buone feste frohes fest season’s greetings · our decade-long mastery for converting risks into...
TRANSCRIPT
29N°
Buone Feste Frohes Fest Season’s Greetings
2 3
UMBRAGROUP
Editorial ConceptS. Bordoni
TranslationItaca Servizi Linguistici s.n.c.
Graphic Design and LayoutYou-n | Agenzia di Comunicazione
PrintingTipografia Folignate
Written ContentAntonio BaldacciniAntonello MarcucciCarlo OdoardiMatteo NotarangeloNicola BacelliRoberto GiuliottiDaniele FrilliciSandra ReLucia Di MassoEmiliano De MasiMoreno D’AndreaAndrea Paoli Oskar BeerMarylynn McPhailOskar BeerElisa FagioliMichele MaccheroniMarco CeccarelliRita MorettiniAngelo Mattonelli
Contents
THE VOICE OF THE CEO
A Half-Year of Lights and Shadows
THE POINT OF THE PRESIDENT
UMBRAGROUP and the Sustainability Report
New Leadership Strategies for the Innovation and Enhancement of a Competitive, Successful Professional Community
New Projects
Group Aerospace Sales Meeting in Saginaw
Mapping Processes
BE HIGHPER
MRO Flying with Wings Unfurled
Human Capital and Technology at the Service of our Customers
The Great Certification Challenge
R&D Novelty on the Horizon
Germany Hosts the First Industrial Sales Meeting
A New Materials Test Lab at PKE
Ribbon Cutting in Saginaw
Learning from the Present to Invest in the Future
A Benchmark Welfare Policy
When Safety Meets Leadership
For the First Time at the IAQG Supplier Forum
UMBRAGROUP Now Also a Leader in Customs Processes
EVENTS
New hires, just married and births
04
06
08
10
13
14
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
30
31
There is a world where people don’t just let things happen. They make them happenSergio Marchionne
“
4 5
UMBRAGROUP
Dott. ANTONIO BALDACCINICEO
When we work in harmony and agreement, success is guaranteed. The events that have characterized the year that’s drawing to a close are proof of this. UMBRAGROUP’s whole history is an example. We have demonstrated once again that together it’s possible to achieve our goals when we focus on the future and have the determination of those who believe that the resolve of a team is more valuable than a single talent.
by a consolidation of strategies and the success of management tools like Visual Management in Aerospace and the Umbra Production System in Industrial. Both methods optimize processes and costs, preempting possible problems with a view to satisfying our most valuable stakeholders: our customers. The idea to approach the aeronautical inspections sector with a large range of services offered from a single location was anything but phantasmagorical. And this past October we held the Grand Opening of the innovative MRO Center of Excellence. The event formalized the plan to merge the Umbra Cuscinetti Inc. (Everett – WA) and Linear Motion LLC (Saginaw – MI) repair stations into one, in Saginaw. This is a memory that will remain impressed in our minds with the clarity of our most important moments. Saginaw, which for years was the base and name of our competitors, became the development territory when we took it over in 2018 with the acquisition of Thomson Aerospace & Defense. This city is now a crossroads of experiences, cultures, and professional expertise that are facilitating integration and perseverance in UMBRAGROUP to offer more qualified proposals to the challenging American aerospace market, as well as others.
We are working to acquire a prestigious American company that specializes in manufacturing components for U.S. defense sector. Together we will inject new vitality into the heart of innovation with courage and determination. We will formulate a lofty, exciting vision that will allow us to attract talented human capital, future customers, and
A Half-Year of Lights and Shadows
THE VOICE OF THE CEO
financial resources. We will consolidate our leadership, giving greater stability to the Group, which sees great prospects for growth in the markets of our customers’ largest production facilities.
Focusing on visionary ideas might seem like a high-risk approach. But in reality, this is how dreams can come true, launching unprecedented starts. It becomes possible to lead in a way that stimulates creativity and increases performance through a high level of teamwork, communication, and participation. This is the chain that achieved the salient accomplishments of the second half of 2019. Among these, I am pleased to mention the shipment to AIRBUS for the helicopter H160 and the great interest aroused at the DSEI Arms Fair by the recently patented Fault Tolerant Fully Redundant actuator. In the industrial sector, noteworthy accomplishments include a contract for
the supply of electrospindles; the delivery of screw and bearing prototypes for a company of the DMG Mori Group; Liebherr’s approval and the negotiation of SFK orders for the production of ball and roller bearings. Outside of Italy, we launched a ceramic ball production line at Präzisionskugeln Eltmann and created the new area to be used for the Quality Organization. At Kuhn, our cooperation with the most important player in the Cut & Strip sector began; the first screws with optimized recirculation system were delivered.
This year proved to be a lively one. We expect this trend to continue only in part in 2020. Honesty and transparency mean that we also inform you of the less positive aspects. We’re aware that we’ll see a slowdown in the arrival of new industrial orders. This drop reflects the forecasts for the world economy and will be the natural consequence of several months of distress in the automotive sector. According to the current estimates, 2020 will be a year of decreased growth for American business. This will only cause a temporary stagnation of our 2018-2022 industrial plan and is no cause for concern. Instead it will create the momentum for charting the best prospects for the near future. “There is a world where people don’t just let things happen. They make them happen,” said Sergio Marchionne. Being the optimist that I am, I say that we will be able to imagine, plan, and act with commitment and willpower. We will prove once again that we’re not afraid of challenges. We’ll pave the way to new, extraordinary results, and raise our wine glasses in a toast.
Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Thanks to our shared dedication, 2019 will end on a positive note. We made wise strategic choices. First and foremost, we made the decision to expand into the capital market in March. Second, we renewed commercial agreements such as the contract with Boeing and our contracts as the supplier of UMBRARoll bearings. In this way, we consolidated our decade-long mastery for converting risks into growth opportunities.
The policies shaped in the various subsidiaries have resulted in benefits that have reverberated throughout the entire Group. Without dwelling on our success or limiting ourselves to a dry, detached report, I can tell you with gratitude that we were able to develop a business plan characterized
UMBRAGROUP
6 7
The creation of economic value is guided by a vision of the future and of development centering on sustainability, as a value shared in strategic decisions and essential for tackling the global challenges.
The current year was an eventful one for our Group. We were offered new opportunities for development and achieved some major undertakings, like the entrance of IPOC3 into the parent company’s capital. This has increased our awareness and sense of responsibility toward our people and the communities where we operate.
In this framework, UMBRAGROUP intends to become more and more of a protagonist in the challenge presented by its growth, working every day to generate a positive change which can benefit all, promoting initiatives and solutions capable of creating well-being for the society in which we live, and where we consider ourselves a responsible actor. For this reason we must consider the idea of promoting sustainability as an unwavering guideline for our day-to-day decisions.The creation of economic value is guided by a vision of the future and of development based on sustainability, as an essential value shared in strategic decisions and essential for tackling the global challenges.Precisely for this reason, we want to undertake an approach which will require innovation and the digitalization of industrial automation to be balanced by enterprise, environment, society, and work as the pillars of a solid bond between UMBRAGROUP and the territory where it operates.
As a result, it will be increasingly necessary to count on the cooperation of all the company structures, which will need to embrace the culture of sustainability and translate it every day into concrete actions. This way it will be possible to achieve cross-functional
ANTONELLO MARCUCCIPresident of the Board of Directors
THE POINT OF THE PRESIDENT
UMBRAGROUP and the Sustainability Report
“
processes and projects capable of creating sustainable value: value that is long-lasting and able to meet the expectations and needs of a variety of stakeholders.Therefore, starting this year, a team will be formed with the aim of collecting information and data on the GRI Standards, which represent the global best practice for sustainability reporting. Sustainability reporting based on these Standards provides information on an organization’s positive or negative contribution to sustainable development, and makes it possible to report on its economic, environmental, and social impacts.
The GRI Standards are conceived mainly to be used as a set for drafting a sustainability report focusing on specific subject matters. The GRI Standards must be adopted at the Group level and then used in a document which will be drafted starting with the year 2021: a Sustainability Report. The Report will contain non-financial data and information providing a picture of UMBRAGROUP’s economic, social, and environmental results worldwide.It is my hope that once again UMBRAGROUP will be up to embracing this new challenge with everyone’s cooperation, and I am looking forward to receiving any observations that anyone, for any reason, might want to send me.
8 9
UMBRAGROUP
The term “innovation” encapsulates a world of attitudes, personal inclinations,
meanings, changes of mentality, and new management and organizational
paradigms. Unfortunately, the panorama of the national and international
business universe is characterized by a majority of companies that continue
to show a “resistance to change”: a constant looking back to the past, almost
with a nostalgic “It used to be better” frame of mind. This mindset rejects the
progress and acceleration of the technological and organizational innovations
that are driving us toward a future whose contours are as yet undefined but
which, as far as I’m concerned, is a reason for great excitement and curiosity.
CARLO ODOARDIManager, Strategic Human Resources Management for Innovation Department
New Leadership Strategies for the Innovation and Enhancement of a Competitive, Successful Professional Community
We must be bold and forward-looking, interacting with others and introducing knowledge-sharing models backed by knowledge management-based systems.We have to know how to accept the challenge and set in motion innovative professional behaviors. We must create “organizational climates” oriented toward the exchange of knowledge, experiences, and accounts of both successes and failures, which can lead to meaningful motivational processes and relational networks, essential for the achievement of business results. Management by innovation must be able to supplement its action with “new leadership trajectories” for innovation and serving others (“servant leadership”), not the other way around. We have to know how to instill confidence, courage, enthusiasm, and moments of reflection for all those things we don’t already know.
Innovating, in fact, means hazarding and experimenting “new relational approaches”, overcoming prejudices with the mentality of a scientific observer who aims for results and doesn’t give up even after numerous unsuccessful attempts. It means – for us, first and foremost – a new way of communicating that enables us to express our needs while recognizing and understanding those of others. It means focusing on values such as transparency, intellectual honesty, an open mind, creativity, flexibility, cooperation and, especially, an open, sincere approach with others. This is one of the main “innovation routes” to be followed if we want to broaden the new visions necessary for our voyage toward the fourth industrial revolution, “Industry 4.0”, so that all this can simplify our path and multiply our knowledge and business opportunities. It’s necessary to strengthen certain skills considered fundamental for tackling the new challenges; these are the so-called “top competences”: digital skill; ability to design new solutions starting from a thorough analysis of the data; creative problem solving (being able to think outside the box to find solutions to yet-unsolved problems); an intercultural and interdisciplinary mentality for dealing with the new, fast-changing VUCA (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous) contexts; cybersecurity and privacy for secure data and information management; promotion of
communication and relational skills for the purpose of networking with associates and customers; capacity for transformation in order to constantly challenge the status quo and be able to launch a continuous transfer of knowledge, experiences, and recognized production and management models that can be applied to our own production sites; ability to connect with others, emotionally also, through “emotional intelligence”, thus facilitating processes of cooperation and integration even in mixed teams, in which each member can express their potential and contribute to the company’s success.
