What is the AeroExcellence label?

The origins and goals of the program

The AeroExcellence label is a structuring initiative led by GIFAS (the French aerospace and defense industries association), which brings together more than 480 companies from the French aerospace and defense sector. Announced at the 2023 Paris Air Show and operational since 29 January 2024, this unique standard addresses a critical need: to strengthen the industrial maturity and resilience of the entire aerospace supply chain.

According to GIFAS, this is the first time in France that a common standard has been put in place within a single industry. The goal is threefold:

• Improve the industrial performance of every player, from major prime contractors to SMEs

• Harmonize practices across the different tiers of the supply chain

• Make audits and certifications easier through a common language recognized by all prime contractors

The standard covers three structuring themes: operational excellence, environmental performance, and cybersecurity. It applies to all operational activities, from industrialization through to repair and maintenance.

The three certification levels

The AeroExcellence initiative offers a progressive, four-step process leading to three levels of recognition:

🥉 Bronze: Structured processes in place

• The organization, processes, and governance are in place

• The approach is effective across a significant scope (at least one critical/strategic product)

• Performance is measured, targeted, and managed

• The conditions for sustainability are defined

🥈 Silver: Mastery and monitoring of performance

• The system is deployed and applied effectively across the entire scope (all products)

• Industrial capacity and capability are fully mastered

• Performance is sustained and continuously improved (KPI tracking)

• Durability is demonstrated

🥇 Gold: Excellence and continuous improvement

• Recognition of excellence by domain

• Performance sustained and continuously improved with "best in class" KPIs

• Benchmarking in specific identified areas

• Cutting-edge capabilities, an Industry 4.0 approach

The five domains assessed

On the operational-excellence side, the AeroExcellence maturity grid assesses companies across five complementary domains:

1. Domain 1: Organisation & Resource Management - Leadership, strategy, compliance, HR, health & safety, environment

2. Domain 2: Planning & Logistics - Supply chain architecture, S&OP, master production scheduling (MPS), detailed scheduling, inventory management

3. Domain 3: Supplier Industrial Management - Supplier management and development

4. Domain 4: Industrialisation & Quality - APQP, process and product quality

5. Domain 5: Manufacturing Excellence - Operational excellence in production, OEE, TPM, shop-floor performance

To earn a label, a company must first carry out a self-assessment via the GIFAS digital platform, then request an evaluation by a certified assessor who will validate the maturity level achieved.

Sources: GIFAS – Aero Excellence program, AeroExcellence.com

How Oplit meets the AeroExcellence label criteria

Complete coverage of the key domains

Oplit positions itself as the benchmark AeroExcellence software for supporting aerospace manufacturers in their certification journey. According to the detailed analysis Oplit has carried out on the GIFAS maturity grid, the solution covers:

• Domain 2 (Planning & Logistics):

  • 65% of Bronze criteria

  • 55% of Silver criteria

  • 60% of Gold criteria

• Domain 5 (Manufacturing Excellence):

  • 80% of Bronze criteria

  • 80% of Silver criteria

  • 60% of Gold criteria

This exceptional coverage makes Oplit a strategic ally for significantly accelerating your path to certification, letting you validate a substantial majority of the technical criteria required by GIFAS right from the start.

Domain 2: Planning & Logistics - the capabilities of Oplit's AeroExcellence software

The Planning & Logistics domain is a central pillar of the AeroExcellence assessment. It evaluates the company's ability to plan, schedule, and effectively manage its logistics flows and production. Here is how Oplit's AeroExcellence software concretely meets the criteria:

Master Production Scheduling (MPS)

Oplit's MPS module makes it possible to:

• Run robust, regular load/capacity analyses

• Guarantee execution by tracking the plan adherence rate (target >95% for Silver, >99% for Gold)

• Identify and activate capacity levers through scenario simulation

• Continuously challenge the MPS and compare the actual load with the requirements coming from S&OP

These features directly address criteria 2.3.1 and 2.3.2 of the AeroExcellence grid (MPS Process and Rough Cut Capacity Plan).

Detailed Scheduling

Oplit's scheduling tool makes it possible to:

• Build a finite-capacity schedule based on production bottlenecks and constraints (criterion 2.5.2)

• Account for the main constraints (tooling, resources, skills)

• Strengthen the prioritization of work orders using proven methods

• Ensure a plan adherence rate above 95% (Silver) or even 99% (Gold)

• Track and analyze work-order variances in real time

Logistics Performance Management

Oplit's AeroExcellence software also offers:

• Precise tracking of lead times at different levels of granularity (2.1.2)

• Consideration of the critical path and bottlenecks (2.1.1)

• Demonstration of the effectiveness of logistics flows through digital means

• Optimization of financial resources (inventory, work-in-progress) and lead times

These capabilities make it possible to validate the criteria related to supply chain architecture and logistics-performance management.

Domain 5: Manufacturing Excellence - Oplit serving the shop floor

The Manufacturing Excellence domain evaluates the company's ability to steer and improve its production performance. Here, Oplit's AeroExcellence software delivers considerable value:

Value-stream optimization

• Real-time bottleneck monitoring (criterion 5.1.2)

• Control of work-in-progress and inventory through a dedicated tool (5.2.3)

• Alignment with the production rhythm (takt time)

• Guaranteed just-in-time deliveries of raw materials

• Real-time WIP tracking via the "Available stock" view

Performance Management

Oplit's production-tracking module makes it possible to:

• Maintain a production-plan adherence rate above 80% (Bronze) or even 95% (Silver) by aligning the plan with objectives (criterion 5.3.2)

• Put in place visual management of production across the whole flow (5.3.2)

• Compare, in real time, actual working time against allocated time at each workstation (OEE tracking)

• Continuously update production data

Workforce Flexibility

• Efficient assignment of operators based on progress and objectives (5.2.5)

• An integrated skills matrix that facilitates mobility between zones

• Greater team agility

The concrete benefits of Oplit for reaching AeroExcellence

Measured and validated performance

Beyond the theoretical coverage of the criteria, Oplit's AeroExcellence software has proven its effectiveness across more than 100 industrial sites in 25 countries. The results speak for themselves:

• -10% throughput time in the watchmaking sector

• -50% late orders in fine jewelry

• +5% production capacity in aerospace

• 6 hours saved per week per planner in the consumer-goods sector

These performance gains, measurable and demonstrated, are tangible proof of the continuous improvement required by the AeroExcellence approach, particularly for the Silver and Gold levels.

