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{{otheruses3|Eads}}
{{Refimprove|date=March 2007}}
{{Infobox Company
{{Cleanup|date=February 2008}}
|company_name = European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
{{otheruses}}
|company_logo = [[Image:EADS logo.svg|centre|200px|]]
[[Image:Plastic household items.jpg|thumb|300px|right|Household items made of various kinds of plastic.]]
|company_type = [[Public company|Public]] ({{Euronext|EAD}}, {{BMAD|NL0000235190|EAD}}, {{FWB|EAD}})
'''Plastic''' is the general common term for a wide range of synthetic or semisynthetic [[organic chemistry|organic]] solid materials suitable for the manufacture of industrial products. Plastics are typically [[polymer]]s of high [[molecular weight]], and may contain other substances to improve performance or reduce costs.
|foundation = 2000
|location = [[Ottobrunn]]<!--- The location is NOT Munich! Please do not change without raising the issue on the discussion page --->, [[Germany]]<br>[[Paris]], [[France]]<br>[[Schiphol-Rijk]], [[The Netherlands]]
|key_people = [[Louis Gallois]] (CEO)<br>[[Rüdiger Grube]] (Chairman)
|| industry = [[Aerospace]], [[arms industry|defence]], and [[telecommunication]]s
|revenue = [[Euro|€]]39.12 [[1000000000 (number)|billion]] <small>(2007)</small><ref name="AR2007">{{cite web |url=http://www.eads.eu/xml/content/OF00000000400004/5/74/41987745.pdf |title=Annual Report 2007 |accessdate=2008-07-11 |publisher=EADS|format=PDF}}</ref>
|operating_income = {{profit}} €52 million <small>(2007)</small><ref name="AR2007" />
|net_income = {{loss}} (€446 million) <small>(2007)</small><ref name="AR2007" />
|num_employees = 116,500 <small>(2007)</small><ref name="AR2007" />
|parent = [[SOGEADE]]<br>[[Daimler AG]]
|divisions = [[Airbus]]<br>[[EADS Astrium|Astrium]]<br>[[EADS Defence & Security|Defence & Security]]<br>[[Eurocopter]]<br>[[Military Transport Aircraft]]
|homepage = [http://www.eads.eu/ www.eads.eu]
|intl = yes
}}


The '''European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.''' ('''EADS''') is a large [[Europe]]an aerospace corporation, formed by the merger on [[July 10]], [[2000]] of [[DaimlerChrysler Aerospace|DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA)]] of [[Germany]], [[Aérospatiale-Matra]] of [[France]], and [[Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA|Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA)]] of [[Spain]]. The company develops and markets civil and military aircraft, as well as missiles, space rockets, satellites, and related systems. The company is headquartered in [[the Netherlands]] in [[Schiphol-Rijk]]. The company operates under Dutch law.
The word derives from the [[Greek language|Greek]] ''πλαστικός'' (''plastikos''), "fit for molding", from ''πλαστός'' (''plastos'') "molded" <ref>[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/cgi-bin/ptext?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.04.0057%3Aentry%3D%2383506 Plastikos, Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, ''A Greek-English Lexicon'', at Perseus]</ref> <ref>[http://www.etymonline.com/index.php?search=plastic&searchmode=none Plastic, Online Etymology Dictionary]</ref>. It refers to their malleability, or [[plasticity (physics)|plasticity]] during manufacture, that allows them to be [[casting|cast]], [[pressing|pressed]], or [[extruded]] into an enormous variety of shapes—such as [[artificial membrane|film]]s, [[synthetic fiber|fibers]], plates, tubes, bottles, boxes, and much more. The word is also commonly used an [[adjective]] with the sense of "made of plastic" (e.g. "plastic cup", "plastic tubing").


== History ==
The common word "plastic" should not be confused with the technical adjective "plastic", which is applied to any material which undergoes a permanent change of shape (a "plastic deformation") when strained beyond a certain point. Aluminum, for instance, is "plastic" in this sense, but not "a plastic" in the common sense; while some plastics, in their finished forms, will break before deforming—and therefore are not "plastic" in the technical sense.
The 1997 merger of American corporations [[Boeing]] and [[McDonnell Douglas]], which followed the forming of [[Lockheed Martin]], the world's largest defense contractor in 1995, increased the pressure on European defense companies to consolidate. In June 1997 British Aerospace Defense Managing Director [[John Weston (businessman)|John Weston]] commented "Europe... is supporting three times the number of contractors on less than half the budget of the U.S.".<ref>{{cite news |first=Andrea|last=Rothman|coauthors=Landberg, Reed |title=Europe Defense Firms Feel Pressure to Unite|url=http://archives.seattletimes.nwsource.com/cgi-bin/texis.cgi/web/vortex/display?slug=2544541&date=19970615&query=Pressure+to+Unite |work=The Seattle Times|date=1997-06-15|accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> European governments wished to see the merger of their defence manufacturers into a single entity, a European Aerospace and Defense Company.<ref>{{cite news|title=Business: The Company File: Defense merger on the radar |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/the_company_file/130305.stm |work=BBC News |publisher=BBC |date=1998-07-10 |accessdate=2007-09-15 }} </ref>
==Overview==
Plastics can be classified by their chemical structure, namely the [[radical (chemistry)|molecular units]] that make up the polymer's backbone and side chains. Some important groups in these classifications are the [[acryl group|acrylics]], [[polyesters]], [[silicones]], [[polyurethanes]], and [[halocarbon|halogenated plastics]]. Plastics can also be classified by the chemical process used in their synthesis, e.g. as [[condensation reaction|condensation]], [[polyaddition]], [[cross-linking]], etc.<ref>[http://dwb.unl.edu/Teacher/NSF/C06/C06Links/qlink.queensu.ca/~6jrt/chem210/Page3.html Classification of Plastics<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


As early as 1995 the German aerospace and defence company [[DaimlerChrysler Aerospace]] (DASA) and its British counterpart [[British Aerospace]] were said to be keen to create a transnational aerospace and defense company.<ref>{{cite news |first=Adam |last=Jones|title=Europe cries foul as New BAe emerges |work=The Times |publisher=Times Newspapers |date=1999-01-20 |accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> The two companies envisaged including Aérospatiale, the other major European aerospace company, but only after its privatisation.<ref>{{cite news |first=Pierre|last=Sparaco|coauthors=Morrocco, John D. |title=French Government Grapples With Aerospace Strategy |work=Aviation Week and Space Technology |publisher= The McGraw-Hill Companies |date=1997-06-30|accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> The first stage of this integration was seen as the transformation of [[Airbus]] from a consortium of British Aerospace, DASA, Aérospatiale and [[Construcciones Aeronáuticas|Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA]] into an integrated company; in this aim BAe and DASA were united against the various objections of Aérospatiale.<ref name="BAeDASArelations">{{cite news |first=Bernard|last=Gray|coauthors=Skapinker, Michael|title=Giant waiting in the wings: Bernard Gray and Michael Skapinker ask if Europe's defence industry can consolidate in time to challenge US dominance|work=Financial Times|date=1997-06-24|accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> As well as Airbus, British Aerospace and DASA were partners in the [[Panavia Tornado]] and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft projects. Merger discussions began between British Aerospace and DASA in July 1998, just as French participation became more likely with the announcement that Aérospatiale was to merge with [[Matra]] and emerge with a diluted French government shareholding.<ref>{{cite news|title=BAe and Dasa discuss proposals for merger: Aerospace groups still have 'important issues to resolve'|work=Financial Times |publisher= |page=1 |date=1998-07-24 |accessdate=2007-09-12}}</ref> A merger was agreed between British Aerospace Chairman [[Richard Evans (businessman)|Richard Evans]] and DASA CEO [[Jürgen E. Schrempp|Jürgen Schrempp]] in December 1998.<ref name="ftBAeDASA">{{cite news |first=Peter |last=Spiegel|title=The largest aerospace companies gather next week for the Farnborough air show but the event will be without its long-time unofficial host|work=Financial Times|page=11|date=2004-07-17|accessdate=2007-01-24}}</ref> However when the British [[The General Electric Company plc|General Electric Company]] put its defense electronics business [[Marconi Electronic Systems]] up for sale on [[22 December]] [[1998]], British Aerospace abandoned the DASA merger in favour of purchasing its British rival. The merger of British Aerospace and MES to form [[BAE Systems]] was announced on [[19 January]] [[1999]] and completed on [[30 November]].<ref>BAE Systems Annual Report 1999 22. BAE Systems plc (2000). Retrieved on [[2006-10-27]].</ref><ref name="scotsman2000">{{cite news |first=Andrew|last=Turpin| title = BAE Eyes US Targets After Profit Rockets |work= The Scotsman| publisher =The Scotsman Publications|page=26| date =2000-03-04| accessdate = 2007-09-07}}</ref> Evans stated that in 2004 that his fear was that an American defense contractor would acquire MES and challenge both British Aerospace and DASA.<ref name="ftBAeDASA"/>
Other classifications are based on qualities that are relevant for manufacturing or product design. Examples of such classes are the [[thermoplastic]] and [[thermoset]], [[elastomer]], [[engineering plastic|structural]], [[biodegradable plastic|biodegradable]], [[electrical resistance|electrically conductive]], etc. Plastics can also be ranked by various physical properties, such as [[density]], [[tensile strength]], [[glass transition temperature]], resistance to various chemical products, etc.


===Formation===
Due to their relatively low cost, ease of manufacture, versatility, and imperviousness to water, plastics are used in an enormous
DASA and the Spanish aircraft company [[Construcciones Aeronáuticas|Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA]] agreed to merge with the signature of a memorandum of understanding on 11 June 1999.<ref>{{cite news |first=David |last=White|coauthors=Nicoll, Alexander|title=DaimlerChrysler wins fight for Spain's Casa: Deal boosts aerospace industry consolidation in Europe|work=Financial Times|date=1999-06-12|accessdate=2007-10-23}}</ref> On 14 October 1999 DASA agreed to merge with Aérospatiale-Matra to create the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.<ref>{{cite news |first=Alexander |last=Nicoll|coauthors=Skapiner, Michael |title=Flying in formation: The merger of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace and Aérospatiale-Matra may pave the way for a larger European grouping or the first transatlantic defence tie-up, argue Alexander Nicoll and Michael Skapinker |work=Financial Times|date=1999-10-15 |accessdate=2007-10-23}}</ref> [[10 July]] [[2000]] was "Day One" for the new company which became the world's second largest aerospace company after [[Boeing]] and the second-largest European [[arms trade|arms manufacturer]] after BAE Systems.<ref>[http://www.eads.eu/1024/en/eads/history/chronos/2000.html History of EADS]</ref>
and expanding range of products, from paper clips to spaceships. They have already displaced many traditional materials—such as
[[wood]], [[stone]], [[horn]] and [[bone]], [[leather]], [[paper]], [[metal]], [[glass]] and [[ceramic]]—in most of their former uses.


