Airbus Unit Certified to Business Continuity Management Standard
This demonstrates the company has "effective processes in place to minimize exposure during external disruptive events," says the company's head of facility management.
Perhaps mindful of the estimated $5 billion loss attributed to flight cancellations when ash from the Eyjafjallajokull volcano in Iceland closed parts of Europe's skies in April 2010, Airbus has become the first aerospace manufacturing company with certification to BS 25999, the Business Continuity Management System standard. BSI Group, the London-based standards developer, performed the audit. The Airbus unit achieving certification is a wing manufacturing site in Broughton, England.
"Airbus' BS 25999 certification proves that the organization has effective processes in place to minimize exposure during external disruptive events and thus assures continued business operations at all times," said Dave Micklewright, Airbus' head of Facility Management. "These processes take into account all aspects of the business, including people, premises, suppliers, and assets. This business continuity management award also serves as a means to benchmark our performance and systems."
BSI Group's July 6 announcement said Airbus also created a bespoke data management system called R!SK INDEX as part of the process. The tool was classed as best practice by BSI's auditors and described by Micklewright as "a straightforward plug-and-play management system which can be implemented seamlessly in all business areas." He added, "The tool is readily available and is now used to monitor external business continuity plans from within our own supply chain."