Aero Excellence International association is created to accelerate the industrial maturity and the ramp-up within international supply chains

Press release

British, German and French aerospace trade associations have signed the creation of Aero Excellence International association to improve operational excellence, sustainability and cybersecurity within the aerospace, defence and space supply chain.

The UK, German and French aerospace and defence trade associations are partnering to develop Aero Excellence  International and promote a common language on operational excellence.
The initiative is a dynamic, resilient approach to supply chain improvement across international borders, acknowledging supplier industrial maturity through a labeling system (bronze, silver, gold).
Aero Excellence International is designed to streamline evaluations and increase productivity – strengthening supply chains and supporting the aerospace, defence and space industries’ ramp-up.

Aviation Forum (Munich, 26 November 2024) – British, German and French aerospace trade associations today jointly signed the creation of Aero Excellence International association. The initiative is designed to improve supply chain resilience through a new and universal standard of operational excellence for the aerospace, defence and space community.

Fortifying their commitment to best-in-class supply chain improvements, Aero Excellence International is created by three leading national trade associations in Europe: ADS, which represents 1,400 organizations in the UK; GIFAS, which represents over 480 organizations in France; and BDLI, which represents over 260 in Germany. The joint association will remain open to further worldwide partners.

A comprehensive process for simplified and streamlined assessments

Aero Excellence™ is a standardised assessment of supply performance and maturity, improving the entire supply chain across borders. It fosters efficiency, productivity and therefore competitiveness.

Suppliers follow a pragmatic four-step approach which is decomposed in engagement, self-assessment, assessment and recognition ranked from bronze to gold. Companies set their own pace in terms of gaining industrial maturity. It includes criteria of Operational Excellence such as efficiency of production systems, supply chain management, quality and safety. In addition, it includes Environment and Cyber Security criteria.

A rapidly expanding initiative

The initiative is operational in France since January 2024, already involving more than 100 industrial sites. Worldwide, companies like Airbus and Safran have started deploying Aero Excellence™ evaluations through their supply chain in Morocco, USA, India, China.

A specific Aero Excellence International governance is in place starting from 2025 to support the deployment of Aero Excellence™ and validate potential agreements with other international organizations in the world.

Frédéric Parisot, CEO of GIFAS (French Aerospace industries association), said:

“Aero Excellence International is a synthesis of best practices and proven results in the shopfloor. As a single and universally recognized referential, it can be used as an “Operating System” by companies from all sizes, empowering them. It is a fantastic leverage to rapidly strengthen all the supply chain, and make it more robust and agile to face crisis.”

Kevin Craven, CEO of ADS Group (UK Aerospace, Defence, Security and Space industries association), said:

“Aero Excellence International focuses on operational excellence, sustainability and cybersecurity, which are increasingly relevant themes for industry. Resilience and efficiency in these areas is a vital part of our industries’ capacity to meet future challenges.

“In these important areas of operation, companies of all sizes across the supply chain will benefit from the support and assessment Aero Excellence International provides.”

Marie-Christine von Hahn, Principal Managing Director or BDLI (German Aerospace Industries Association), said:

“In times of increasing risks to the global supply chain and amidst the challenging ramp-up, our European industry has taken an important step today: Aero Excellence International will stabilise the supply chain by increasing transparency and collaboration. It will provide benefits for all participants – and can serve as an exemplary standard even beyond Europe.”