In January 2001 Airbus Industrie was transformed from an inherently inefficient consortium structure to a formal joint stock company, with legal and tax procedures being finalised on [[11 July]].<ref>{{cite press release |title=EADS and BAE SYSTEMS complete Airbus integration - Airbus SAS formally established |publisher=BAE Systems plc|date=2001-07-12 |url= http://www.baesystems.com/Newsroom/NewsReleases/2001/press_120720011.html |accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref><ref name="awst formation">{{cite news|first=Pierre|last=Sparaco|title=Climate Conducive For Airbus Consolidation |work=Aviation Week & Space Technology |date=2001-03-19 |accessdate=2007-10-04}}</ref> Both EADS and BAE transferred ownership of their Airbus factories to the new Airbus SAS in return for 80% and 20% shares in the new company respectively. In April 2001 EADS agreed to merge its missile businesses with those of BAE Systems and [[Alenia Marconi Systems]] (BAE/[[Finmeccanica]]) to form [[MBDA]]. EADS took a 37.5% share of the new company which was formally established in December 2001 and which thus became the world's second largest missile manufacturer.<ref>{{cite news|title=EADS, BAE and Finmeccanica Complete MBDA Merger|work=Defense Daily International |publisher= |date=2001-12-21 |accessdate=2007-10-04|quote=the new MBDA, the world's second largest missile manufacturer behind Raytheon}}</ref>
The use of plastics is constrained chiefly by their organic chemistry, which seriously limits their hardness, density, and their ability to resist heat, organic solvents, [[oxidation]], and [[ionizing radiation]]. In particular, most plastics will melt or [[pyrolysis|decompose]] when heated to a few hundred [[celsius]]. While plastics can be made electrically conductive to some extent, they are still no match for metals like [[copper]] or [[aluminum]]. Plastics are still too expensive to replace wood, [[concrete]] and ceramic in bulky items like ordinary [[building]]s, [[bridge]]s, [[dam]]s, [[pavement (material)|pavement]], [[railroad tie]]s, etc.


On [[16 June]] 2003 EADS acquired BAE's 25% share in [[Astrium]], the satellite and space system manufacturer, to become the sole owner. EADS paid £84&nbsp;million, however due to the lossmaking status of the company BAE invested an equal amount for "restructuring".<ref>{{cite news| first = Mark| last = Odell| title = BAE agrees new deal for Astrium |work = Financial Times| page =15 | date = 2003-02-01 | accessdate = 2007-01-23}}</ref> It was subsequently renamed [[EADS Astrium]]. In November 2003, EADS announced that it was considering working with Japanese companies, and the Japanese [[Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (Japan)|METI]], to develop a [[hypersonic]] [[airliner]] intended to be a larger, faster, and quieter, replacement for the [[Concorde]], which was retired in October the same year.
==Chemical structure==
Common thermoplastics range from 20,000 to 500,000 in [[molecular mass]], while thermosets are assumed to have infinite molecular weight. These chains are made up of many repeating molecular units, known as "repeat units", derived from "[[monomer]]s"; each polymer chain will have several thousand repeat units. The vast majority of plastics are composed of polymers of [[carbon]] and [[hydrogen]] alone or with [[oxygen]], [[nitrogen]], [[chlorine]] or [[sulfur]] in the backbone. (Some of commercial interest are [[silicon]] based.) The backbone is that part of the chain on the main "path" linking a large number of repeat units together. To vary the properties of plastics, both the repeat unit with different molecular groups "hanging" or "pendant" from the backbone, (usually they are "hung" as part of the monomers before linking monomers together to form the polymer chain). This customization by repeat unit's molecular structure has allowed plastics to become such an indispensable part of twenty first-century life by fine tuning the properties of the polymer.


Despite repeated suggestions as early as 2000 that BAE Systems wished to sell its 20% share of Airbus, the possibility was consistently denied by the company.<ref>{{cite news |first=Peter|last=Spiegel|title=BAE denies Airbus sale plans|work=Financial Times|date=2005-09-07|accessdate=2007-09-07}}</ref> However on [[6 April]] [[2006]] BBC News reported that it was indeed to sell its stake, then "conservatively valued" at £2.4&nbsp;billion.<ref name="BBC Airbus">{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/business/4886154.stm | title =BAE confirms possible Airbus sale | publisher =BBC News | date =2006-04-07 | accessdate =2006-08-12}}</ref> Due to the slow pace of informal negotiations, BAE exercised its [[put option]] which saw investment bank [[N M Rothschild & Sons|Rothschild]] appointed to give an independent valuation. Six days after this process began, Airbus announced delays to the [[Airbus A380|A380]] with significant effects on the value of Airbus shares. On [[2 June]] [[2006]] Rothschild valued BAE's share at £1.87&nbsp;billion, well below BAE's, analysts' and even EADS' expectations.<ref>{{cite news | first =David | last =Gow | url =http://business.guardian.co.uk/story/0,,1811589,00.html | title =BAE under pressure to hold Airbus stake | work =The Guardian | publisher =Guardian Newspapers |date =2006-07-03 | accessdate =2006-07-03}}</ref> The BAE board recommended that the company proceed with the sale and on [[4 October]] [[2006]] shareholders voted in favour; the sale was completed on [[13 October]] making EADS the sole shareholder of Airbus.<ref>{{cite news | title = BAE Systems says completed sale of Airbus stake to EADS | publisher = Forbes.com | date =2006-10-13 | url = http://www.forbes.com/markets/feeds/afx/2006/10/13/afx3089453.html | accessdate =2006-10-13}}</ref>
Some plastics are partially [[crystalline]] and partially [[amorphous]] in [[molecular]] structure, giving them both a [[melting point]] (the temperature at which the attractive [[intermolecular force]]s are overcome) and one or more [[glass transition temperature|glass transition]]s (temperatures above which the extent of localized molecular flexibility is substantially increased). So-called semi-[[crystalline]] plastics include polyethylene, polypropylene, poly (vinyl chloride), polyamides (nylons), polyesters and some polyurethanes. Many plastics are completely [[amorphous]], such as polystyrene and its copolymers, poly (methyl methacrylate), and all thermosets. ^_^


In March 2007 EADS Defence and Security Systems division was awarded an eight year, £200m contract to provide the IT infrastructure for the [[FiReControl]] project in the UK.<ref>[http://www.communities.gov.uk/index.asp?id=1002882&PressNoticeID=2363 Dept for Communities & Local Govt: Award of state of the art IT contract to improve fire service delivery 07 Mar 07, (accessed 09 Mar 07)]</ref>
[[Image:Plastic food.jpg|thumb|right|400px|Molded plastic food replicas on display outside a restaurant in [[Japan]].]]


{{Template:Creation of EADS}}
==History/Types of Plastics==


===Recent activities===
The development of plastics has come from the use of natural plastic materials (e.g., [[chewing gum]], [[shellac]]) to the use of chemically modified natural materials (e.g., [[rubber]], [[nitrocellulose]], [[collagen]], [[galalite]]) and finally to completely synthetic molecules (e.g., [[bakelite]], [[epoxy]], [[polyvinyl chloride]], polyethylene).
On [[29 February]] 2008, the [[U.S. Air Force]] awarded a $35 billion contract for aerial refueling tankers (the [[KC-45]]) to Northrop Grumman, with EADS as a major subcontractor. The contract, one of the largest created by the [[United States Department of Defense|Department of Defense]], is initially valued at $35 billion but has the potential to grow to $100 billion. It is also a sign of the growing influence of foreign suppliers within the Pentagon and breaks a relationship that has lasted decades with Boeing, which had built the bulk of the existing tanker fleet and had fought hard to land the new contract.


Under the contract, [[Northrop Grumman]] and EADS would build a fleet of 179 planes, based on the existing [[Airbus 330]], to provide in-air refueling to military aircraft, from fighter jets to cargo planes. While final assembly of the craft would take place at an Airbus plant near [[Mobile, Alabama]], parts would come from suppliers across the globe.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://www.reuters.com/article/ousiv/idUSN2861183920080301 | title = Northrop-EADS beats Boeing to build U.S. tanker| accessdate=2008-03-01}}</ref>
===Rubber===
Rubber is an elastic material obtained by "curdling" the milky sap ([[latex]]) of certain plants. Natives in [[Central America]] and [[Mexico]] used rubber before [[Christopher Columbus|Columbus]]<ref>[http://plastics.inwiki.org/Plastics_Timeline Plastics timeline]</ref>. In 1839, [[Charles Goodyear]] invented [[rubber|vulcanized rubber]], a form of [[natural rubber]] modified by cross-linking ([[vulcanization]]).