A tool trusted by leading manufacturers

Several major aerospace players such as Lisi Aerospace and CGR International have chosen Oplit's AeroExcellence software to structure their planning and production management.

These use cases perfectly illustrate how Oplit's AeroExcellence software contributes to improving the master KPIs of the GIFAS standard: collaborative OTD, backlog depth, MPS adherence, and inventory turnover.

Oplit's support for your AeroExcellence journey

Diagnosis and initial scoping

The journey toward AeroExcellence certification begins with an essential diagnosis phase. The Oplit team supports you in:

1. Identifying your current maturity level in domains 2 (Planning & Logistics) and 5 (Manufacturing Excellence)

2. Mapping the gaps between your current practices and the requirements of the GIFAS standard

3. Defining an action plan that prioritizes the digitalization and management work streams

This scoping phase makes it possible to establish a realistic yet ambitious roadmap, tailored to your specific industrial context and your objectives (Bronze, Silver, or Gold).

Progressive rollout of the AeroExcellence software

The rollout of Oplit takes place gradually and in a structured way:

Phase 1: Setting up the Scheduling and MPS modules

• Configuring the AeroExcellence software for your industrial environment

• Integrating with your existing ERP

• Configuring production constraints (resources, tooling, skills)

Phase 2: Training and supporting users

• Training planners and schedulers

• Supporting managers and decision-makers

• Gradual transfer of skills toward autonomy

Phase 3: Tracking the KPIs tied to the AeroExcellence grid

• Setting up the performance dashboard

• Configuring the master KPIs (OTD, MPS adherence, backlog depth, inventory turnover)

• Monitoring and continuous-improvement routines

Proof of continuous improvement for GIFAS audits

A major advantage of Oplit's AeroExcellence software lies in its ability to retain the complete history of production and planning data. This traceability is essential during GIFAS audits, because it makes it possible to:

• Demonstrate the evolution of performance over time

• Justify the progression from Bronze to Silver, then Gold

• Provide tangible proof of continuous improvement (a fundamental criterion for Silver and Gold)

• Feed the performance indicators with reliable, auditable data

This systematic record-keeping is a decisive asset for convincing certified assessors of your maturity and your trajectory toward excellence.

Toward a more agile, digitalized, and collaborative supply chain

Industrial excellence runs on data

In today's context of an aerospace-industry ramp-up, production data is becoming a strategic decision-making lever. Oplit's AeroExcellence software makes it possible to:

• Centralize all planning, scheduling, and production information

• Improve the reliability of the data (routings, production rates, actual service levels)

• Leverage this wealth of information to make better decisions

• Share a common view across supply chain, production, and management

This data culture, supported by a robust digital platform, directly meets the expectations of the AeroExcellence standard in terms of digitalization and Industry 4.0 maturity.

A global view of performance

One of the biggest challenges for aerospace manufacturers is the fragmentation of tools and information. Planning in Excel, scheduling on paper, production tracking in the ERP, performance analysis in PowerPoint: this dispersion undermines efficiency and responsiveness.

With Oplit, manufacturers benefit from a unified platform that integrates:

• Master production scheduling (MPS) with load/capacity analysis

• Detailed finite-capacity scheduling

• Real-time production tracking

• Shop-floor performance management with consolidated KPIs

This 360° view is a major asset for:

• Improving coordination between departments

• Speeding up decision-making

• Strengthening the digital maturity assessed by AeroExcellence

• Increasing resilience in the face of disruptions and crises

The French aerospace sector, with its long history of excellence, must now succeed in its digital transformation to stay competitive against international rivals. The AeroExcellence label and solutions like Oplit's AeroExcellence software are decisive accelerators of this shift.

Reach your AeroExcellence label faster with Oplit

The GIFAS AeroExcellence label is not just a certification: it is a collective drive for excellence that lifts the entire French aerospace sector. By structuring practices, recognizing industrial maturity, and making it easier for prime contractors and subcontractors to work together, this unique standard is a major lever for competitiveness.

However, reaching the Bronze, Silver, or Gold levels demands substantial efforts in structuring, digitalization, and continuous improvement. This is exactly where Oplit, the benchmark AeroExcellence software, makes the difference.

By covering up to 80% of the criteria in the Planning & Logistics and Manufacturing Excellence domains, Oplit's AeroExcellence software lets you significantly accelerate your digital transformation, standardize your planning and scheduling processes, and reach your performance targets with measurable, demonstrated results.

Whether you are a Tier 1 supplier, a subcontractor in the aerospace supply chain, or a manufacturer in the middle of a ramp-up, Oplit offers a proven solution, trusted by major players such as Lisi Aerospace and CGR, to structure your industrial management according to the GIFAS standards of excellence.

Take action now

Don't let your competitors get ahead on AeroExcellence certification. With Oplit, benefit from proven AeroExcellence software that turns the complexity of the GIFAS grid into concrete opportunities for improvement.

👉 Request a personalized Oplit demo and discover how to accelerate your journey toward industrial excellence.