Industry analysis and positioning of civilian rotorcraft industry

Abstract

Rotorcraft refers to the class of aircraft that have the distinct capability for vertical take-off and landing which is essentially derived by the use of Rotating blades. Rotorcraft Industry comprises of both Helicopters and Tilt-rotors based on the type of anti-torque mechanism required to control the motion of the Aircraft. Helicopters have a Large Main-rotor that provides the Lift capability to the aircraft, with anti-torque provided by a small tail-rotor attached at the tail of the aircraft. Tilt-rotors have a pair of rotating blades fitted on to the each wing of the aircraft. Rotorcraft Industry is dominated by the Helicopters, while the Tilt-rotors market is still in its infancy. Today, the main players of the Rotorcraft Industry are Airbus Helicopters (Airbus Group), Bell Helicopter (Textron Inc.,). Agusta Westland (Leonardo), Sikorsky (United Technologies Corporation) and Robinson Helicopter (privately owned). Based on the customer segments that they address, Rotorcraft Industry can be distinctly classified into Civilian and Military Rotorcrafts. The Industry, since 2000, has become extremely competitive with firms resorting to price-based competition resulting in low levels of profitability. The objective of this project is to study the Rotorcraft Industry using the Competitive Strategy frameworks and identify the current issues. After this using Bell Helicopter as the Focal firm, an attempt will be made to provide suitable recommendations for superior profitability.