However, the award was protested by [[Boeing]], the other bidder on the project, which was upheld by the [[GAO]]. The Air Force announced a partial reopening of the bid, focusing on the eight (of nearly 110) areas where Boeing's protests were upheld, with a final decision due by the end of 2008.
===Cellulose-based plastics===


== Organisation ==
In 1855, an Englishman from [[Birmingham]] named [[Alexander Parkes]] developed a "synthetic ivory" which he marketed under the trade name "[[Parkesine]]", and which won a bronze medal at the 1862 [[World's fair]] in [[London]]. Parkesine was made from cellulose (the major component of plant cell walls) treated with [[nitric acid]] and a solvent. The output of the process (commonly known as cellulose nitrate or [[pyroxilin]]) could be dissolved in [[alcohol]] and hardened into a transparent and elastic material that could be molded when heated{{Fact|date=May 2008}}. By incorporating pigments into the product, it could be made to resemble [[ivory]][[camphor]]{
[[Image:Airbus A380 blue sky.jpg|thumb|[[Airbus]] [[Airbus A380|A380]]]]
[[Image:Eurofighter 9803 5.jpg|thumb|[[Eurofighter GmbH|Eurofighter]] [[Eurofighter Typhoon|Typhoon]]]]
[[Image:Eurocopter Tiger p1230203.jpg|thumb|[[Eurocopter]] [[Eurocopter Tiger|Tiger]]]]
[[Image:Ariane 5 (mock-up).jpg|thumb|[[Ariane 5]]]]
[[Image:Jules verne at iss.jpg|thumb|[[Jules Verne ATV]]]]


* [[Airbus]]
===Bakelite===
** [[EADS Sogerma]]
{{main|Bakelite}}
* [[Military Transport Aircraft]]
* [[Eurocopter Group|Eurocopter]]
* [[EADS Astrium]]
** [[EADS Astrium Satellites]]
** [[EADS Astrium Space Transportation]]
** EADS Astrium Space Services.
* [[EADS Defence & Security]]
** Defence Electronics
** EADS Military Air Systems, including products such as the [[EADS Mako/High Energy Advanced Trainer|Mako/HEAT]], and stakes in the following companies:
*** [[Dassault Aviation]] (45.76%){{ndash}} manufacturer fighters like the [[Dassault Rafale]] or the [[Dassault Mirage 2000]].
*** [[Eurofighter GmbH]] (46%){{ndash}} manufacturer of [[Eurofighter Typhoon]].
*** [[EADS 3 Sigma]]{{ndash}} a Hellenic company focused in the design, development, production and services provision of airborne and surface target drone systems.
** Defence and Communication Systems
** [[MBDA]] (37.5%){{ndash}} missile manufacturer


===Other units===
The first plastic based on a synthetic [[polymer]] was made from [[phenol]] and [[formaldehyde]], with the first viable and cheap synthesis methods invented in 1909 by [[Leo Hendrik Baekeland]], a [[Belgian-American|Belgian-born American]] living in [[New York state]]. Baekeland was searching for an insulating shellac to coat wires in electric motors and generators. He found that mixtures of [[phenol]] (C<sub>6</sub>H<sub>5</sub>OH) and [[formaldehyde]] (HCOH) formed a sticky mass when mixed together and heated, and the mass became extremely hard if allowed to cool. He continued his investigations and found that the material could be mixed with wood flour, asbestos, or slate dust to create "composite" materials with different properties. Most of these compositions were strong and fire resistant. The only problem was that the material tended to foam during synthesis, and the resulting product was of unacceptable quality.
* [[EADS North America]]{{ndash}} the U.S. holding company for the North American activities of EADS.
** [[American Eurocopter]]
** PlantCML [http://www.plantcml.com]
* [[ATR (aviation)|ATR]] (50%){{ndash}} regional aircraft manufacturer
* [[EADS Socata]]
* [[Construcciones Aeronáuticas|EADS CASA]]
* [[EADS EFW]]
* [[Arianespace]] (30%)


==Corporate governance==
Baekeland built pressure vessels to force out the bubbles and provide a smooth, uniform product. He publicly announced his discovery in 1912, naming it [[bakelite]]. It was originally used for electrical and mechanical parts, finally coming into widespread use in consumer goods in the 1920s. When the Bakelite patent expired in 1930, the Catalin Corporation acquired the patent and began manufacturing [[Catalin]] plastic using a different process that allowed a wider range of coloring.
EADS' Executive Committee is headed by Louis Gallois, the EADS [[chief executive officer|CEO]]. Other members are François Auque (Astrium), Lutz Bertling (Eurocopter), Jean Botti (Chief Technical Officer), Fabrice Brégier (EADS Operational Performance), Ralph Crosby (EADS North America), [[Thomas Enders]] (Airbus), Jussi Itävuori (Human Resources), Marwan Lahoud (Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer), [[Hans Peter Ring]] (Chief Financial Officer EADS and Airbus), Carlos Suárez (Military Transport Aircraft) and Stefan Zoller (Defence and Security).<ref>[http://www.eads.eu/1024/en/corporate_governance/Executive_Committee.html EADS N.V. - Executive Committee<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>


The Executive Committee is appointed by the board of directors, itself appointed by Daimler AG and SOGEADE. Both appoint four directors plus one independent director. As of July 2003 SEPI no longer nominates a board member, but a Spanish director is retained as the 11th member.<ref name="board">[http://www.eads.eu/1024/en/corporate_governance/Board_of_Directors/Board%20of%20Directors.html EADS N.V. - Board of Directors - Role and Composition<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref> The board also appoints the company's chairmen, one from the Daimler nominated directors and from the SOGEADE nominated directors. As of September 2007 the Chairmen are Rüdiger Grube and Arnaud Lagardère. The other board members are Louis Gallois, Thomas Enders, Hans Peter Ring, Juan Manuel Eguiagaray, Michel Pébereau, Bodo Uebber, François David and Michael Rogowski.<ref name="board"/>
Bakelite was the first true plastic. It was a purely synthetic material, not based on any material or even molecule found in nature. It was also the first thermosetting plastic. Conventional thermoplastics can be molded and then melted again, but [[thermoset]] plastics form bonds between polymers strands when cured, creating a tangled matrix that cannot be undone without destroying the plastic. Thermoset plastics are tough and temperature resistant.


In late 2004 [[Noël Forgeard]] (then Airbus CEO) was nominated by Lagardère as the next French CEO of EADS. Forgeard had suggested that this system should be abolished in favour of a single CEO in a move that DaimlerChrysler saw as an attempt to engineer a French dominated management team. Following protracted arguments, which caused embarrassment to EADS at the [[Paris Air Show]], the appointment was confirmed by the EADS Board of Directors on [[June 25]], [[2005]]. At the same meeting the Board, in consultation with partner BAE Systems, named [[Gustav Humbert]] as President and CEO of Airbus.
Bakelite was cheap, strong, and durable. It was molded into thousands of forms, such as radios, telephones, clocks, and billiard balls. The U.S. government even considered making one-cent coins out of it when World War II caused a copper shortage. {{Facts|date=September 2008}}


== Financial information ==
Phenolic plastics have been largely replaced by cheaper and less brittle plastics, but they are still used in applications requiring its insulating and heat-resistant properties. For example, some electronic [[circuit board]]s are made of sheets of paper or cloth impregnated with phenolic resin.
As of [[3 July]] [[2007]] 41.63% of EADS stock is publicly traded on six European stock exchanges, while the remaining 58.37% is owned by a "Contractural Partnership".<ref name="share structure"/> The latter is owned by [[SOGEADE]] (27.38%), [[Daimler AG]] (22.41%), [[SEPI]] (5.46%) and [[Dubai Holding]] (3.12%).<ref>John, Isaac. [http://khaleejtimes.ae/DisplayArticleNew.asp?xfile=data/business/2007/July/business_July224.xml&section=business&col=/ "Dubai Int'l Capital buys 3.12pc stake in EADS"], [[Khaleej Times]] Online, [[2007-07-06]].</ref> SOGEADE is owned by the French State and [[Lagardère Group|Lagardère]], while SEPI is a Spanish state holding company. France also owns 0.06% of publicly traded stock.<ref name="share structure">[http://www.eads.eu/1024/en/investor/Stock_information/Shareholding_structure.html EADS Shareholding Structure]</ref>


In October 2005 the British [[Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)|Ministry of Defence]] warned European politicians to stop, as it sees it, interfering in the corporate governance of EADS. The UK Defence Procurement Minister [[Paul Drayson, Baron Drayson|Lord Drayson]] has hinted that the UK government, a major customer for EADS, may withhold future contracts. "As a key customer, we see it as important for EADS to move in a direction that is free from political interference." <ref>{{cite news | last = Roberston | first = David | title = MoD tells European leaders to stop meddling in EADS | publisher = The Times |date=2006-10-05 | url = http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,13130-2389278,00.html | accessdate =2006-10-15}}</ref>
Phenolic sheets, rods and tubes are produced in a wide variety of grades under various brand names. The most common grades of industrial phenolic are Canvas, Linen and Paper.


On [[April 4]], [[2006]], DaimlerChrysler announced its intention to reduce its shareholding from 30% to 22.5%. The company places a value of the stake at "approximately €2.0 billion." <ref name"DaimlerReduce">[http://www.spacemart.com/reports/DaimlerChrysler_And_Lagardere_Cut_Stake_In_EADS.html DaimlerChrysler And Lagardere Cut Stake In EADS]</ref> Lagardère will reduce its holding by an identical amount. However, [[Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations]], a unit of the French government, acquired 2.25% of EADS. At issue as a result is the fact that the German and French shareholdings are now in imbalance.<ref name="iht_20060411">"[http://www.iht.com/articles/2006/04/11/business/airbus.php Airbus plays catch-up with A350 jet]." Phillips, D. ''[[International Herald Tribune]]''. [[April 11]], [[2006]].</ref>
===Polystyrene and PVC===
[[Image:Plastic pipe firestops nortown casitas.jpg|thumb|right|Plastic [[piping]] and [[firestop]]s being installed at Nortown Casitas, North York (Now [[Toronto]]), [[Ontario]], [[Canada]]. Certain plastic pipes can be used in some noncombustible buildings, provided they are firestopped properly and that the flame spread ratings comply with the local [[building code]].]]


On [[August 30]], [[2006]], shortly after the stock price decline caused by the A380 delivery delays, more than 5% of EADS stock has been reportedly purchased by the [[Russia]]n state-owned [[Vneshtorgbank]].<ref name="vneshtorgbank_yahoo">"[http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060830/ap_on_bi_ge/france_russia_eads_2 EADS shares up on Vneshtorgbank reports]." [[Yahoo News]]. [[August 30]], [[2006]].</ref> Now its share is nearly 6%. In December 2007, [[Vneshtorgbank]] sold EADS shares to another state-controlled bank [[Vneshekonombank]]. EADS sharers are to be delivered by [[Vneshekonombank]] to the charter capital of JSC "United Aircraft Corporation" in 2008.
After the [[World War I|First World War]], improvements in chemical technology led to an explosion in new forms of plastics. Among the earliest examples in the wave of new plastics were "[[polystyrene]]" (PS) and "[[polyvinyl chloride]]" (PVC), developed by [[IG Farben]] of Germany.


On [[October 3]], [[2006]], shortly after EADS admitted further delays in the Airbus 380 program would cost the company 4.8 billion euros in lost earnings in 2010, EADS shares, traded on the Paris arm of Euronext, were suspended after they surpassed the 10 per cent loss limit. Trading resumed later in the day with the one day loss holding at 7 per cent [http://business.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,9067-2388196,00.html].
Polystyrene is a rigid, brittle, inexpensive plastic that has been used to make plastic model kits and similar knickknacks. It would also be the basis for one of the most popular "foamed" plastics, under the name "styrene foam" or "[[Styrofoam]]". Foam plastics can be synthesized in an "open cell" form, in which the foam bubbles are interconnected, as in an absorbent sponge, and "closed cell", in which all the bubbles are distinct, like tiny balloons, as in gas-filled foam insulation and flotation devices. In the late 1950s "High Impact" styrene was introduced, which was not brittle. It finds much current use as the substance of toy figurines and novelties.


