Organizing for the Airbus A3XX The market for commercial aircraft larger than the Boeing 747-400 is driven by the growth of the airline market generally, flight congestion at major airports, increased cost pressure on airlines, and demand for more environmentally-friendly aircraft. Many of these factors presuppose improved technology, superior design, new manufacturing processes and better supplier collaboration. To minimize weight and fuel costs, for example, the A3XX will incorporate a range of advanced materials such as carbon fiber reinforced plastics and a new aluminum and fiberglass laminate called "Glare." The design and implementation of such advanced materials necessitates close coordination with a wider range of suppliers. It also means that some elements will have to be outsourced to suppliers that possess deep expertise in particular areas and requires creative thinking on the part of such suppliers about how the expertise of secondary suppliers might be exploited to meet specifications and requirements. The wiring of the new aircraft will also be quite complex, consisting of nearly 100,000 wires bundled into 530km of cables held by 40,000 connectors. The design of the aircraft necessitates a switch from copper to aluminum wiring, the latter requiring a larger bend radius that could make it more difficult to maneuver around corners within an aircraft and could entail rerouting of some harnesses. Manufacturing and design of the A3XX will be spread across 85 countries, dozens of Airbus facilities, and hundreds of suppliers. A single chief engineer will be made responsible for the entire program across the four operating divisions that have been independently managed in France, Germany, the UK, and Spain. Nine aircraft component management teams (ACMTs) will be responsible for the development of the major elements of the A3XX. To ensure smooth coordination