Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the world’s first certified very light jet (VLJ), announced that Paul Schumacher is joining the executive team as vice president of manufacturing. Schumacher is replacing vice president of operations Rod Holter, who is leaving Eclipse for family reasons. Since joining Eclipse two months ago to lead the primary assembly team, Schumacher has proved his ability to deliver results. His early successes at Eclipse have mirrored his accomplished track record at Raytheon and Lockheed Martin, and he will now be responsible for all aspects of high-rate production for the Eclipse 500.
Schumacher joined Eclipse Aviation from Raytheon Aircraft Company, where he served as vice president of operations and was responsible for all manufacturing and facility operations. In this role, Schumacher led manufacturing for aircraft product lines including Baron, Bonanza, Hawker 400, Hawker 800, King Air and Premier. Schumacher initiated implementation of lean manufacturing initiatives for Raytheon in 2001, and under his leadership the company experienced dramatic cost reductions.
Prior to Raytheon, Schumacher spent 27 years at Lockheed Martin in a variety of manufacturing positions and was most recently vice president of operations. His responsibilities consisted of quality assurance, manufacturing engineering, fabrication, assembly, flight line and flight operations of the C-130J and F-22 aircraft programs. Earlier in his tenure with Lockheed Martin, Schumacher directed F-22 operations and was responsible for the integration of the Boeing and Lockheed Martin teams in support of the F-22.
“Paul is a highly accomplished manufacturing professional, and his leadership will be invaluable as we accelerate our production ramp,” said Peg Billson, chief operating officer of Eclipse Aviation. “We are leveraging advanced manufacturing methods like moving assembly lines and robotics to dramatically to increase production efficiency and redefine the general aviation landscape. Paul’s extensive experience will be a tremendous asset as we continue to pursue this overriding strategic objective.”
From the outset, the Eclipse 500 has been designed for high-volume production. Eclipse has successfully inverted the traditional ratio of high-precision machined components to formed parts to ensure assemblies fit together the first time, every time. This also enables major sub-assemblies to be interchangeable between Eclipse 500 aircraft. In addition, Eclipse practices lean manufacturing by concentrating on its core competencies and outsourcing key manufacturing elements to an array of industry-leading global suppliers. Eclipse uses SAP enterprise resource management software to efficiently integrate all company operations, and extend this tight integration to Eclipse’s supplier base worldwide.
On July 27, Eclipse Aviation received provisional type certification from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The company is expecting full-type certification shortly and will begin delivering aircraft to customers very soon thereafter. There are currently 17 Eclipse 500 aircraft in various stages of production.