With a view to supporting this complex innovation process, last year the Strategic Human Resources Management for Innovation Service launched a specific research and development path. This featured a specific Human Resources for Organizational Innovation model of ours recognized by the European Community within the framework of the Marie Curie Community Programme.
It also identified a Technological Innovation model, digitalizing the various operating processes for a better management of the data behind company decisions and the entire Chain of Responsibility, drafting a HR 4.0 model. In addition, it reformulated the “Personnel development and growth policies” by means of a new model in line with the integrated organizational and technological innovation systems: analysis of needs for personal development, recognition processes within the framework of pay policies, development plans with an analysis and assessment of skills and potentials (Development Center Service), career plans and internal selection process open to all personnel in relation to the growing responsibilities, analysis and measurement of the potential and innovation performance at the company level, mapping of the relational processes for innovation, definition of the leadership model, leadership measurement systems using the 360 Degree Feedback method, technical training plans, leadership training plans for the entire Chain of Responsibility, and application of models in the context of the “management and sharing of knowledge and experiences” process within and among the different teams.
10 11
UMBRAGROUP
The new actuators for the new AIRBUS H160 helicopter Landing Gear system
The qualification activity necessary for obtaining certification for the AIRBUS H160 helicopter Landing Gear system actuators is currently under way.
The next program milestone will be EASA certification by the end of 2020. In the meantime, the flight tests with our actuators in the standard production configuration are continuing. Entry into service is planned for June, 2020.
The new actuators for systems with Ejection Seats
The qualification activities for the Collins Aerospace Ejection Seat are also making progress.
The actuators being developed will be used for the aircraft of two different programs. The start of the year 2020 will be one of intense qualification activity, with the shipments of the first shipsets in the production configuration.
MATTEO NOTARANGELOCOO Aerospace | UMBRAGROUP
AERO
New ProjectsThe FUTURE and UMBRAGROUP’s Challenge
ACES Seat
Airbus RACER
H160 helicopter
The futuristic AIRBUS RACER helicopter
We recently won the tender to contribute to the futuristic Airbus RACER demonstrator, the fastest helicopter in the world.
For the time being this is a research program within the European Clean Sky project, but it will lead to commercial applications within a few years.
UMBRAGROUP will supply the actuators for all the flaps on the helicopter (see photos). They are rotary actuators, for which a patent was recently filed by our Engineering department.
It’s a program that will enable us to test and fly an innovative, pioneering application whose aim is to revolutionize the current rotary actuation system.
“
12 13
UMBRAGROUP
This year, for the first time, the traditional Group Sales Meeting was held at Linear Motion, in Saginaw. One of the most important players on the aeronautics market, the company was acquired in 2018 and is now our springboard for jumping into the huge American defense market.
The idea to choose Saginaw as the venue for this year’s annual Group Sales Meeting was immediately met with enthusiasm and unanimous acceptance. Both teams, OEM and MRO, backed the proposal to meet Thomson our newly acquired company.
The week-long event was made even more interesting by the concurrent opening of the
NICOLA BACELLIVice President Sales Aerospace
Group Aerospace Sales Meeting in Saginaw
UMBRAGROUP Operating System
This year we began working on the development and dissemination of our Operating System.The two fundamental elements of our Operating System are the Production System and the Product Development System. In the Product Lifecycle, these concern the mass production and new product development phases, respectively.
The project begins with the definition and consolidation of a business development strategy (3-5 years) and a vertically organized business plan deployment (BPD) process for the targets, as the well as the operational tactics for achieving results by means of structured, coordinated action plans (90-day plan).
In this context we launched the first Performance Centers, which are an integral part of the Production System, to guarantee an alignment with and standardization of UMBRA’s DNA.
MATTEO NOTARANGELOCOO Aerospace | UMBRAGROUP
The areas that have implemented this performance center system so far are: Turnery, Grinding, Assemblies, Maintenance, and Manufacturing Engineering; other implementation projects have already begun in other areas.
Today, thanks to the Umbra Production System, everyone is able to contribute to and support, jointly and communally, all the company’s objectives, with demonstrable benefits in terms of improved efficiency, waste reduction, and people’s capabilities and involvement.All this is made possible thanks to a vigorous process of performance management via actions consolidating and improving all the company’s processes, making them increasingly effective and efficient.The path to take is clear and well-marked; all that’s left to do is for everyone to work together for the good of our company!
innovative MRO Center of Excellence, which will now provide support to airlines, including for UMBRAGROUP-branded products.
The Sales Team was warmly welcomed by the local management, whom I’d like to thank for hosting us, and by the office and shop employees alike. In addition to working on next year’s budget, we were able to become more familiar with the whole team and the surrounding area as well, since our stay was enriched by Team Building events held at meticulously chosen locations in the nearby vicinity.As the Group VP Sales Aerospace, it is with great pride that I am introducing you to the Team, which has never been so strong, qualified, and competent.
Fasten your seatbelts. We’re off!!! The sky’s the limit.
