Expansion of the Airbus program to the model A 380 and the planned subassembly of large-capacity aircraft in Hamburg gave lasting strength to Germany as a location of aircraft construction. On behalf of Airbus Germany Ltd., the MTM Organization in 1996 planned the complete assembly of fuselage forms, various production alternatives and production costs for a new type of aircraft. The findings went into a detailed design in which international airlines began taking an active interest. The decision to build the largest commercial aircraft in the world with 555 seats was made.
Since the start of the Airbus program in December of 2000, the MTM Organization has been involved in the detail development, construction, preparation and production. With the entire GPS inventory, the structure and equipping elements of the A 380 are being improved according to the Design for Manufacturing and Assembly concepts, and an optimized material and work organization is being developed. Even before production, simulation and evaluation of the processes summarize the planning of production plants that are actually needed, thereby avoiding erroneous investments.
In Hamburg there are also the final assembly of the models A 318, A 319 and A 321. The “smaller siblings” of the Super-Airbus A 380 are delivered in sections from Toulouse, France. MTM contributed valuable preparation. All assembly work processes are optimized before assembly begins.

MTM is being used for the development and construction of assembly-friendly solutions for the new Airbus A 380.
What is the background leading to the introduction of MTM?
Airbus Germany Ltd. has been working for about two years now with MTM. The introduction of MTM began in 1980 while the business was being aligned from factory production to industrial production. Since that time we’ve been using all of the MTM tools. Prokon has been used within the framework of developing the A 380 since 2000. And quite successfully.
Was the decision to integrate MTM a company decision?
Yes, we had a free hand, there. The decision to introduce MTM was made by the management of Airbus Germany Ltd. And use of MTM is not just limited to the location in Hamburg. Today, MTM is used in all German Airbus factories.
What effect does MTM have on designing work processes?
MTM has helped us to succeed in creating transparent work processes. That is the cornerstone for continuous improvement of production processes. Connected to that is a noticeable increase in productivity.
How has the instrument Prokon influenced the design of Airbus A 380?
We have only now started using Prokon. But the feedback from the Prokon teams, consisting of staff from construction and production as well as specialists from the MTM Organization, indicates a very positive start, for example, with designing the production assembly.
Which parts and subassemblies are optimized with Prokon?
Right now mainly subassemblies for cabin furnishing are being worked on. For example, seat and toilet assembly. Another focus is the assembly of structures and equipping subassemblies – components for air filtering and conditioning, for example. Overall it can be said that without Prokon, the A 380 equipping assembly would certainly look different. However, we are just in the planning phase; the actual assembly still has to be done. And we can already pre-plan the assembly details!
Is it an advantage that MTM is also used in delivery operations?
That might not have been the deciding factor in choosing MTM, but definite advantages arise from that in deciding which deliverers to work with. For one thing, all our products are designed and precalculated with MTM tools. This way we can summarize the orders for our deliverers. Another thing is that the deliverers who also use MTM are better able to keep our orders. When the ordered products are delivered to us, we can be sure that they are exactly what we ordered. Because a few deliverers have also designed their work processes with MTM tools, we are guaranteed a high degree of deliverer loyalty and a high degree of customer satisfaction.
What status do MTM qualification measures have at Airbus Germany?
Our business puts great value on the respective qualification measures. That is why staff from all areas is also trained in the MTM process: production preparation staff, IE technicians, production staff – foremen – group preparers and mechanics. As a rule, a course runs between 8 to 14 days. Since we’ve been using Prokon, we’ve also offered special courses for designers. Everyone must regularly attend addendum courses. We have also had extremely good experiences with integrating the staff in the production area. They always provide valuable contributions for optimizing products. Despite all qualification measures, we will not dispense with external MTM technicians in the future, especially in the area of Prokon use. Their know-how combined with objectivity, which only someone who comes from outside, so to speak, is incredibly important. That is why they’re also closely involved in the respective design processes. Not until they say “The product is okay, it’s now constructed for assembly-friendly work“, do we release it.
Does the comprehensive production system developed by the organization come into the picture?
Right now we are introducing our own production system called Airbus Manufacturing System (AMS) at all our locations. The MTM tools are, of course, an important aspect of the system.