==Criticisms ==
[[Image:styrene polymerization.png|300px|center]]
===Cluster bombs===
{{POV-section|date=May 2008}}


As a result of criticisms, the [[Norway|Norwegian]] [[The Government Pension Fund of Norway|Government Pension Fund]] excluded EADS and its sister company [[EADS Finance BV]] from its portfolio in 2005, arguing that EADS manufactures "key components for [[cluster bomb]]s." EADS and its subsidiaries fulfill all the conditions of the [[Ottawa Treaty]]. No product of EADS or its subsidiaries falls into the category of antipersonnel mines as defined by the Ottawa Treaty ("landmines under the Ottawa Treaty"), also all activities undertaken by EADS are in accordance with the national and international rules and regulations that apply to the company. EADS owned the company TDA in a joint venture with the company Thales S.A. and TDA produced the mortar ammunition PR Cargo, which can be considered cluster ammunition, however this has since been divested. In April 2006 the fund declared that the basis for excluding EADS from investments related to production of cluster munitions is no longer valid, however its shareholding of MBDA means the fund still excludes EADS due to its indirect involvement in nuclear weapons production.<ref name="NorExclude2">[http://www.regjeringen.no/en/dep/fin/Selected-topics/andre/Ethical-Guidelines-for-the-Government-Pension-Fund---Global-/Recommendations-and-Letters-from-the-Advisory-Council-on-Ethics/Recommendation-of-18-April-2006.html?id=419592#note3 The exclusion of EADS from the investment universe of the Government Pension Fund – Global has been reviewed]</ref>
PVC has side chains incorporating chlorine atoms, which form strong bonds. PVC in its normal form is stiff, strong, heat and weather resistant, and is now used for making [[plumbing]], gutters, house siding, enclosures for computers and other electronics gear. PVC can also be softened with chemical processing, and in this form it is now used for shrink-wrap, food packaging, and raingear.


===Bribery===
[[Image:vinylchloride polymerization.png|300px|center]]
In 2003 [[Tony Yengeni]], former chief whip of South Africa's ANC, was convicted of fraud relating to an arms deal with South Africa, in which EADS were major players<ref>[http://www.sundaytimes.co.za/article.aspx?ID=298749 Jailed Yengeni shows no remorse]</ref>, worth around $5bn. The BBC reported that EADS had admitted that it had "rendered assistance" to some 30 senior officials to obtain luxury vehicles, including defence force chief General Siphiwe Nyanda.<ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/1579194.stm Top ANC official resigns]</ref>
===Nylon===
{{main|Nylon}}
The real star of the plastics industry in the 1930s was "[[polyamide]]" (PA), far better known by its trade name '''nylon'''. Nylon was the first purely synthetic fiber, introduced by [[DuPont|DuPont Corporation]] at the [[1939 World's Fair]] in [[New York City]].


=== Insider trading investigation ===
In 1927, DuPont had begun a secret development project designated "Fiber66", under the direction of Harvard chemist [[Wallace Carothers]] and chemistry department director [[Elmer Keiser Bolton]]. Carothers had been hired to perform pure research, and he worked to understand the new materials' molecular structure and physical properties. He took some of the first steps in the molecular design of the materials.
On [[June 2]], [[2006]] co-CEO Noël Forgeard and Airbus CEO [[Gustav Humbert]] resigned following the controversy caused by the June 2006 announcement that deliveries of the A380 would be delayed by a further six months. Forgeard was one of a number of executives who exercised stock options in November 2005 and March 2006. He and 21 other executives are under investigation as to whether they knew about the delays in the Airbus A380 project which caused a 26% fall in EADS shares when publicised.<ref name="ecosharedealing">{{cite news|title=Inside story; Share scandals in France|work=The Economist |publisher=The Economist Newspapers |date=2007-10-13|accessdate=2007-10-25}}</ref>


The French government's actions are also under investigation; The stated-owned bank Caisse des Dépots et Consignations (CDC) bought part of Lagardère's 7.5% stake in EADS in April 2006, allowing that latter to partially escape the June 2006 losses.<ref name="ecosharedealing"/>
His work led to the discovery of synthetic nylon fiber, which was very strong but also very flexible. The first application was for bristles for [[toothbrushes]]. However, Du Pont's real target was [[silk]], particularly silk [[stocking]]s. Carothers and his team synthesized a number of different polyamides including polyamide 6.6 and 4.6, as well as polyesters.{{Facts|date=September 2008}}


In June 2008, law firm [[Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman and Robbins]] announced that a class action has been commenced on behalf of an institutional investor in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of U.S. citizens who purchased the publicly traded stock of EADS.
:[[Image:Condensation polymerization diacid diamine.svg|thumb|left|400px|General condensation polymerization reaction for nylon]]{{clear}}


== See also ==
It took DuPont twelve years and US$27 million to refine nylon, and to synthesize and develop the industrial processes for bulk manufacture. With such a major investment, it was no surprise that Du Pont spared little expense to promote nylon after its introduction, creating a public sensation, or "nylon mania".
*[[European defence procurement]]

Nylon mania came to an abrupt stop at the end of 1941 when the USA entered [[World War II]]. The production capacity that had been built up to produce nylon stockings, or just "nylons", for American women was taken over to manufacture vast numbers of parachutes for fliers and paratroopers. After the war ended, DuPont went back to selling nylon to the public, engaging in another promotional campaign in 1946 that resulted in an even bigger craze, triggering the so called "[[nylon riots]]".

Subsequently polyamides 6, 10, 11, and 12 have been developed based on monomers which are ring compounds, e.g. caprolactam.nylon 66 is a material manufactured by condensation polymerisation

Nylons still remain important plastics, and not just for use in fabrics. In its bulk form it is very wear resistant, particularly if oil-impregnated, and so is used to build gears, [[bearing (mechanical)|bearing]]s, [[bushing]]s, and because of good heat-resistance, increasingly for under-the-hood applications in cars, and other mechanical parts.

===Synthetic rubber===
{{main article|Synthetic rubber}}

A polymer that was critical to the war effort was "synthetic rubber", which was produced in a variety of forms. Synthetic rubbers are not plastics. Synthetic rubbers are elastic materials.

The first synthetic rubber polymer was obtained by [[Sergei Vasiljevich Lebedev|Lebedev]] in 1910. Practical synthetic rubber grew out of studies published in 1930 written independently by American [[Wallace Carothers]], Russian scientist [[Sergei Vasiljevich Lebedev|Lebedev]] and the German scientist [[Hermann Staudinger]]. These studies led in 1931 to one of the first successful synthetic rubbers, known as "[[neoprene]]", which was developed at [[DuPont]] under the direction of [[Elmer Keiser Bolton|E.K. Bolton]]. Neoprene is highly resistant to heat and chemicals such as [[Petroleum|oil]] and [[gasoline]], and is used in fuel hoses and as an insulating material in machinery.

In 1935, German chemists synthesized the first of a series of synthetic rubbers known as "Buna rubbers". These were "copolymers", meaning that their polymers were made up from not one but two monomers, in alternating sequence. One such Buna rubber, known as "GR-S" (Government Rubber Styrene), is a copolymer of butadiene and styrene, became the basis for U.S. synthetic rubber production during World War II.

Worldwide natural rubber supplies were limited and by mid-1942 most of the rubber-producing regions were under Japanese control. Military trucks needed rubber for tires, and rubber was used in almost every other war machine. The U.S. government launched a major (and largely secret) effort to develop and refine synthetic rubber. A principal scientist involved with the effort was [[Edward Robbins]].

By 1944 a total of 50 factories were manufacturing it, pouring out a volume of the material twice that of the world's natural rubber production before the beginning of the war.

After the war, natural rubber plantations no longer had a stranglehold on rubber supplies, particularly after chemists learned to synthesize isoprene. GR-S remains the primary synthetic rubber for the manufacture of tires.

Synthetic rubber would also play an important part in the [[space race]] and [[nuclear arms race]]. [[Solid rocket]]s used during World War II used [[nitrocellulose]] explosives for propellants, but it was impractical and dangerous to make such rockets very big.

During the war, [[California Institute of Technology]] (Caltech) researchers came up with a new solid fuel, based on [[asphalt]] fuel mixed with an [[oxidizer]], such as [[potassium]] or [[ammonium perchlorate]], plus [[aluminium]] powder, which burns very hot. This new solid fuel burned more slowly and evenly than nitrocellulose explosives, and was much less dangerous to store and use, though it tended to flow slowly out of the rocket in storage and the rockets using it had to be stockpiled nose down.

After the war, the Caltech researchers began to investigate the use of synthetic rubbers instead of asphalt as the fuel in the mixture. By the mid-1950s, large missiles were being built using solid fuels based on synthetic rubber, mixed with [[ammonium perchlorate]] and high proportions of [[aluminium]] powder. Such solid fuels could be cast into large, uniform blocks that had no cracks or other defects that would cause nonuniform burning. Ultimately, all large military rockets and missiles would use synthetic rubber based solid fuels, and they would also play a significant part in the civilian space effort.

===Plastics explosion: acrylic, polyethylene, etc.===
{{main|Plastics explosion}}
Other plastics emerged in the prewar period, though some would not come into widespread use until after the war.

By 1936, American, British, and German companies were producing [[Polymethyl methacrylate]] (PMMA), better known as acrylic glass. Although acrylics are now well known for their use in paints and synthetic fibers, such as fake furs, in their bulk form they are actually very hard and more transparent than glass, and are sold as glass replacements under trade names such as "Perspex", "Plexiglas" and "Lucite". These were used to build aircraft canopies during the war, and its main application now is large illuminated signs such as are used in shop fronts or inside large stores, and for the manufacture of vacuum-formed bath-tubs.

Another important plastic, [[Polyethylene]] (PE), sometimes known as polythene, was discovered in 1933 by [[Reginald Gibson]] and [[Eric Fawcett]] at the British industrial giant Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI). This material evolved into two forms, [[Low-density polyethylene|low density polyethylene]] (LDPE), and [[High-density polyethylene|high density polyethylene]] (HDPE).