14 15
UMBRAGROUP
This quarter, too, has been dedicated to completing process mapping and indentifying variations within them.The challenge consists of detecting any and all problems in the processes and, using a “problem finding” approach, listing all the interferences in order to be able to identify their causes, frequency, impact, and what tools and activities are necessary to remove them.
In September an important project was launched with the aim of paring down the contents of the Industrial Line warehouses.This process, which also continued through the following months, led to a significant decrease in the inventory levels by late September, when the first large drop in the warehouse volume was seen.We are achieving these important results thanks to the combination of the “Traffic Light” (3 Days Pull System) tool with a rapid checking system for the quantities of incoming materials and resulting generation of a “return to supplier” if the quantities exceed those actually ordered. An exceptional result in early December was the achievement of
the forecast goal set in July, 2019. With the addition of other two tools, “Dirty & Clean” and “Viewer”, the “Umbra Production System” was created.The reduction of the backlog, another major goal of the Industrial Line, is progressing rapidly, with a “ZERO” goal set for December 31, 2019.The novelty for the month of November was the addition of the new OpEx Quality Manager, Luca Bossi, which will lead to the initialization of a path that implements problem finding and problem solving approaches in a Six Sigma context. This led to the kick-off of the application of the “Design Of Experiment” (DOE), a tool used analyzing of complaints, which makes it possible to identify, with a reasonable basis and quality of data, any correlations that may be present among series of factors that contribute in some way to the generation of the defect, as well as to clarify the ties among them and how they impact the return.The DOE and FMEA (Failure Mode Effect Analysis) approaches are already being applied for a complaint made by an important customer.
Another important event during the month of November was the Conference held in Holland and organized by LOGICOMI, a division of the Toyota group, at which I, as the Industrial COO, and CEO Antonio Baldaccini took part. These were two exciting days, filled with food for thought, thinking outside the box and abandoning common everyday stereotypes, and striving to see things with innovative perspectives, which make it possible to bring about innovation.The message I brought home is that basing ourselves on the past, to generate something that no one has ever done or thought before, isn’t
Mapping Processes
sufficient. In order to make change, it is necessary to have strength, curiosity, courage, and the capacity to look BEYOND.
The high point of the month of December will be the launch of a new technique called HoQ, “House of Quality”, also referred to as Quality Functional Deployment, with an initial session of on-the-job training involving the entire working group: ME-DE, Sales, OpEx Quality, TPM Mgr., and Operations, with the intention of analyzing the development of a new product using practical cases.
Because of an increasingly aggressive market, the scenario forming for 2020 promises to be extremely challenging. The bulk of the work will focus on issuing a new procedure for the “New Product Development” (NPD) process in the R&D area, with tools that are more immediate and effective in the implementation and monitoring of the gates.
The second challenge will deal with the Procurement part and a system for freezing the Bill of Materials, envisioning a process that is stronger from the standpoint of both the information systems and governance by the Purchasing and R&D Manager.
Lastly, a primary project of 2020 will be the launch of the standardization of the Umbra Production System at all the plants of our subsidiaries. The process has already begun with Kuhn, and will continue with Präzisionskugeln
Eltmann; in January 2020 Process Mapping will be carried out and the Work Package system will be implemented at Umbra Cuscinetti Inc., as was done this year in Foligno for the Industrial part, constantly monitoring the results and reducing all the variations that have caused the company to suffer major difficulties during the past year.
In conclusion, what have we received for Christmas this year? Certainly the fact that, during the second half of the year, Umbra launched, the new Umbra Production System (UPS), which is producing the expected results. This is especially thanks to a closely-knit team that has the ability to monitor its processes and prevent variations, dealing with them ahead of time. I’d say it’s time for the Team to relax and enjoy its well-deserved period of rest!
Best wishes for the holiday season to you all, and to your families as well!
ROBERTO GIULIOTTICOO Industrial | UMBRAGROUP
In order to make change, it is necessary to have strength, curiosity, courage, and the capacity to look BEYOND
“
16 17
UMBRAGROUP
Heavy marketing investments were planned twelve months before the event, when the market trend was definitely positive, but then clashed with a visitor turnout that was probably lower than that of EMO 2017. In this contrasting scenario, one of the few examples that managed to shine was UMBRAGROUP, which successfully attracted the attention of partners and potential customers with its booth.
The captivating structure, positioned in the pavilion reserved for component manufacturers, was unanimously judged one of the most active and
EMO 2019, the most prestigious biennial machine tool trade fair, has just drawn to a close. All the participating companies are now taking stock of this year’s edition, which undoubtedly suffered the effects of the significant slowdown experienced by the automotive sector.
DANIELE FRILLICISales Industrial
INDU
BE HIGHPER
This isn’t merely a slogan, but rather an interpretation of the kind of support the Industrial Team intends to provide for their customers
visited of the fair. There were numerous standout elements: from the long-established selection of recirculating ball screws, enriched with a telescopic version, to the UMBRAroll brand displayed prominently around the perimeter; from the latest line of electrospindles which, with its incorporated grinder, garnered a great deal of interest, to the various electromechanical applications, including a motorized screw version being unveiled for the first time.
Transforming the booth into a multimedia center projected into the future were the premiere showing of an innovative video by the Industrial Line, intuitive tablets for visitor consultation, the launch of the standard screw configurator, and the Health Monitoring system with which it was possible to monitor an actuator being tested in Fologno in real time.
