Eclipse Aviation News
Today Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the world’s first very light jet (VLJ), announced that Todd Fierro is joining the executive team as vice president of manufacturing. Fierro is replacing Paul Schumacher, who stepped into the role in an interim capacity in September of 2006. Fierro brings Eclipse 18 years of manufacturing experience at Ford Motor Company and will be responsible for all aspects of high-rate production for the Eclipse 500.
Fierro joins Eclipse Aviation following a long and successful career at Ford Motor Company, where he ascended rapidly through the ranks to ultimately serve as the company’s Sterling Heights, Michigan plant manager. In this position, Fierro oversaw production in a 3.5 million square foot facility staffed by 2,500 hourly employees. At Ford, Fierro was known for his commitment to aggressive process improvement and his ability to increase production capability while maintaining a very lean operation.
“Todd understands every aspect of manufacturing from the bottom up and has the kind of enthusiasm and hands-on leadership we need,” said Peg Billson, COO of Eclipse Aviation. “A central element of our strategy is to bring modern automotive manufacturing technologies and processes to aviation, and we are thrilled to have a proven automotive executive to lead our efforts. Todd’s extensive experience in this realm complements our team’s deep aviation expertise and positions us to more rapidly achieve our high-volume production goals.”
Fierro’s trajectory at Ford began when the automotive leader recruited him from Wayne State University, where Fierro graduated with a degree in mechanical engineering. Early in his tenure at Ford, Fierro was appointed to lead the launch of the F Series truck. In 1997, Ford chose Fierro to lead its global dimensional control efforts, where he worked closely with the company’s European and Asian operations. Two years later, he became the body area manager, and was responsible for all body module fabrication associated with the Ford Focus product line. Ford soon promoted Fierro to lead final assembly for the Ford Taurus, where he oversaw a plant that produced 74 Taurus vehicles an hour. In 2004, Fierro implemented lean processes at the Cleveland engine plant, giving working groups greater responsibility for their decision making. This was a highly successful move for the company and was instrumental in Ford’s decision to elevate Fierro to lead its Sterling Heights plant.
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. The company’s current facilities are designed to support the production of up to 1,000 aircraft a year.
Eclipse Aviation, manufacturer of the world's first certified very light jet, is in the business of designing, certifying and producing modern, affordable jet aircraft that will revolutionize the transportation market. The company is applying advanced electronics systems, manufacturing and business practices to produce aircraft that cost less than a third of today's small jet aircraft, will be significantly safer and easier to operate than those of today, and have the lowest cost of ownership ever achieved in a jet aircraft.
The goal of Eclipse is to bring the word "personal" into aviation, making it possible for commercial air passengers to move directly between cities on a quick, affordable and convenient basis. It will also allow pilot owners to enter the world of jet-powered aviation.