Published: Apr 11 at 12:23 p.m.
PARIS (Reuters) - New Chief Executive Guillaume Faury imposed his mark on Airbus with a simplified management structure and a manifesto for factory modernization on Thursday, as Europe's plane giant enters a new phase in its titanic rivalry with Boeing.
The 51-year-old former planemaking head unveiled the changes a day after the retirement of Tom Enders, the last of the company's founders to leave the scene of recent power battles.
"We are in a period of exceptional change in our industry and we need to prepare Airbus for the opportunities and challenges ahead," Faury said in a statement.
"We will utilize new digital technologies to optimize our industrial system," he added.
"I see fantastic challenges...we have to invent new production systems and leverage the power of data," Faury said.
Airbus has a huge list of orders for its A320neo, which competes with Boeing's currently grounded 737 MAX, but snags and supplier delays are delaying schedules.
His immediate priority will be to settle and remotivate Airbus' 130,000 staff after a multi-national bribery probe and internal investigation, now in its fourth year, as well as the recent decision to end production of the flagship A380.