Five thematic “islands”, each representing a product line, were all interconnected by a single leitmotiv: BE HIGHPER.Overcoming old stereotypes to move the performance bar higher and aim for ambitious goals.
“
18 19
UMBRAGROUP
SERMS
The expected goals for 2019, envisaged in the Business Plan, were reached in part thanks to a constant commitment to offering our Aerospace customers greater quality and technology in the testing services. In addition, in response to the opportunities coming from the research & development and process engineering divisions of the Automotive sector, “on demand” service lines were implemented as necessary, tailoring them to the customers’ needs.
The growth plan also includes the purchase of the latest generation climatic chamber by Angelantoni Industrie, which will go into operation in January 2020. This completes the annual investment plan commenced in February with the set-up of the Pyroshock Simulator.
The facility, designed and produced by SERMS, is a source of pride and satisfaction for its test performances. Thanks to an ambitious project of cooperation undertaken last year by SERMS and the British company THP SYSTEM, starting in January 2020 a similar model will go into operation in the United Kingdom at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory Space (RAL) of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), which has participated in over 200 Aerospace sector missions.
For their commitment dedicated every day to achieving these results, I would like to express
LUCIA DI MASSO
CEO | SERMS
Human Capital and Technology at the Service of our Customers
Factory Acceptance Test of Pyroshock Machine@Terni: left to right - Lee Fleming (THP SYSTEM), Franco De Angelis (SERMS), Stuart Vale (THP SYSTEM), Ian Horsfall (STFC-UK), David Rippington (STFC-UK), Antonio Alvino (SERMS)
If we compare a brief description written in 2001 by Mirko Canfarini with the article he recently wrote in the July 2019 issue of Noi UMBRA, we can really see how far our organization has come.
Business began in 1996, with just a single operational department, consisting of our now-retired colleague Bruno Fortini. Instead, under today’s company strategy, Foligno coordinates the MRO operations run by our subsidiary in Saginaw, Michigan (USA).
Almost a quarter of a century has gone by since the company’s establishment, and I’ve been working here since 2000.The people and processes have changed, as have the systems for managing our work, and we have always dealt with a market in continuous evolution. But we’ve always safeguarded our team spirit, and it is precisely this bedrock that has allowed us to achieve the numerous goals and meet the many challenges we have been presented with by both Management and our numerous customers, and on
SANDRA RECustomer Service Aftermarket
MRO Flying with Wings Unfurled
various projects.I believe that the experience MRO gives you is very rich and complete. Every day we deal first-hand both with often complex commercial dynamics, and with new technical requests from customers. Not to mention the quality requisites expected of us, which we have always achieved.
In MRO there are no foregone conclusions, and this stimulates our intelligence and the optimization of customer relations, management flexibility, and an intense cooperation with “our” technicians, programmers, certifiers, receiving and shipping staff, and certainly with the Shop staff.
Yes, the MRO is a small company within our great Foligno and international structure. I am proud to have been an integral part of it for 19 years.I am now retiring with ease of mind, knowing that MRO will continue to go forward with its WINGS UNFURLED, as it always has.
My warmest regards to all of you.
my sincere thanks to the SERMS team – Serena Borsini, Antonio Alvino, Franco De Angelis, Alberto Costantini, and Marco Lattarini – and to our colleagues at UMBRAGROUP in Foligno for their constant support in managing our organization.
I send them and their families my best wishes for the Christmas season.
20 21
UMBRAGROUP
R&D Novelty on the Horizon
Back in July we were contacted about our possible interest in becoming a partner in Clean Sky. This would entail the study and development of actuators for the technological demonstrator of the fastest helicopter ever made up to now (with a maximum cruise speed of 400 km/h).
After a series of internal meetings to verify the technical feasibility of the product, we approved the project, appreciating the value it would bring to the entire Group in terms of both know-how and of potential production volumes after the research phase. All the entities involved unanimously decided to proceed together in one direction: to accept the proposal.
Next came an assessment phase by the research consortium leader and a thorough analysis of our capacities by the Topic Manager, who could become the Customer in the case of commercial developments.
The reception given to the auditor and the partners, the impeccable work method, the launch pad built and consolidated via the development of standard aeronautical actuators, and the results achieved by the management of the previous research projects led Umbra to decide to take up the challenge.We should be proud of this accomplishment: we’ll have the possibility to develop an entire electromechanical actuator, complete with
MORENO D’ANDREAResearch Center Manager
EMILIANO DE MASIQuality Manager | AMCo
It is well known that to organize a corporate system it’s necessary to set rules and see that they’re followed. And even though AMCo was already following well-consolidated procedures that had been developed through experience and common sense, the time came to change them, and it wasn’t easy for people to break away from their old habits and adopt new ones.
However it’s not the existence of a rule that makes a difference, but the individual, with his or her constant commitment, sense of responsibility, and honesty on the job. These are the characteristics that were rewarded this past September when we received the ISO 9001:2015 certification.
And now that this goal has been achieved, we must look forward. As in our everyday lives, sacrifice can lead us to achieve an aim, but the most difficult
The company has chosen the team, decided the roles, and taken on the challenge, ready to start the game.
The Great Certification Challenge
part comes later: managing to hold onto what we have earned. To do this, we must believe in our day-to-day work, in the purpose for which we do something, and in the propriety of how our activities are carried on.
Because, in the end, the most important thing at the end of the day is to return home, look in the mirror, and be satisfied with what we have done and the results we have achieved, whether they’re large or small.
electronics and software for controlling the surfaces, which will make it possible to optimize and improve the performance of the fastest rotorcraft in the world.
