CFM International (CFM) is having the second highest orders year in its history. Through October, the company has logged orders in for nearly 2,200 commercial, military and spare engines at a value of $24 billion at list price.
The highest record occurred in 2007, when CFM received orders for more than 2,700 engines.
“I have to say that this has been a surprisingly good year,” said Jean-Paul Ebanga, president and CEO of CFM International. “We have had solid orders for more than 1,200 CFM56 engines, which would make it a good year in its own right. But the orders for the current product line have nearly been matched by requests for LEAP engines, with 910 orders logged for the LEAP-1A to power 455 Airbus A320neos. In the coming months, we anticipate many of the nearly 600 commitments for the new LEAP-1B powered Boeing 737 MAX to be finalized, as well, so we think 2012 is already off to a very good start.”
At the same time, CFM has also achieved record production rates for the CFM56 product line. The company has built more than 1,000 engines per year since 2006, and the rate has grown steadily. In 2011, CFM is on track to deliver more than 1,300 engines following a rate of 1,250 in 2010. Current plans are to reach more than 1,600 engines per year by 2014.
“We’re very proud of the fact that every CFM56 engine built to date – nearly 23,000 of them – has been delivered on time,” said Ebanga. “These rates are simply unprecedented in our industry and successfully achieving them has required a lot of planning and even more coordination between the GE and Snecma supply chains, as well as with Airbus and Boeing. As we look to the future, we are continuing to bring state-of-the-art technology not only to our engines, but to the processes by which we build them. We goal is to make sure the next 23,000 engines are on time, as well.”
CFM International, a 50/50 joint company between Snecma (Safran group) and GE, is the world’s leading supplier of commercial aircraft engines and has logged for order for approximately 28,500 engines to date. Of that total, nearly 23,000 have been delivered to more than 500 operators around the globe.
