Teledyne CML Composites awarded A350 "Life Of Program" Airbus contract

Teledyne CML Composites announces the award of a contract with Airbus S.A.S. in Madrid for the "Life Of Program" supply of composite wing components & assemblies on the new A350 commercial airliner. The package includes a range of composite parts for both the already popular A350-900 and the new larger A350-1000 aircraft wings that are manufactured at Airbus's facility in Broughton, United Kingdom.

The A350 series is the World's most advanced commercial airliner with both fuselage and wing structures made primarily of carbon-fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP). The use of such advanced composite materials reduces the overall weight of the aircraft offering operators lower fuel burn, easier maintenance and increased resistance to corrosion.

With positive reviews from initial customers around the world and a mounting order backlog, Airbus is working to increase production and looking to their supply chain to support the increased demand.

General Manager, John Toner explained, "Our business is geared to meet the high volume requirements of a number of customers worldwide for whom we maintain a 100% on-time delivery record. Prior to the award of this work, we started engineering large numbers of components and assemblies and purchasing the necessary capital equipment months in advance to ensure a seamless in-load. We invested heavily in a new autoclave to allow us the capacity to meet the current build rates and planned ramp up".

"The decision to award the package to Teledyne CML Composites is a reflection of our proven track record to supply high volumes of quality composite parts that meet customer rate requirements," said Jan Hess, President of Teledyne Technologies' Engineered Systems Segment. "We are pleased to be working with Airbus and to be a part of their program to provide quality, dependable aircraft."

Once Airbus begins their production of these additional aircraft, Teledyne CML Composites will supply components for the life of the contract.