A major effort will be necessary for this new challenge: it will involve both the Research Center in Albanella and the Foligno plant. Considering the extraordinary strategic importance of the application, we firmly believe that result will justify the effort.In hopes that we’ll be able to set another milestone in Umbra’s history with this new project, I will wind up this exciting piece of news wishing all our readers the best for the holiday season.
22 23
UMBRAGROUP
UGP
This year we had the responsibility and honor of hosting the annual Industrial Sales Meeting in Kuhn.When our Managing Director, Mr. Salemmi, told us that Kuhn would be the venue for this opportunity for reflection and company growth, we immediately got down to work to organize the time we had available as best as possible.
This all translated into a series of activities which, carried out together with our colleagues from Italy, enabled us to define the strategies for tackling a market undergoing a rapid, continuous evolution.In addition to the presence of the entire Industrial Sales organization, our guests included Mr. Giuliotti, Industrial COO, and the various associates heading the operations departments.As a result, the meeting proved to be the perfect
ANDREA PAOLI Sales Manager | KUHN GmbH
OSKAR BEERMaterial & Process Manager | Präzisionskugeln Eltmann
Germany Hosts the First Industrial Sales Meeting
A New Materials Test Lab at PKE
occasion not only for commercial analysis and choosing the most appropriate guidelines for the industrial world, but also for a brainstorming session, through which we were able to analyze the processes necessary for dealing with the continuing challenges the group is called upon to overcome.
In this regard, we confirmed that our company focus continues to be on the customer, who is always the main benchmark of reference for assessing our performance.Only companies like UMBRAGROUP, the trailblazers in the forefront, are able to drive and control a market as highly competitive as the industrial market, while still managing to offer the proper value that is constantly sought by the major players in this business.
Since early 2019, PKE has a laboratory for testing materials. Thanks to this lab, PKE is able to carry out all necessary tests on materials independently and quickly. What is more, the lab also supports the activities of other UMBRAGROUP plants.
In addition to the equipment necessary for the basic procedures, such as the preparation of specimens and the hardness test, spectral analysis and X-ray phase analysis devices have also been installed in the lab. These measurement procedures are also performed for other UMBRAGROUP plants.
For the coming year, the lab is expected to receive NADCAP certification, which means it will be qualified to conduct tests on aeronautical components. In addition to conducting the tests, the lab provides consulting services on the heat treatment of ferrous materials.
The laboratory’s Director, engineer Oskar Beer, boasts over twenty years’ experience in materials technology and heat treatment, in particular in the aeronautics field. He is also the author of numerous publications on the topics.
Engineer Oskar Beer, laboratory Director, standing next to the measurement instrument for phase analysis in the new PKE materials test laboratory
UMBRAGROUP
24 25
Saginaw
Saginaw is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan, and the seat of the county of the same name. It is situated along the Saginaw River, which is a tributary of Lake Huron.
This past October 10th, a year after the acquisition of Thomson Aerospace & Defense owned by Linear Motion, we celebrated the opening of the innovative MRO center. The ribbon-cutting ceremony marked the attainment of an extremely important goal, and provided a great opportunity for the company to make itself known in the local community of Saginaw and to show that we’re continuing to grow as well as offering a future to the surrounding area. The weather was on our side, too, and the event went off without a hitch.Taking part in the ceremony were Floyd Kloc, Mayor of Saginaw, Wally Baker, Linear Motion LLC General Manager, Antonio Baldaccini, UMBRAGROUP CEO & President, Reno Ortolani, UMBRAGROUP Executive Vice President & COO, and Beatrice Baldaccini, Executive Vice President of Linear Motion LLC Human Resources & Integration, before a group of customers and representatives of the local authorities.
After the ribbon cutting, the program featured a guided tour of the innovative area and a concluding lunch.Being closer to our North American customers and market, this new Repair Station enables us to offer faster and better service.Saginaw’s MRO is expected to double its turnover in 2020.UMBRAGROUP also received a certificate of excellence from State Senator Ken Horn.
And so ended a magnificent, sunny Saginaw day, in perfect UMBRAGROUP style, together with our customers and the local community.
The year coming to a close has been rich with changes for Umbra Cuscinetti Inc.The introduction of new products, such as the 777x, OCSO, and F35, were joined by the integration of new technologies, first and foremost the innovative FMS work center, and the arrival of new leaders within the business unit.
This changing context resulted in several negative consequences in 2019, which The Group is tackling with determination and clear objectives so as to bring them into check. Overcoming difficult situations changes us and provides many learning opportunities to makes us stronger.
Among the positive events, in November a new Vice President & General Manager, Carlo Mears, joined our team.
Carlo joins us after spending the last 10 years in Aerospace with his previous employer. In his past twenty-five years with GMN, he worked hard building a high performing team and culture and relationships with customers. The team Carlo led was successful in building a relationship of trust with one of our most important customers: The Boeing Company. The result of his Teams efforts was recognized by The Boeing Company’s highest award: The Boeing Supplier of the Year award. This was awarded to his Team four times and was the first supplier ever to win the award three consecutive times along with eleven consecutive Boeing Performance Excellence Awards.
Since joining UMBRAGROUP, Carlo has shown a great deal of enthusiasm, commitment to learning and listening to the whole team not only those on site at Umbra Cuscinetti Inc. but at the Group Level.
