activities in the U.S. and be closer to the different players in the supply chain that form a critical part of our production process,” said Klaus Richter, Executive Vice President for the EADS Group Procurement. “U.S. suppliers are key partners on our commercial Airbus aircraft and numerous other projects and we plan on strengthening those ties, not only for existing contracts but also looking into the future,” he added. - 2 - Opening in January 2011, the office will be headed by David Williams, previously Head of Supply Chain & Quality Materials Procurement in the EADS-wide procurement team in Toulouse, France. Further expansion of the team is anticipated over the next year. He also will liaise with other divisions of the EADS group involved in procurement in the U.S.
About EADS:
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2009, the Group - comprising Airbus, Eurocopter, Astrium and Cassidian – generated revenues of 42.8 billion and employed a workforce of more than 119,000.
Note to editors:
Short biography of David Williams
David Williams has worked within the EADS group since 2001. He joined Airbus in the UK as Head of Procurement Quality and Supply Chain Management for the Airframe division, before moving to Airbus head-quarters in Toulouse to become the Head of Supply Chain Quality Methods and Projects. In this role Williams was responsible for the development and implementation of a harmonized suite of Supply Chain Quality procedures, processes and methods. He was also responsible for driving key improvement projects with regards to supply chain vision and risk management approaches in the procurement area. In 2006 he became the EADS Lead Buyer for Standard Parts, being responsible for developing and delivering strategy and the operational performance of the commodity, whilst also developing the Global Sourcing Strategy for the Airbus Materials Commodity. Williams negotiated long-term strategic contracts as well as implemented several new working processes with regards to the global supply chain. In 2009 he was appointed Head of Supply Chain & Quality Materials Procurement, implementing a major trans-national reorganization in this function to improve quality standards and delivery performance and contribute to overall supply chain cost efficiencies.
Before joining Airbus, Williams held various sourcing, supply chain and continuous improvement roles in two automotive first tier suppliers based in the United Kingdom, which included a period working in the U.S. Williams has a diploma in Mechanical Engineering, a BA in Business Studies and a MBA specializing in Lean Implementation.
Contact EADS:
Guy Hicks
Head of Communications EADS North America
Tel.: +1 7 03.2 36 33 46
Fax: +1 7 03.2 36 33 01
Maggie Bergsma
Tel.: + 1 703 834 35 54
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