[[Image:ethylene polymerization.png|300px|center]]

PEs are cheap, flexible, durable, and chemically resistant. LDPE is used to make films and packaging materials, while HDPE is used for containers, [[plumbing]], and automotive fittings. While PE has low resistance to chemical attack, it was found later that a PE container could be made much more robust by exposing it to fluorine gas, which modified the surface layer of the container into the much tougher [[Polytetrafluoroethylene|polyfluoroethylene]].

Polyethylene would lead after the war to an improved material, [[Polypropylene]] (PP), which was discovered in the early 1950s by [[Giulio Natta]]. It is common in modern science and technology that the growth of the general body of knowledge can lead to the same inventions in different places at about the same time, but polypropylene was an extreme case of this phenomenon, being separately invented about nine times. The ensuing litigation was not resolved until 1989.

Polypropylene managed to survive the legal process and two American chemists working for [[Phillips Petroleum]], [[J. Paul Hogan]] and [[Robert Banks (chemist)|Robert Banks]], are now generally credited as the "official" inventors of the material. Polypropylene is similar to its ancestor, polyethylene, and shares polyethylene's low cost, but it is much more robust. It is used in everything from plastic bottles to carpets to plastic furniture, and is very heavily used in automobiles.

[[Image:propylene polymerization.png|300px|center]]

[[Polyurethane]] (PU) was invented by [[Bayer|Friedrich Bayer & Company]] in 1937, and would come into use after the war, in blown form for mattresses, furniture padding, and thermal insulation. It is also one of the components (in non-blown form) of the fiber [[spandex]].

In 1939, [[IG Farben]] filed a patent for polyepoxide or [[epoxy]]. Epoxies are a class of thermoset plastic that form cross-links and cure when a catalyzing agent, or hardener, is added. After the war they would come into wide use for coatings, [[adhesive]]s, and composite materials.

Composites using epoxy as a matrix include [[glass-reinforced plastic]], where the structural element is [[fiberglass|glass fiber]], and carbon-epoxy composites, in which the structural element is [[carbon fiber]]. Fiberglass is now often used to build sport boats, and carbon-epoxy composites are an increasingly important structural element in aircraft, as they are lightweight, strong, and heat resistant.

Two chemists named [[Rex Whinfield]] and [[James Dickson (chemist)|James Dickson]], working at a small English company with the quaint name of the "Calico Printer's Association" in Manchester, developed [[polyethylene terephthalate]] (PET or PETE) in 1941, and it would be used for synthetic fibers in the postwar era, with names such as polyester, [[dacron]], and "Terylene".

PET is less gas-permeable than other low-cost plastics and so is a popular material for making bottles for [[Coca-Cola]] and other carbonated drinks, since carbonation tends to attack other plastics, and for acidic drinks such as fruit or vegetable juices. PET is also strong and abrasion resistant, and is used for making mechanical parts, food trays, and other items that have to endure abuse. [[PET film (biaxially oriented)|PET films]] are used as a base for recording tape.

One of the most impressive plastics used in the war, and a top secret, was [[polytetrafluoroethylene]] (PTFE), better known as Teflon, which could be deposited on metal surfaces as a scratch-proof and corrosion-resistant, low-friction protective coating. The polyfluoroethylene surface layer created by exposing a polyethylene container to fluorine gas is very similar to Teflon.

A Du Pont chemist named [[Roy Plunkett]] discovered Teflon by accident in 1938. During the war, it was used in gaseous-diffusion processes to refine uranium for the atomic bomb, as the process was highly corrosive. By the early 1960s, Teflon adhesion-resistant frying pans were in demand.

[[Image:Tetrafluoroethylene polymerization.png|300px|center]]

Teflon was later used to synthesize the breathable fabric [[Gore-Tex]], which can be used to manufacture wet weather clothing that is able to "breathe". Its structure allows water vapour molecules to pass, while not permitting water as liquid to enter. Gore-Tex is also used for surgical applications such as garments and [[implant]]s; Teflon strand is used to make [[dental floss]]; and Teflon mixed with fluorine compounds is used to make decoy flares dropped by aircraft to distract heat-seeking missiles.

After the war, the new plastics that had been developed entered the consumer mainstream in a flood. New manufacturing techniques were developed, using various forming, molding, casting, and [[extrusion]] processes, to churn out plastic products in vast quantities. American consumers enthusiastically adopted the endless range of colorful, cheap, and durable plastic gimmicks being produced for new suburban home life.

One of the most visible parts of this plastics invasion was [[Earl Tupper]]'s [[Tupperware]], a complete line of sealable polyethylene food containers that Tupper cleverly promoted through a network of housewives who sold Tupperware as a means of bringing in some money. The Tupperware line of products was well thought out and highly effective, greatly reducing spoilage of foods in storage. Thin-film [[plastic wrap]] that could be purchased in rolls also helped keep food fresh.

Another prominent element in 1950s homes was [[Formica (plastic)|Formica]], a [[plastic laminate]] that was used to surface furniture and cabinetry. Formica was durable and attractive. It was particularly useful in kitchens, as it did not absorb, and could be easily cleaned of stains from food preparation, such as blood or grease. With Formica, a very attractive and well-built table could be built using low-cost and lightweight plywood with Formica covering, rather than expensive and heavy hardwoods like oak or mahogany.

Composite materials like fiberglass came into use for building boats and, in some cases, cars. Polyurethane foam was used to fill mattresses, and Styrofoam was used to line ice coolers and make float toys.

Plastics continue to be improved. [[General Electric]] introduced [[Lexan]], a high-impact [[polycarbonate]] plastic, in the 1970s. Du Pont developed [[Kevlar]], an extremely strong synthetic fiber that was best known for its use in ballistic rated clothing and combat helmets. Kevlar was so impressive that its manufacturer, DuPont, deemed it necessary to release an official statement denying alien involvement. <ref>[http://www.packagingtoday.com/introplasticexplosion.htm History of Plastics and Plastic Packaging Products - Polyethylene, Polypropylene, and More<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>

==Toxicity==

Due to their insolubility in water and relative chemical inertness, pure plastics generally have low toxicity in their finished state, and will pass through the digestive system with no ill effect (other than mechanical damage or obstruction).

However, plastics often contain a variety of toxic additives. For example, [[plasticizers]] like [[adipate]]s and [[phthalate]]s are often added to brittle plastics like [[polyvinyl chloride]] (PVC) to make them pliable enough for use in food packaging, children's toys and teethers, tubing, shower curtains and other items. Traces of these chemicals can leach out of the plastic when it comes into contact with food. Out of these concerns, the [[European Union]] has banned the use of [[DEHP]] (di-2-ethylhexyl phthalate), the most widely used plasticizer in PVC. Some compounds leaching from [[polystyrene]] food containers have been found to interfere with hormone functions and are suspected human carcinogens<ref name="NationalGeographic" />.

Moreover, while the finished plastic may be non-toxic, the monomers used in its manufacture may be toxic; and small amounts of those chemical may remain trapped in the product. The [[World Health Organization]]'s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) has recognized the chemical used to make PVC, [[vinyl chloride]], as a known human [[carcinogen]]<ref name="NationalGeographic">{{cite web | last = McRandle | first = P.W. | title = Plastic Water Bottles | publisher = [[National Geographic]] | date = March/April 2004 | url = http://www.thegreenguide.com/doc/101/plastic | accessdate = 2007-11-13 }}</ref>. Some polymers may also decompose into the monomers or other toxic substances when heated.

The primary building block of [[polycarbonate]]s, [[bisphenol A]] (BPA), is an [[estrogen]]-like [[hormone]] disrupter that may leach into food.<ref name="NationalGeographic" />. Research in [[Environmental Health Perspective]]s finds that BPA leached from the lining of tin cans, dental sealants and polycarbonate bottles can increase body weight of lab animals' offspring.{{Fact|date=October 2008}} A more recent animal study suggests that even low-level exposure to BPA results in insulin resistance, which can lead to inflammation and heart disease.{{Fact|date=October 2008}}

[[Bis(2-ethylhexyl) adipate]], present in [[plastic wrap]] based on PVC, is also of concern, as are the [[volatile organic compounds]] present in [[new car smell]]. Toxic chemicals allegedly released by the [[reuse of water bottles]] have been the subject of [[urban legend]]. {{Fact|date=October 2008}}

==Environmental issues==
{{further|[[Marine debris]]}}
Plastics are durable and [[chemical decomposition|degrade]] very slowly. In some cases, burning plastic can release [[toxicity|toxic]] fumes. Also, the manufacturing of plastics often creates large quantities of chemical pollutants.

Prior to the ban on the use of [[Chlorofluorocarbon|CFCs]] in extrusion of polystyrene (and general use, except in life-critical fire suppression systems; see [[Montreal Protocol]]), the production of polystyrene contributed to the depletion of the [[ozone layer]]; however, non-CFCs are currently used in the extrusion process.

By 1995, [[plastic recycling]] programs were common in the United States and elsewhere. Thermoplastics can be remelted and reused, and thermoset plastics can be ground up and used as filler, though the purity of the material tends to degrade with each reuse cycle. There are methods by which plastics can be broken back down to a feedstock state.

To assist recycling of disposable items, the Plastic Bottle Institute of the [[Society of the Plastics Industry]] devised a now-familiar scheme to mark plastic bottles by plastic type. A plastic container using this scheme is marked with a triangle of three "chasing arrows", which encloses a number giving the plastic type:

<div class="thumb tright">
<div style="width:200px;">
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-1-PETE.svg|50px|1-PETE]]
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-2-HDPE.svg|50px|2-HDPE]]
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-3-V.svg|50px|3-PVC]]
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-4-LDPE.svg|50px|4-LDPE]]
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-5-PP.svg|50px|5-PP]]
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-6-PS.svg|50px|6-PS]]
[[Image:Resin-identification-code-7-OTHER.svg|50px|7-Other]]
<div class="thumbcaption">Plastics type marks: the [[Resin identification code]]</div>
</div>
</div>

# PET ''(PETE)'', [[polyethylene terephthalate]]: Commonly found on 2-liter [[soft drink]] bottles, cooking oil bottles, peanut butter jars.
# HDPE, [[high-density polyethylene]]: Commonly found on detergent bottles, milk jugs.
# PVC, [[polyvinyl chloride]]: Commonly found on plastic pipes, outdoor furniture, siding, floor tiles, shower curtains, clamshell packaging.
# LDPE, [[low-density polyethylene]]: Commonly found on dry-cleaning bags, produce bags, trash can liners, food storage containers.
# PP, [[polypropylene]]: Commonly found on bottle caps, drinking straws, yogurt containers.
# PS, [[polystyrene]]: Commonly found on "packing peanuts", cups, plastic tableware, meat trays, take-away food clamshell containers
# OTHER, other: This plastic category, as its name of "other" implies, is any plastic other than the named #1–#6, Commonly found on certain kinds of food containers, [[Tupperware]], and [[Nalgene]] bottles.