He stated that he feels motivated and determined to work with the entire team toward achieving successful goals, with the support and professionalism of all the Umbra Cuscinetti Inc. colleagues.
We firmly believe that Carlo will be able to lead the Everett office toward new accomplishments, fully exploiting the company’s potential, sharing the best practices of the other Group companies with his team, and being able to seize future opportunities as best as possible.I will conclude by reminding all of us of the beauty of aerospace: investing for the future by learning from the errors of the present, to create new opportunities for the long term!
MARYLYNN MCPHAILExecutive Assistant | Linear Motion LLC.
Ribbon Cutting in Saginaw
Learning from the Present to Invest in the Future
BEATRICE BALDACCINIUS EVP HR&INTEGRATION
26 27
UMBRAGROUP
In recent years we have seen a strong development of company welfare themes in Italy. There are numerous ideas that companies can implement to support their employees and the territory. However, alongside the companies that are active in the field of welfare policies, there are many others that haven’t implemented any measures or initiatives. This creates the risk of social inequality throughout the country. What are the factors blocking the spread of a culture of company welfare, and how can we facilitate the access of companies to this resource?
Today welfare legislation is contained within a larger package: the consolidation act on incomes. Instead, what is needed is a specific, clear, easily understood law on company welfare. It’s obvious that the company cannot intervene directly in the legislative process, but it can play an important role on the ground. For this reason UMBRAGROUP has decided to share its experience with other companies, offering a real support system to help design welfare plans for companies that decide to invest in this opportunity.Implementing a welfare policy today is possible and necessary. Of course, it would be preferable to see some sort of tax law provisions and facilitated pathways for creating business networks. Only in this way can company welfare become truly supplemental to the public system, going beyond the context of large companies to rightfully
ELISA FAGIOLIHR AdministratorStrategic Human Resource Management for Innovation
A Benchmark Welfare PolicyThe sharing of best practices for the development of welfare nationwide in Italy
become one of the reward tools of small and medium-sized enterprises, which represent 80% of the economic fabric of our country.
We started in March with a participation in the Company Welfare specialization course promoted by ARIS Formazione and aimed at professionals from Umbrian companies and consulting firms. In May we were called by a cooperative with over 1,000 employees for a workshop for HR and IT personnel for the purpose of drafting a welfare plan based on the needs of the company’s employees. Sharing our experiences is not just a training session for those interested in our approach, but also an opportunity to reflect on our practice, to rethink our welfare model, and to sketch out the path to follow in the future: in a word, to grow.
The next appointment will once again be with the SME Welfare Index initiative. You may remember that during the 2019 edition, UMBRAGROUP received the “Work and Family Reconciliation” special mention for the company campus. We are already working for this year on a series of innovative projects which we will present for the upcoming SME Welfare Index 2020 award. The aim this year is to share not only a good welfare practice, but also the underlying thinking and a scientific analysis of the impact of welfare actions in our company, in order to improve and complete our welfare system.
On October 15, 2019, I was invited to speak at a meeting organized during Ambiente Lavoro, the annual fair on workplace health and safety held in Bologna, to tell a story that began last year with a small group of people in UMBRAGROUP. In addition to gratifying my ego, the event was useful for sharing with a dedicated audience what we have attempted to create in UMBRAGROUP.
I would like to be able to tell you it all started one evening over a drink with friends, but in reality the idea sprang from a cold, impersonal assessment of risks, which led to a definition of the ameliorative actions necessary to lessen those risks. We realized, during our emergency plan drills, that we had to improve the organizational and managerial capacities of the employees in charge. These capacities could be considered elements of leadership.
With the ideas and support of Prevent’s Giulio Gualtieri, the Rescue Team Leader project came to be, and eleven workers were trained under it in 2018. The project, based on the idea of creating the position of “professional rescuer”, consists of 42 hours of training per person, split into 6-hour sessions. It focuses on hands-on practice and the direct involvement of the participants, with topics ranging from rescuing the injured to implementing safety measures for the facilities, and including communication and the organizational management of the team. The ability of the Prevent team, which we initially hadn’t taken into account, was that of making the course an experience that
MICHELE MACCHERONIHSE Manager
When Safety Meets Leadership
was engaging as well as effective, and of creating a very close-knit group of people who worked very well together.
In the meantime, life and work continued to move forward, with both routine and unexpected activities. We purchased new equipment to deal with emergencies, the second training project for twelve more Rescue Team Leaders was launched, and we’re updating our procedures. But the greatest lesson learned was how to make the role of a rescue team leader, if I may use the term, “cool”.
28 29
UMBRAGROUP
Non-Quality is no longer acceptable. What was acceptable few years ago is no longer acceptable, this is over. Quality and Safety start from Design, APQP is now the standard for the Aerospace Industry.
International Aerospace Quality Group - IAQG
Is a global cooperative organization made up of numerous aeronautics companies that supply products and services for aviation, space, and defense.
Among its most important activities, the IAQG defines and governs standard EN9100, according to which UMBRAGROUP is certified, and which enables it to operate in the Aeronautics sector.
Sponsored
The IAQG is sponsored by three bodies: SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers), ASD (AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe), and SJAC (Society of Japanese Aerospace Companies), and comprises three regional sectors: the Americas – North, Central, and South America (AAQG), Europe – Europe, Middle East, Russia, and Africa (EAQG), and Asia-Pacific – Asia and Oceania (APAQG).
