From A300 to A350: technical and organisational innovation trajectory of Airbus

Med Kechidi (1)

1 FRAMESPA - France, Amériques, Espagne – Sociétés, pouvoirs, acteurs

The aim of this paper is to show that Airbus's success can be attributed to two types of factors. First, each new aircraft model has produced a technological breakthrough in the design and manufacturing of aircraft. Secondly, Airbus's capacity to evolve their industrial organisation model in keeping with technological transformations. In this trajectory, modularization and outsourcing policies have played major roles. In particular they play a major role in the emergence of new actors the pivot-firms. These firms have a critical position in management of technical and organizational interfaces between the architect-integrator and the firms participating in the design and production of aircrafts.

Keywords: Airbus; industrial organization; innovation; modularization; outsourcing; pivot-firm; Aeronautics Industry

Domains: Business administration; History

Med Kechidi. From A300 to A350: technical and organisational innovation trajectory of Airbus. Nacelles, Passé et présent de l'éaéronautique et du spatal / Past and present of aeronautics & space, In press. ⟨hal-02025656⟩