Unfortunately, recycling plastics has proven difficult. The biggest problem with plastic recycling is that it is difficult to automate the sorting of plastic waste, and so it is labor intensive. Typically, workers sort the plastic by looking at the [[resin identification code]], though common containers like soda bottles can be sorted from memory. Other recyclable materials, such as metals, are easier to process mechanically. However, new mechanical sorting processes are being utilized to increase plastic recycling capacity and efficiency.

While containers are usually made from a single type and color of plastic, making them relatively easy to sort out, a consumer product like a cellular phone may have many small parts consisting of over a dozen different types and colors of plastics. In a case like this, the resources it would take to separate the plastics far exceed their value and the item is discarded. However, developments are taking place in the field of [[Active Disassembly]], which may result in more consumer product components being re-used or recycled. Recycling certain types of plastics can be unprofitable, as well. For example, [[polystyrene]] is rarely recycled because it is usually not cost effective. These unrecyclable wastes can be disposed of in [[landfills]], [[incineration|incinerated]] or used to produce electricity at [[trash-to-energy plant|waste-to-energy]] plants.

===Biodegradable plastics===
{{mainarticle|Biodegradable plastic}}
Research has been done on [[biodegradable]] plastics that break down with exposure to sunlight (e.g. [[ultra-violet radiation]]), water or dampness, bacteria, enzymes, wind abrasion and some instances rodent pest or insect attack are also included as forms of [[biodegradation]] or [[environmental degradation]]. It is clear some of these modes of degradation will only work if the plastic is exposed at the surface, while other modes will only be effective if certain conditions are found in landfill or composting systems. [[Starch]] powder has been mixed with plastic as a filler to allow it to degrade more easily, but it still does not lead to complete breakdown of the plastic. Some researchers have actually genetically engineered bacteria that synthesize a completely biodegradable plastic, but this material, such as [[Biopol]], is expensive at present{{Fact|date=April 2008}}. The [[Germany|German]] chemical company [[BASF]] makes Ecoflex, a fully biodegradable [[polyester]] for food packaging applications.

A potential disadvantage of biodegradable plastics is that the carbon that is locked up in them is released into the atmosphere as a [[greenhouse gas]] [[carbon dioxide]] when they degrade, though if they are made from natural materials, such as vegetable crop derivatives or animal products, there is no net gain in carbon dioxide emissions, although concern will be for a worse greenhouse gas, [[methane]] release. Of course, incinerating non-biodegradable plastics will release carbon dioxide as well, while disposing of it in landfills will release methane when the plastic does eventually break down.

So far, these plastics have proven too costly and limited for general use, and critics have pointed out that the only real problem they address is roadside [[litter]], which is regarded as a secondary issue. When such plastic materials are dumped into [[landfills]], they can become "mummified" and persist for decades even if they are supposed to be biodegradable.

There have been some success stories. The Courtauld concern, the original producer of rayon, came up with a revised process for the material in the mid-1980s to produce "[[Tencel]]". Tencel has many superior properties over rayon, but is still produced from "[[biomass]]" feedstocks, and its manufacture is extraordinarily clean by the standards of plastic production.

Researchers at the University of Illinois at Urbana have been working on developing biodegradable resins, sheets and films made with [[zein]]
(corn protein).{{PDFlink|[http://www.otm.uiuc.edu/attachments/CornZein.pdf]|96.7&nbsp;[[Kibibyte|KiB]]<!-- application/pdf, 99104 bytes -->}}

Recently, however, a new type of biodegradable [[resin]] has made its debut in the United States, called [[Plastarch Material]] (PSM). It is heat, water, and oil resistant and sees a 70% degradation in 90 days. Biodegradable plastics based on polylactic acid (once derived from dairy products, now from [[cereal]] crops such as [[maize]]) have entered the marketplace, for instance as polylactates as [[disposable]] sandwich packs.

An alternative to starch-based resins are additives such as [[Bio-Batch]] an additive that allows the manufacturers to make PE, PS, PP, PET, and PVC totally biodegradable in landfills where 94.8% of most plastics end up, according to the [[EPA]]'s latest MSW report located under "Municipal Solid Waste in the United States": 2003 Data Tables.

It is also possible that [[bacteria]] will eventually develop the ability to degrade plastics. This has already happened with nylon: two types of [[nylon eating bacteria]], ''[[Flavobacteria]]'' and ''[[Pseudomonas]]'', were found in 1975 to possess [[enzymes]] ([[nylonase]]) capable of breaking down nylon. While not a solution to the disposal problem, it is likely that bacteria will evolve the ability to use other synthetic plastics as well. In 2008, a 16-year-old boy reportedly isolated two plastic-consuming bacteria.<ref>[http://news.therecord.com/News/CanadaWorld/article/354044 WCI student isolates microbe that lunches on plastic bags]</ref>

The latter possibility was in fact the subject of a cautionary novel by [[Kit Pedler]] and [[Gerry Davis (screenwriter)]], the creators of the [[Cybermen]], re-using the plot of the first episode of their [[Doomwatch]] series. The novel, ''"Mutant 59: The Plastic Eater"'', written in 1971, is the story of what could happen if a bacterium were to evolve—or be artificially cultured—to eat plastics, and be let loose in a major [[city]].

===Bioplastics===
{{Main|Bioplastic}}

Some plastics can be obtained from biomass, including:

* from [[pea]] [[starch]] film with trigger [[biodegradation]] properties for agricultural applications ([[TRIGGER]]). <ref>[http://cordis.europa.eu/search/index.cfm?fuseaction=proj.document&CFTOKEN=19120617&PJ_RCN=7901178&CFID=6808047 CORDIS: Search CORDIS: Projects<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>
* from biopetroleum <ref>[http://www.tmcnet.com/usubmit/-spa-scientists-close-making-biofuel-from-algae-/2006/08/07/1777815.htm Spain: Scientists Close To Making Biofuel From Algae<!-- Bot generated title -->]</ref>.

==Price, environment, and the future==
The biggest threat to the conventional plastics industry is most likely to be environmental concerns, including the release of toxic pollutants, [[greenhouse gas]], litter, [[Biodegradable plastic|biodegradable]] and non-biodegrable [[landfill]] impact as a result of the production and disposal of petroleum and petroleum-based plastics. Of particular concern has been the recent accumulation of enormous quantities of plastic trash in [[Gyre|ocean gyres]], particularly the [[North Pacific Gyre]], now known informally as the [[Great Pacific Garbage Patch]] or the [[Pacific Trash Vortex]].

For decades one of the great appeals of plastics has been their low price. Yet in recent years the cost of plastics has been rising dramatically. A major cause is the sharply rising cost of [[petroleum]], the raw material that is chemically altered to form commercial plastics.

With some observers suggesting that future [[peak oil|oil reserves are uncertain]], the [[price of petroleum]] may increase further. Therefore, alternatives are being sought. [[Oil shale]] and [[tar sand|tar oil]] are alternatives for plastic production but are expensive. Scientists are seeking cheaper and better alternatives to petroleum-based plastics, and many candidates are in laboratories all over the world. One promising alternative may be fructose <ref>[http://www.newscientisttech.com/article/dn9440-sugar-plastic-could-reduce-reliance-on-petroleum.html 'Sugar plastic' could reduce reliance on petroleum]</ref>.

==Common plastics and uses==
; [[Polypropylene]] (PP) :Food containers, appliances, car fenders (bumpers).
; [[Polystyrene]] (PS) :Packaging foam, food containers, disposable cups, plates, cutlery, CD and cassette boxes.
; [[High impact polystyrene]] (HIPS) : fridge liners, food packaging, vending cups.
; [[Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene]] (ABS) :Electronic equipment cases (e.g., computer monitors, printers, keyboards), drainage pipe.
; [[Polyethylene terephthalate]] (PET) :carbonated drinks bottles, jars, plastic film, microwavable packaging.
; [[Polyester]] (PES) :[[Fiber]]s, [[textile]]s.
; [[Polyamides]] (PA) ([[Nylon]]s) :[[Fiber]]s, toothbrush bristles, fishing line, under-the-hood car engine mouldings.
; [[Polyvinyl chloride|Poly(vinyl chloride)]] (PVC) :Plumbing pipes and guttering, shower curtains, window frames, flooring.
; [[Polyurethanes]] (PU) : cushioning foams, thermal insulation foams, surface coatings, printing rollers. (Currently 6th or 7th most commonly used plastic material, for instance the most commonly used plastic found in cars).
; [[Polycarbonate]] (PC) :[[Compact disc]]s, [[eyeglasses]], riot shields, security windows, traffic lights, lenses.
; [[Polyvinylidene chloride]] (PVDC) ([[Saran (plastic)|Saran]]) :Food packaging.
; [[Polyethylene]] (PE) :Wide range of inexpensive uses including supermarket bags, plastic bottles.
; Polycarbonate/Acrylonitrile Butadiene Styrene (PC/ABS) :A blend of PC and ABS that creates a stronger plastic. :Car Interior and exterior parts

==Special-purpose plastics==
; [[Acrylic glass|Polymethyl methacrylate]] (PMMA) : contact lenses, glazing (best known in this form by its various trade names around the world, e.g., Perspex, Oroglas, Plexiglas), aglets, fluorescent light diffusers, rear light covers for vehicles.
; [[Polytetrafluoroethylene]] (PTFE) (trade name Teflon) :Heat-resistant, low-friction coatings, used in things like non-stick surfaces for frying pans, plumber's tape and water slides.
; [[Polyetheretherketone]] ([[PEEK]]) (Polyetherketone):Strong, chemical- and heat-resistant thermoplastic, [[biocompatibility]] allows for use in medical implant applications, aerospace mouldings. One of the most expensive commercial polymers.
; [[Polyetherimide]] ([[PEI]]) (Ultem) :A high temperature, chemically stable polymer that does not crystallize.
; [[Phenolics]] ([[PF]]) or ([[phenol formaldehydes]]) : high [[Young's modulus|modulus]], relatively heat resistant, and excellent fire resistant polymer. Used for insulating parts in electrical fixtures, paper laminated products (e.g. "Formica"), thermally insulation foams. It is a thermosetting plastic, with the familiar trade name Bakelite, that can be moulded by heat and pressure when mixed with a filler-like wood flour or can be cast in its unfilled liquid form or cast as foam, e.g. "Oasis". Problems include the probability of mouldings naturally being dark colours (red, green, brown), and as thermoset difficult to [[recycle]].
; [[Urea-formaldehyde]] ([[UF]]) : one of the aminoplasts and used as multi-colorable alternative to [[Phenolics]]. Used as a wood adhesive (for plywood, chipboard, hardboard) and electrical switch housings.
; [[Melamine resin|Melamine formaldehyde]] ([[MF]]) : one of the aminoplasts, and used a multi-colorable alternative to [[phenolics]], for instance in mouldings (e.g. break-resistance alternatives to ceramic cups, plates and bowls for children) and the decorated top surface layer of the paper laminates (e.g. "Formica").
; [[Polylactic acid]] : a biodegradable, thermoplastic, found converted into a variety of aliphatic polyesters derived from lactic acid which in turn can be made by fermentation of various agricultural products such as corn starch, once made from diary products.
; [[Plastarch material]] : biodegradable and heat resistant, thermoplastic composed of modified corn starch.

