Model Airplanes

In the perennial battle between Boeing Co. and Airbus SE, China has for years tried to keep orders on an even keel between the duopoly. Now, thanks to U.S. President Donald Trump, the American planemaker is at risk of losing its meager lead in the world’s second-biggest aviation market.

With the rising prospect of an all-out trade war after the Trump administration announced tariffs on $50 billion of goods imported from China, President Xi Jinping is under pressure to retaliate. A clue to his tactics may be revealed during French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe’s visit to Beijing this weekend, where he’ll try to seal a deal for more than 180 Airbus A320 jets.

The $18 billion order, if confirmed, would send a strong signal to the U.S. that China has effective options to hit hard where it hurts. The Asian power is likely to favor Airbus planes for future orders, according to Jin Wei, an aviation researcher at China Center for Information Industry Development, a state-backed think tank in Beijing.

“Awarding big plane orders to Airbus will be a wake-up call to the U.S. that China has alternatives and does not fear clashing with U.S. on trade,” Jin said.

Such a strategy may also help China drive deeper divisions within the

Article source: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2018-06-21/boeing-risks-losing-china-lead-as-trump-and-xi-clash-over-trade

A proof-of-concept project could save airlines hundreds of millions of dollars

Autodesk research scientist Andreas Bastian created a 3D design used to print a plastic airline seat frame. That plastic seat frame was then coated in ceramic material and heated until the plastic evaporated. The resulting ceramic mold was then used to metal cast the new seat frame.

Autodesk has partnered with a Michigan foundry in a 3D printing proof-of-concept project that resulted in a new magnesium commercial airline seat frame so light it could save an airline more than $200 million in fuel costs.

Autodesk used its Netfabb 3D design software to produce a complex geometric model for a new aircraft passenger seat frame just as strong as a traditional seat, but vastly lighter.

The CAD image of the airline seat frame created using Netfabb 3D design software.

The CAD program created a file used to 3D print in plastic the seat frame, which was then coated in ceramic material and heated to a high temperature to evaporate the inner plastic.

The remaining ceramic mold was then used by Aristo Cast, a Michigan foundry, to manufacture a magnesium seat frame that weighs 766 grams, 56% lighter than the conventional 1,672-gram aluminum seats in use today.

While laser sintering, another 3D printing method, offers the ability to create objects with dozens of metals, it is slow compared to metal casting, which can use thousands of metals or composite materials.

Additionally, 3D printing is limited to the relatively small size of a print beds – only a few

Article source: https://www.foundry-planet.com/equipment/detail-view/3d-printing-married-to-traditional-metal-casting-could-reshape-manufacturing/?cHash=572fd632ff4c4b0a1c14ea47ced49933

The opening of Shambaugh Field, Lafayette’s first airport, on land south and east of the fairgrounds in the summer of 1928, opened the skies of the world to the community.

Aviation grew all over the nation, and its growth was reflected in many ways here.

► Aviation could bring mail in a hurry, and Lafayette got its first air mail letter on July 2, 1928.

► Aviation could bring famous people to the community and whisk them away again.

► Aviation could bring sudden tragedy. Two youths had died in a crash near Otterbein in 1928, and on Jan. 3, 1931, a 39-year-old student pilot named Harry F. Baugher, in the painting and decorating business in Lafayette, died when his Waco TO-X failed to pull out of a spin over a field near Maple Point and old U.S. 52.

► Aviation provided a great opportunity in the field of education; and on  Jan. 28, 1931, industrialist David E. Ross announced he would give Purdue University 157 acres southwest of the campus for an airport and for aeronautical research and instruction.

Shortly after that the federal government selected Purdue and five other schools for aeronautical research and instruction.

Aviation, moreover, provided a chance for adventure and experiment. Three Tippecanoe County

Article source: https://www.jconline.com/story/news/history/2018/06/22/old-lafayette-aviation-growth-takes-off-here-history/721925002/

CMOs looking to implement a customer experience program need to engage with shareholders with the same amount of tangibility as CFOs if they want to ensure CX as a market share growth driver and competitive advantage.  

This is the view of Medallia‘s VP of customer experience strategy, Dorian Stone, who is visiting Australia this week.

Medallia recently announced a Digital Partner Program bringing together voice of customer with analytics data in order to help brands and companies better understand digital customer behaviour and drive business growth. Its partner program aims to assist companies integrate Medallia for Digital with their digital technology stack, including Adobe Analytics in Adobe Experience Cloud, and most recently, Google Analytics.

Stone, previously a partner at McKinsey where he co-founded the consultancy group’s customer experience practice, is responsible for CX thought leadership, research, insights and training at Medallia. He said as every company now realises they are in the experience business, they look to CMOs to ensure those customer experiences are reinforcing the value of the brand.

This means the CMO is now facing a number of new challenges and opportunities in terms of skillset and also how to shape an agenda and drive an agenda across the leadership group.