EADS N.V. - Eurocopter targets future growth in Asia and pursues its path from Product Support to Customer Services at Asian Aerospace 2009

For Eurocopter, the world’s leading helicopter manufacturer, the Asia-Pacific region is a strongly growing market with increasing needs for civil and parapublic helicopters. Today, Eurocopter holds 52% of this market in Asia with 1264 of its helicopters flying over the region. There are currently 6 Eurocopter subsidiaries and a Customer Service Centre in the region as well as a network of maintenance centres and distributors.

Eurocopter showcases two of its best-selling helicopters at this year’s Asian Aerospace: the medium twin-engine EC155 Dauphin and the heavy twin-engine EC225 helicopters.

The EC155 Dauphin is a multi-role twin-engine helicopter in the 5 ton class with a seating capacity of 12-13 passengers. Equipped with a roomy cabin, excellent visibility, high speed and long endurance capabilities as well as low noise and vibration levels, the EC155 is used in Asia for a wide variety of missions ranging from corporate and offshore transport to law enforcement operations. In Hong Kong, one of Eurocopter long-standing customers is none other than the Government Flying Service (GFS) in Hong Kong which has an extensive fleet of Dauphin EC155 helicopters.

The EC225 is a 11 ton multipurpose helicopter with a high transport capacity of up to 24 passengers. Featuring state-of-the-art equipment such as a 5-blade spheriflex rotor, an innovative piloting and display system, the EC225 helicopter is extensively used in Asia - as a reliable workhouse by offshore operators in China, Malaysia and Vietnam, as a life-saving tool in Search and Rescue missions in China, Japan and Korea and last but not least, as an extremely comfortable mode of transport for Head of States in Japan.

The EC155 and the EC225 helicopters are both popular helicopter models in the region: the Northern Service Flight Company (NSFC) in Vietnam has just received the delivery of the first of its 2 EC155B1 helicopter at Paris Airshow whilst the Ministry of Transport in China recently signed for 2 EC225 helicopters at end August.

In addition to a network of maintenance centres providing product support to its customers in Asia, Eurocopter reinforced its customer service portfolio on both regional and local levels this year.

On a regional level, Eurocopter inaugurated a Customer Service Centre (CSC) in Hong Kong in February this year, dedicated for Asia-Pacific customers. This is Eurocopter’s second CSC in the world, with the first being located in France for European customers and the third in the United States for its home customers (to be operational by the end of this year).

6 months after the opening of the CSC Asia-Pacific, the daily operations are running smoothly today (with the help of 8 professionals from our local partner “Helicopter CSC Limited”). They are now directly handling all kinds of urgent customer requests in the region, with the same tools and information systems as in France. These range from managing AOG (Aircraft on Ground) orders and queries, “PBH” (Parts by Hour) contracts to replying to customers’ technical queries. The CSC Asia-Pacific is supported locally by a logistics platform for spare parts thanks to which 99% of the order requirements are met with an on-time delivery.

On a local level, Eurocopter China has opened an office in Hong Kong in early June in order to increase proximity with its customers for sales and customer support activities. This adds on to its offices in Beijing, Shanghai and Shenzhen. Eurocopter has also recently increased its stakes from 21% - 34% in CGAMEC, an Eurocopter-approved maintenance company based in Shenzhen. Created in July 2001, CGAMEC is in-charge of helicopter Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) activities in China with 45 employees. Besides Eurocopter, the other 2 shareholders are Citic Offshore Helicopter Co Ltd (COHC) with 51% and Samwell Aviation with 15%.

Established in 1992, the Franco-German-Spanish Eurocopter Group is a Division of EADS, a world leader in aerospace, defence and related services. The Eurocopter Group employs approx. 15,600 people. In 2008, Eurocopter confirmed its position as the world’s No. 1 helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, with a turnover of 4.5 billion Euros, orders for 715 new helicopters, and a 53 percent market share in the civil and parapublic sectors. Overall, the Group’s products account for 30 percent of the total world helicopter fleet. Its strong worldwide presence is ensured by its 18 subsidiaries on five continents, along with a dense network of distributors, certified agents and maintenance centres. More than 10,000 Eurocopter helicopters are currently in service with over 2,800 customers in more than 140 countries. Eurocopter offers the largest civil and military helicopter range in the world.

Eurocopter targets future growth in Asia and pursues its path from Product Support to Customer Services at Asian Aerospace 2009

About Eurocopter

Börsenkurse