==See also==
* [[Conductive polymer]]
* [[Corn construction]]
* [[Epoxy]]
* [[Molding (process)]]
** [[Flexible mold]]
** [[Injection molding]]
* [[Marine debris]]
* [[Nurdle]]
* [[Organic light emitting diode]]
* [[Plastic recycling]]
* [[Plastics engineering]]
* [[Plastics extrusion]]
* [[Plasticulture]]
* [[Polymer]]
* [[Synthetic fiber]]
* [[Self-healing plastic]]
* [[Thermoplastic]]
* [[Thermosetting plastic]]
* [[Timeline of materials technology]]


==References==
==References==
{{reflist}}
{{reflist|2}}
*''Substantial parts of this text originated from [http://www.vectorsite.net/ttplast.html An Introduction To Plastics v1.0] / 1 March 2001 / greg goebel / public domain''


==External links==
== External links ==
*[http://www.eads.com Corporate website]
{{commonscat|Plastics}}
*[http://www.eadsnorthamerica.com EADS North America]
* [http://americanhistory.si.edu/archives/d8008.htm J. Harry Dubois Collection on the History of Plastics, ca. 1900-1975] Archives Center, National Museum of American History, Smithsonian Institution.
*[http://biz.yahoo.com/ic/101/101208.html Yahoo! — European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. Company Profile]
*[http://www.ides.com/plastics/A.htm Plastics Materials] A directory of resins from 600 plastics manufacturers.
*[http://www.worldsecuritynetwork.com/showArticle3.cfm?article_id=13407 Russian capital acquires large stake in EADS]
*[http://www.pcn.org/Technical%20Notes%20-%20Periodic%20Table%20of%20Polymers.htm Periodic Table of Polymers] Dr Robin Kent - Tangram Technology Ltd.
*[http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/01/business/01tanker.html?_r=1&th&emc=th&oref=slogin U.S.-Europe Team Beats Out Boeing on Big Contract 1 March 2008, NY Times]
*[http://www.bpf.co.uk/Plastics_Processes.aspx Detailed Guide To All Plastics Processes] British Plastics Federation
*[http://www.plastiquarian.com/ Plastics Historical Society]
*[http://www.plasticsindustry.org/industry/history.htm History of plastics, Society of the Plastics Industry]
*[http://www.myplasticsindustry.com/ My Plastics Industry]
*[http://www.pvcinformation.org/ PVCInformation.org -- A coalition of environmental health and justice organizations, with a particular focus on PVC]
*[http://www.pvcfree.org/ The PVC Consumer Campaign]
*[http://www.greenpeace.org/international/campaigns/oceans/pollution/trash-vortex Greenpeace page about the Pacific Trash Vortex]


{{Companies portal}}
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[[af:EADS]]
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[[zh:塑料]]

Revision as of 12:20, 12 October 2008

For other uses, see Eads.
European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V.
Company typePublic (Euronext: EAD, BMAD: EAD, FWB: EAD)
IndustryAerospace, defence, and telecommunications
Founded2000
HeadquartersOttobrunn, Germany
Paris, France
Schiphol-Rijk, The Netherlands
Key people
Louis Gallois (CEO)
Rüdiger Grube (Chairman)
Revenue€39.12 billion (2007)[1]
Increase €52 million (2007)[1]
Decrease (€446 million) (2007)[1]
Number of employees
116,500 (2007)[1]
ParentSOGEADE
Daimler AG
DivisionsAirbus
Astrium
Defence & Security
Eurocopter
Military Transport Aircraft
Websitewww.eads.eu

The European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company EADS N.V. (EADS) is a large European aerospace corporation, formed by the merger on July 10, 2000 of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace AG (DASA) of Germany, Aérospatiale-Matra of France, and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA) of Spain. The company develops and markets civil and military aircraft, as well as missiles, space rockets, satellites, and related systems. The company is headquartered in the Netherlands in Schiphol-Rijk. The company operates under Dutch law.

History

The 1997 merger of American corporations Boeing and McDonnell Douglas, which followed the forming of Lockheed Martin, the world's largest defense contractor in 1995, increased the pressure on European defense companies to consolidate. In June 1997 British Aerospace Defense Managing Director John Weston commented "Europe... is supporting three times the number of contractors on less than half the budget of the U.S.".[2] European governments wished to see the merger of their defence manufacturers into a single entity, a European Aerospace and Defense Company.[3]

As early as 1995 the German aerospace and defence company DaimlerChrysler Aerospace (DASA) and its British counterpart British Aerospace were said to be keen to create a transnational aerospace and defense company.[4] The two companies envisaged including Aérospatiale, the other major European aerospace company, but only after its privatisation.[5] The first stage of this integration was seen as the transformation of Airbus from a consortium of British Aerospace, DASA, Aérospatiale and Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA into an integrated company; in this aim BAe and DASA were united against the various objections of Aérospatiale.[6] As well as Airbus, British Aerospace and DASA were partners in the Panavia Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon aircraft projects. Merger discussions began between British Aerospace and DASA in July 1998, just as French participation became more likely with the announcement that Aérospatiale was to merge with Matra and emerge with a diluted French government shareholding.[7] A merger was agreed between British Aerospace Chairman Richard Evans and DASA CEO Jürgen Schrempp in December 1998.[8] However when the British General Electric Company put its defense electronics business Marconi Electronic Systems up for sale on 22 December 1998, British Aerospace abandoned the DASA merger in favour of purchasing its British rival. The merger of British Aerospace and MES to form BAE Systems was announced on 19 January 1999 and completed on 30 November.[9][10] Evans stated that in 2004 that his fear was that an American defense contractor would acquire MES and challenge both British Aerospace and DASA.[8]

Formation

DASA and the Spanish aircraft company Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA agreed to merge with the signature of a memorandum of understanding on 11 June 1999.[11] On 14 October 1999 DASA agreed to merge with Aérospatiale-Matra to create the European Aeronautic Defence and Space Company.[12] 10 July 2000 was "Day One" for the new company which became the world's second largest aerospace company after Boeing and the second-largest European arms manufacturer after BAE Systems.[13]

In January 2001 Airbus Industrie was transformed from an inherently inefficient consortium structure to a formal joint stock company, with legal and tax procedures being finalised on 11 July.[14][15] Both EADS and BAE transferred ownership of their Airbus factories to the new Airbus SAS in return for 80% and 20% shares in the new company respectively. In April 2001 EADS agreed to merge its missile businesses with those of BAE Systems and Alenia Marconi Systems (BAE/Finmeccanica) to form MBDA. EADS took a 37.5% share of the new company which was formally established in December 2001 and which thus became the world's second largest missile manufacturer.[16]

On 16 June 2003 EADS acquired BAE's 25% share in Astrium, the satellite and space system manufacturer, to become the sole owner. EADS paid £84 million, however due to the lossmaking status of the company BAE invested an equal amount for "restructuring".[17] It was subsequently renamed EADS Astrium. In November 2003, EADS announced that it was considering working with Japanese companies, and the Japanese METI, to develop a hypersonic airliner intended to be a larger, faster, and quieter, replacement for the Concorde, which was retired in October the same year.

Despite repeated suggestions as early as 2000 that BAE Systems wished to sell its 20% share of Airbus, the possibility was consistently denied by the company.[18] However on 6 April 2006 BBC News reported that it was indeed to sell its stake, then "conservatively valued" at £2.4 billion.[19] Due to the slow pace of informal negotiations, BAE exercised its put option which saw investment bank Rothschild appointed to give an independent valuation. Six days after this process began, Airbus announced delays to the A380 with significant effects on the value of Airbus shares. On 2 June 2006 Rothschild valued BAE's share at £1.87 billion, well below BAE's, analysts' and even EADS' expectations.[20] The BAE board recommended that the company proceed with the sale and on 4 October 2006 shareholders voted in favour; the sale was completed on 13 October making EADS the sole shareholder of Airbus.[21]

In March 2007 EADS Defence and Security Systems division was awarded an eight year, £200m contract to provide the IT infrastructure for the FiReControl project in the UK.[22]

Template:Creation of EADS

Recent activities

On 29 February 2008, the U.S. Air Force awarded a $35 billion contract for aerial refueling tankers (the KC-45) to Northrop Grumman, with EADS as a major subcontractor. The contract, one of the largest created by the Department of Defense, is initially valued at $35 billion but has the potential to grow to $100 billion. It is also a sign of the growing influence of foreign suppliers within the Pentagon and breaks a relationship that has lasted decades with Boeing, which had built the bulk of the existing tanker fleet and had fought hard to land the new contract.

Under the contract, Northrop Grumman and EADS would build a fleet of 179 planes, based on the existing Airbus 330, to provide in-air refueling to military aircraft, from fighter jets to cargo planes. While final assembly of the craft would take place at an Airbus plant near Mobile, Alabama, parts would come from suppliers across the globe.[23]

However, the award was protested by Boeing, the other bidder on the project, which was upheld by the GAO. The Air Force announced a partial reopening of the bid, focusing on the eight (of nearly 110) areas where Boeing's protests were upheld, with a final decision due by the end of 2008.

