An exceptionally large aircraft requires an exceptionally large hangar door
MAS BTP is a company based in France that provides construction and maintenance services to companies in various sectors. For several years, it has been responsible for, among other things, the construction of Airbus hangars, such as the unloading and maintenance halls built for the Airbus Beluga XL and ST models. MAS BTP is part of the MAS Group with a turnover of more than EUR 121 million and 561 employees.
The Airbus Beluga XL is the giant of the sky that reminds you of beluga whale. The large plane is designed to carry large loads. It is of particular importance to Airbus' business, as it transports aircraft parts from one international plant to another, thus enabling the aircrafts to be continuously built and maintained.
Of course, the exceptionally large size of the aircraft and its importance to its owner also require an exceptionally large and reliable hangar door. MAS BTP has been responsible for the design and construction of the company's hangars. Champion Door supplied the halls with doors designed according to customer requirements.
— We have a strong partnership with Airbus. Smartly designed hangars are very important to the company and that is why we are very demanding both for ourselves and our subcontractors. We demand strong quality standards, flexible and solution-oriented working methods from our suppliers, as well as a good understanding of the specific requirements of the site, says Guillaume Dejoie, MAS BTP's Works Director.
The intelligent technology and reliability of the doors are convincing
MAS BTP and Champion Door have been working together for a long time. However, subcontractors for new projects are always re-selected based on the technical characteristics of the products and the requirements of the site.
— We spend time validating the technical issues in order to get the right product. This is something I stick to, in making sure I don't have any problems during the design and construction phase. For example, the wind resistance of doors can subsequently create major complications. The ease of use of the door is also important. The Champion Door’s door control panel has just a few buttons that anyone can use to control the door, Dejoie says.
— Hangar doors must be completely reliable because the flow of air traffic depends on them. The slightest failure would affect a carefully planned and scheduled chain of operations and thus the operations of the entire international airline. The doors must be opened in all conditions, even in the event of an electrical failure.
At the heart of a successful delivery is smooth and solid communication
Dejoie says the projects with Champion Door have gone very well. According to him, in addition to the technical characteristics and economic factors of the doors, the choice of supplier was assured by the full operational guarantee of the products and the company's active service attitude.
— I appreciate Champion Door’s firm communication before and during the project. An event that I particularly appreciated was the direct communication that your company experts knew how to use 3D modeling work after having identified an issue on the positioning of the motors of your doors that I had not even noticed.
Effective communication is one of the key issues in carrying out a successful project
— We have stayed on budget and on schedule, which is extremely important in aviation sites. The work must be planned in terms of air traffic, and it must not be disturbed at any point. Champion Door pays close attention to the special features of the site and was able to react to unexpected conditions in a smart way. Even Covid19 has not prevented the company from keeping the quality of project delivery high, Dejoie sums up.