Competitive Heat.

The article reports that Airbus is overhauling many of its production processes to cut lead times, reduce waste and achieve savings as it tries to remain price competitive in the face of exchange rates that favor Boeing Co. in a weak-dollar-dominated industry. The European manufacturer wants to achieve 2% year-on-year unit cost savings per program plus gain an extraordinary cost-reduction mandate aimed at countering the currency imbalance. Meeting the first goal will actually require a 5% productivity gain with inflation factored in, says Airbus Executive Vice President Karl-Heinz Hartmann.