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Aviation History
1979
1979 - 2689.PDF
FLIGHT International, 21 July 1979 Fokker: an independent future Diamond Jubilee Frans Swarttouw For 60 years Fokker has been the Netherlands' leading aircraft manufacturer and a major force in Europe's aviation industry. To mark the diamond jubilee, BRONREK visited Fokker's plant at Amster dam's Schiphol Airport and spoke to Frans Swart touw, the company's new chairman, about the future now that the VFW link is to be dissolved. Starting on page 185, we present a brief history of Fokker and a pictorial appreciation of the aircraft which have made its name famous. "* a *E have been distracted over ten years by events yW which we could not control, but Fokker's tradi- " tion and talent have seen us through," is Frans Swarttouw's laconic comment on his company's soon-to-be dissolved association with VFW in Germany. Swarttouw has been chairman of Fokker-VFW, the trans-national company's Netherlands arm, for just one year but already there has been a radical transformation in Fokker's plan ning for the future. When Flight went to Amsterdam earlier this month, it soon became clear that, as far as Fokker is concerned, the link-up with VFW is as good as dead and plans for the future are going ahead on the basis of an independent Fokker designing, building and market ing its own products. Swarttouw is reluctant to talk about the loose ends which remain to be tied up to complete the divorce from VFW, seeing it as past history "I am concerned with the future." But he does acknowledge that the final break will depend on details of the merger between VFW and MBB in Germany ("which is none of Fokker's business," says Swarttouw). When this has happened, he sees few prob lems in arranging a formal separation. The main bone of contention is likely to be the question of capital repay ments to West Germany when the central holding com pany is dissolved. Fokker maintains that one of the reasons why the merger was not a success was that there was no legal provision for transfers of capital, across borders, between the Dutch and German partners. Thus, says Swarttouw, the merger was "conceptually impossible" and when one of the partners needed financial support from the other (like when VFW got into trouble with the ill-fated 614 airliner) it could not be provided. Swarttouw is currently chairman of the central holding company's management board and will no doubt press the Nether lands' case very forcefully in negotiations with the Germans. Now that Fokker has effectively unburdened itself from worries about the VFW link, Swarttouw is concentrating on licking it into shape to compete in world markets during the 1980s and beyond. He freely admits that he is not an "aviation person" (at 46, he has already established a considerable reputation in container transport and ship ping) and that his main concern is to apply sound manage ment principles. He says that there is no reason why an aircraft manufacturer should not be subject to the same commercial and management disciplines which apply in other industries. His first task has been to sort out the long-term objectives for an independent Fokker which, according to US management consultants McKinsey & Co, could be bright in the civil field if the right projects and collaborative partners can be found (more of this later). McKinseys have been recalled to Fokker to assist the board of management (in Europe, a two-tier board is usual: at the top is the supervisory board which acts as a sort of constitutional monarch; below this is a management board which actually runs the company) on Fokker's organisa tion. Finally, having sorted out objectives and organisation, Swarttouw believes that the best people should be hired by the company to make the whole thing work. Dan Krook, formerly Airbus Industrie's sales director, has returned to Fokker in a similar capacity, bringing with him the experience of having run one of the world's most success ful airliner sales teams. Fokker's objectives for the 1980s have now been clearly established. Fokker has nailed its colours firmly to the mast of civil airliner production; military and space activi ties are desirable adjuncts but the company's post-war experience has been heavily weighted towards commercial aircraft. Only by concentrating the bulk of its resources in this field will it continue to survive as a leading force in the world's aerospace industry. The F.27 and F.28 lines will continue to produce aircraft as long as there is demand for them. Both types have experienced a surge in sales this year and production rates are being stepped up. The F.27 has now notched up 696 sales worldwide (including 205 which were built under licence by Fairchild in the US). Swarttouw is confident that more than 1,000 examples of the type will eventually be sold. Production is being increased to 30 a year (cur rently 15 a year) and, significantly, Fokker expects F.27 manufacture to continue into the 1990s, after F.28 produc tion has ceased in the late 1980s. The F.27 has been in service for 19 years and 1980 will see the 25th anniversary of the type's first flight. If Fokker's hopes are realised, the F.27 could end up by breaking all production longevity records. Fokker is continually improving the product and current development work is aimed at increasing passen ger appeal. A "wide-body" interior is now offered, with enclosed luggage racks, and work is in hand to reduce noise levels in the passenger cabin. Be-engining is being studied but no powerplant has yet been found which improves oh the existing Rolls-Boyce Dart installation. Increased passenger appeal has assumed greater urgency following relaxation of weight and cap acity rules for US commuter airlines. Fokker reports increased US interest in the F.27 and recently made its first sale in that country since the end of Fairchild's licence agreement—three aircraft to Swift Aire Lines of California. The first Swift Aire F.27 was in an advanced stage of construction at the time of Flight's visit The F.28 twinjet is also selling steadily and production could be increased from the current 15 a year to 24 if present demand holds up; firm orders now stand at 145. The F.27 and F.28 lines at Fokker's Schiphol factory now look very busy in contrast to late last year when sales were less than exciting. Swarttouw says that the F.28 is the best aircraft in its class. "If it were 20 seats bigger, we would have sold two or three times as many." The fear of producing an aircraft which will be too small to cope with traffic growth has radically affected the F-/6s for the Dutch and Norwegian air forces are assembled at Schiphol
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