Organisation

Airbus A380
Eurofighter Typhoon
Eurocopter Tiger
Ariane 5
Jules Verne ATV

Other units

Corporate governance

EADS' Executive Committee is headed by Louis Gallois, the EADS CEO. Other members are François Auque (Astrium), Lutz Bertling (Eurocopter), Jean Botti (Chief Technical Officer), Fabrice Brégier (EADS Operational Performance), Ralph Crosby (EADS North America), Thomas Enders (Airbus), Jussi Itävuori (Human Resources), Marwan Lahoud (Chief Marketing and Strategy Officer), Hans Peter Ring (Chief Financial Officer EADS and Airbus), Carlos Suárez (Military Transport Aircraft) and Stefan Zoller (Defence and Security).[24]

The Executive Committee is appointed by the board of directors, itself appointed by Daimler AG and SOGEADE. Both appoint four directors plus one independent director. As of July 2003 SEPI no longer nominates a board member, but a Spanish director is retained as the 11th member.[25] The board also appoints the company's chairmen, one from the Daimler nominated directors and from the SOGEADE nominated directors. As of September 2007 the Chairmen are Rüdiger Grube and Arnaud Lagardère. The other board members are Louis Gallois, Thomas Enders, Hans Peter Ring, Juan Manuel Eguiagaray, Michel Pébereau, Bodo Uebber, François David and Michael Rogowski.[25]

In late 2004 Noël Forgeard (then Airbus CEO) was nominated by Lagardère as the next French CEO of EADS. Forgeard had suggested that this system should be abolished in favour of a single CEO in a move that DaimlerChrysler saw as an attempt to engineer a French dominated management team. Following protracted arguments, which caused embarrassment to EADS at the Paris Air Show, the appointment was confirmed by the EADS Board of Directors on June 25, 2005. At the same meeting the Board, in consultation with partner BAE Systems, named Gustav Humbert as President and CEO of Airbus.

Financial information

As of 3 July 2007 41.63% of EADS stock is publicly traded on six European stock exchanges, while the remaining 58.37% is owned by a "Contractural Partnership".[26] The latter is owned by SOGEADE (27.38%), Daimler AG (22.41%), SEPI (5.46%) and Dubai Holding (3.12%).[27] SOGEADE is owned by the French State and Lagardère, while SEPI is a Spanish state holding company. France also owns 0.06% of publicly traded stock.[26]

In October 2005 the British Ministry of Defence warned European politicians to stop, as it sees it, interfering in the corporate governance of EADS. The UK Defence Procurement Minister Lord Drayson has hinted that the UK government, a major customer for EADS, may withhold future contracts. "As a key customer, we see it as important for EADS to move in a direction that is free from political interference." [28]

On April 4, 2006, DaimlerChrysler announced its intention to reduce its shareholding from 30% to 22.5%. The company places a value of the stake at "approximately €2.0 billion." [29] Lagardère will reduce its holding by an identical amount. However, Caisse des Dépôts et Consignations, a unit of the French government, acquired 2.25% of EADS. At issue as a result is the fact that the German and French shareholdings are now in imbalance.[30]

On August 30, 2006, shortly after the stock price decline caused by the A380 delivery delays, more than 5% of EADS stock has been reportedly purchased by the Russian state-owned Vneshtorgbank.[31] Now its share is nearly 6%. In December 2007, Vneshtorgbank sold EADS shares to another state-controlled bank Vneshekonombank. EADS sharers are to be delivered by Vneshekonombank to the charter capital of JSC "United Aircraft Corporation" in 2008.

On October 3, 2006, shortly after EADS admitted further delays in the Airbus 380 program would cost the company 4.8 billion euros in lost earnings in 2010, EADS shares, traded on the Paris arm of Euronext, were suspended after they surpassed the 10 per cent loss limit. Trading resumed later in the day with the one day loss holding at 7 per cent [2].

Criticisms

Cluster bombs

As a result of criticisms, the Norwegian Government Pension Fund excluded EADS and its sister company EADS Finance BV from its portfolio in 2005, arguing that EADS manufactures "key components for cluster bombs." EADS and its subsidiaries fulfill all the conditions of the Ottawa Treaty. No product of EADS or its subsidiaries falls into the category of antipersonnel mines as defined by the Ottawa Treaty ("landmines under the Ottawa Treaty"), also all activities undertaken by EADS are in accordance with the national and international rules and regulations that apply to the company. EADS owned the company TDA in a joint venture with the company Thales S.A. and TDA produced the mortar ammunition PR Cargo, which can be considered cluster ammunition, however this has since been divested. In April 2006 the fund declared that the basis for excluding EADS from investments related to production of cluster munitions is no longer valid, however its shareholding of MBDA means the fund still excludes EADS due to its indirect involvement in nuclear weapons production.[32]

Bribery

In 2003 Tony Yengeni, former chief whip of South Africa's ANC, was convicted of fraud relating to an arms deal with South Africa, in which EADS were major players[33], worth around $5bn. The BBC reported that EADS had admitted that it had "rendered assistance" to some 30 senior officials to obtain luxury vehicles, including defence force chief General Siphiwe Nyanda.[34]

Insider trading investigation

On June 2, 2006 co-CEO Noël Forgeard and Airbus CEO Gustav Humbert resigned following the controversy caused by the June 2006 announcement that deliveries of the A380 would be delayed by a further six months. Forgeard was one of a number of executives who exercised stock options in November 2005 and March 2006. He and 21 other executives are under investigation as to whether they knew about the delays in the Airbus A380 project which caused a 26% fall in EADS shares when publicised.[35]

The French government's actions are also under investigation; The stated-owned bank Caisse des Dépots et Consignations (CDC) bought part of Lagardère's 7.5% stake in EADS in April 2006, allowing that latter to partially escape the June 2006 losses.[35]

In June 2008, law firm Coughlin Stoia Geller Rudman and Robbins announced that a class action has been commenced on behalf of an institutional investor in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York on behalf of U.S. citizens who purchased the publicly traded stock of EADS.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b c d "Annual Report 2007" (PDF). EADS. Retrieved 2008-07-11.
  2. ^ Rothman, Andrea (1997-06-15). "Europe Defense Firms Feel Pressure to Unite". The Seattle Times. Retrieved 2007-09-12. {{cite news}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  3. ^ "Business: The Company File: Defense merger on the radar". BBC News. BBC. 1998-07-10. Retrieved 2007-09-15.
  4. ^ Jones, Adam (1999-01-20). "Europe cries foul as New BAe emerges". The Times. Times Newspapers. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  5. ^ Sparaco, Pierre (1997-06-30). "French Government Grapples With Aerospace Strategy". Aviation Week and Space Technology. The McGraw-Hill Companies. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  6. ^ Gray, Bernard (1997-06-24). "Giant waiting in the wings: Bernard Gray and Michael Skapinker ask if Europe's defence industry can consolidate in time to challenge US dominance". Financial Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  7. ^ "BAe and Dasa discuss proposals for merger: Aerospace groups still have 'important issues to resolve'". Financial Times. 1998-07-24. p. 1. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  8. ^ a b Spiegel, Peter (2004-07-17). "The largest aerospace companies gather next week for the Farnborough air show but the event will be without its long-time unofficial host". Financial Times. p. 11. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  9. ^ BAE Systems Annual Report 1999 22. BAE Systems plc (2000). Retrieved on 2006-10-27.
  10. ^ Turpin, Andrew (2000-03-04). "BAE Eyes US Targets After Profit Rockets". The Scotsman. The Scotsman Publications. p. 26. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  11. ^ White, David (1999-06-12). "DaimlerChrysler wins fight for Spain's Casa: Deal boosts aerospace industry consolidation in Europe". Financial Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  12. ^ Nicoll, Alexander (1999-10-15). "Flying in formation: The merger of DaimlerChrysler Aerospace and Aérospatiale-Matra may pave the way for a larger European grouping or the first transatlantic defence tie-up, argue Alexander Nicoll and Michael Skapinker". Financial Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
  13. ^ History of EADS
  14. ^ "EADS and BAE SYSTEMS complete Airbus integration - Airbus SAS formally established" (Press release). BAE Systems plc. 2001-07-12. Retrieved 2007-10-04.
  15. ^ Sparaco, Pierre (2001-03-19). "Climate Conducive For Airbus Consolidation". Aviation Week & Space Technology. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  16. ^ "EADS, BAE and Finmeccanica Complete MBDA Merger". Defense Daily International. 2001-12-21. the new MBDA, the world's second largest missile manufacturer behind Raytheon {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  17. ^ Odell, Mark (2003-02-01). "BAE agrees new deal for Astrium". Financial Times. p. 15. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  18. ^ Spiegel, Peter (2005-09-07). "BAE denies Airbus sale plans". Financial Times. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)
  19. ^ "BAE confirms possible Airbus sale". BBC News. 2006-04-07. Retrieved 2006-08-12.
  20. ^ Gow, David (2006-07-03). "BAE under pressure to hold Airbus stake". The Guardian. Guardian Newspapers. Retrieved 2006-07-03.
  21. ^ "BAE Systems says completed sale of Airbus stake to EADS". Forbes.com. 2006-10-13. Retrieved 2006-10-13.
  22. ^ Dept for Communities & Local Govt: Award of state of the art IT contract to improve fire service delivery 07 Mar 07, (accessed 09 Mar 07)
  23. ^ "Northrop-EADS beats Boeing to build U.S. tanker". Retrieved 2008-03-01.
  24. ^ EADS N.V. - Executive Committee
  25. ^ a b EADS N.V. - Board of Directors - Role and Composition
  26. ^ a b EADS Shareholding Structure
  27. ^ John, Isaac. "Dubai Int'l Capital buys 3.12pc stake in EADS", Khaleej Times Online, 2007-07-06.
  28. ^ Roberston, David (2006-10-05). "MoD tells European leaders to stop meddling in EADS". The Times. Retrieved 2006-10-15.
  29. ^ DaimlerChrysler And Lagardere Cut Stake In EADS
  30. ^ "Airbus plays catch-up with A350 jet." Phillips, D. International Herald Tribune. April 11, 2006.
  31. ^ "EADS shares up on Vneshtorgbank reports." Yahoo News. August 30, 2006.
  32. ^ The exclusion of EADS from the investment universe of the Government Pension Fund – Global has been reviewed
  33. ^ Jailed Yengeni shows no remorse
  34. ^ Top ANC official resigns
  35. ^ a b "Inside story; Share scandals in France". The Economist. The Economist Newspapers. 2007-10-13. {{cite news}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help)

External links

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