UMBRAGROUP took part for the first time in the IAQG (International Aviation Quality Group) Supplier Forum, which was held in Berlin on October 18th.
The forum was attended by representatives of the Quality Departments of the most representative companies of the aeronautics sector worldwide. Indeed, many of our customers were there, including Boeing, Airbus, and Collins Aerospace. Among the most significant contributions, one of the most noteworthy was surely that by Nicole Lecca, Senior Vice President of Quality at Airbus, who called the community’s attention to the growing need to guarantee quality and safety throughout the entire supply chain, also in consideration of the significant increase in air traffic that has been taking place in recent years. She stressed the fact that the companies working in this sector must invest in the culture of aeronautics, which must arrive at all levels of the organization. Anyone working in it, from managers down to the operators, must understand the importance of their decisions and duties, and how they may jeopardize the safety of the persons who use means of air transport every day.
One of the most important aspects is the necessity to improve the design and development processes of aeronautical products aiming to prevent safety and quality risks. Moving precisely in this direction, Airbus asked the entire supply chain to implement the APQP & PPAP (Advanced Product Quality Planning & Production Part Approval Process) processes, considered of vital importance for achieving the quality and safety aims.
UMBRAGROUP has already been working for some time on these new management methods within the framework of its product development, in particular for the Airbus Helicopter program – Landing Gear Actuator of the H160, for which, being a Safety Critical product, Airbus has requested precisely this type of APQP & PPAP approach.The people of UMBRAGROUP will be called upon to make a great effort to promote and develop these work methods in order to be able to continue to support our customers as best as possible.
MARCO CECCARELLIQuality Director
For the First Time at the IAQG Supplier Forum
“Below is one of the statements made by Nicole Lecca during her talk:
31
UMBRAGROUP
30
EventsUMBRAGROUP S.p.A.
New hires
Andrea Manganello
Luca Bossi
Just Married
Andrea Di Gennari e Romina Botticelli
Andrea Rondelli e Michela Scutinizzi
Daniele Lini e Maria Marchesano
Marco Montirosi e Marika Chiavarini
Births
Chiara Picchiarelli
Elia Gallina
Enea Mosconi
Giulia Lini
Maria Biagetti
Mattia Maccaglia
Matteo Nicolì
Nicolo’ Bastioli
KUHN
New hires
Caterina Weiss
Gianluca Baldaccini
Luca Baliani
Manuel Pereira Tavares Ferreira Felix
Marta Biancalana
Simone Alexander
AMCo
Births
Giona Pianura
UMBRA CUSCINETTI Inc.
New hires
Carlo Mears
Christian Jacobsen
Dan Milton
Jason Hunt
Joshua Kinnard
Justus Dahlinger
Manuel Ruiz
Michael Tomich
Samantha Calderon
Stormy Knight
Ruben Ruvalcaba
Just Married
Curtis Nickle & Summer Akers
Dan & Jessica Wheeler
Births
Cameron & Cassie Spokus
Präzisionskugeln Eltmann
New hires
Florian Fritzmann
Births
Luis Fritzler
LINEAR MOTION
New hires
Anthony Battaglia
Benjamin Burdge
Fabrizio Moretti
Gerardo Artache
Ian Rudnik
Joanne Mcfarland
Kevin Little
Kyle Smith
Randall Zimmerman
UMBRAGROUP Now Also a Leader in Customs Processes
Starting on October 1, 2019 UMBRAGROUP achieved an important goal: the issuing of its first import and export customs documents directly “in house”.This result marks the end of a path embarked upon in 2015 with the obtaining of the AEO Full customs certificate and continuing with the activity of working groups, led by the administrative body, which enabled the company to obtain recognition as an authorized location for customs procedures. Today, UMBRAGROUP can boast the possession of all the major customs authorizations and systems governing the traffic of goods from and to our company.
Specific training on customs matters began in February, 2018, and the company allowed me to take part in the training course held by Confindustria, leading up to the qualification of Customs Operations Manager. This 200-hour course increased my knowledge, while at the same time allowing me to transfer the skills acquired into working groups (Administration, Logistics, Commercial, Purchases) for the purpose of designing and managing the processes governing the traffic of goods with non-EU countries.
By enhancing the knowledge of non-experts, AEO certification makes it possible to: reduce customs inspections; receive priority treatment in the event of customs inspections; enjoy better relations with the Customs Office; have a competitive advantage over competitors who don’t have the AEO “quality mark”; gain international visibility from the fact of being included in the European Union’s AEO
database; receive privileged treatment of your goods at the customs of the countries which have entered into mutual recognition agreements with the EU (e.g. USA); obtain administrative and tax benefits for AEOs deriving from the new Union Customs Code.
The expression “Authorized Location” refers to the possibility to handle, directly from our plant, all customs import and export matters. The main advantages connected with the title of “Authorized Location” are: optimization of import and export times; obtaining of refunds on ferrous materials exports; training and professional growth of the in-house personnel in charge of customs matters; punctual, precise filing of all customs import and export documents, also in terms of proof of delivery outside the EU.
As of today, only 12 Umbrian companies are AEO-certified, and very few are “authorized locations”. Within the framework of today’s international commerce, thanks to the achievement of these goals, UMBRAGROUP can now also be considered a leader in customs processes.I’d like to thank the company, which enabled me to take this course, and everyone who took part in the achievement of this important goal.
ANGELO MATTONELLIManager Administration
