Lufthansa Technik starts innovation boost program

Lufthansa Technik  is significantly increasing its efforts in the area of product, service and technological evelopments by starting an innovation boost program. The investment in this area is to be quadrupled, from €50m over the past five years, to €200m over the next four years. Both, Lufthansa Technik’s conventional maintenance, repair and overhaul business, the company’s VIP and Executive Jet business will also benefit from this new approach. Along with the financial investment, Lufthansa Technik has changed its organization to create an optimal base for its innovation activities. To strengthen innovation management, the department – Corporate Innovation Management and Product Development – has been set up. Under the leadership of Dr. Helge Sachs this department will promote, coordinate and control company-wide technology and product development projects and will be responsible for the increased central innovation budget. Additionally, the department will be responsible for the creation of standards and processes for innovation management and for the further development of the corporate innovation and technology roadmap. Lufthansa Technik has also reorganized its activities in the development and production of cabin elements by bundling all of them into a new Product Division for Original Equipment Innovation. This step has created an organizational foundation for expanding the company’s position as a manufacturing operation. The head of this new product division is Andrew Muirhead, one of the company’s most experienced innovation managers. Muirhead previously headed the Innovation Business Unit at Lufthansa Technik. He is leading a team of over 80 interdisciplinary employees – with more to come – as the consolidation process takes shape.