Winners 2016/Aerospace & Defence Bronze

Project: Vantage XL Aircraft Seating

Client: Thompson Aero Seating

Design: Factorydesign

Aircraft seat manufacturer, Thompson Aero Seating wanted to build on the success of its first product and commissioned a more premium product to address market demands. In a complex market, with stringent safety standards, the new Vantage XL seat provides a crucial combination of an enhanced passenger experience with optimised cabin seat count, and has delivered wide-ranging results.

Thompson Aero's sales have increased year on year from zero to £51.8million in five years - with a consistent gross profit margin of over 20%. New customers have been secured including tier one airlines and staff levels have increased from 15 to 270. The reduction in the seat’s part count over its predecessor, means a much easier to manage supply chain process.  In addition, the seat has a 20% production and assembly line efficiency compared to peer products, which enables a rapid go-to-market time of typically 12 months.