Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas has received the Performance Excellence Award for successful Lean Six Sigma implementation by the Texas Manufacturing Assistance Center (TMAC). On April 23, 2014, the award was presented to the aircraft seat supplier by US Congressman Michael C. Burgess in Fort Worth.
Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas was recognised for the Lean Six Sigma initiatives which improved operations at the US site. “Our mission is to be the best seat manufacturer from our customers’ perspective. This mission represents a clearly defined goal for all of our productions sites”, stated Dr Mark Hiller, CEO of Recaro Aircraft Seating and chairman and general manager of the US subsidiary. “An additional goal for the company’s plant in Fort Worth is to develop Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas to become the largest site in the Recaro network in terms of output.”
One of the most important steps in developing the US site was completed one year ago with doubling the production space from 108,000 to 248,000 square feet. The expansion became necessary following the company’s successful work and numerous large orders from airlines in North and South America. “Boosting our manufacturing capacity gives us the flexibility and strength we need to serve our customers in the Americas”, added Hiller.
In order to sustain growth and profitability, the team at Recaro Aircraft Seating Americas started Lean Six Sigma initiatives, which have helped the US site to efficiently grow and to meet the upcoming demand. “The initiatives had an immediate and positive impact on our operations. They led to improved efficiencies which prepared us for growth from 20,000 seat units produced per year to 40,000 seat units per year”, stated Hiller. “Bottom-up leadership has been another key to our success. We have developed a culture that consistently improves leadership and communication: Thanks to the regular exchange of information within the company, employees are able to implement their ideas and thus improve the organisation.”
