What differentiates Thales in the IFE market is the company itself. Thales is a major worldwide electronics company that specializes in aerospace.
Prior to entering the IFE market, Thales equipment on commercial aircraft was in the cockpit with communication, navigation and surveillance products. A highly established world leader in avionics, the company later looked to the aircraft cabin as the next step in business development. With a vision for an end-to-end aircraft solution, Thales designed an IFE system called TopSeries.
Today Thales is a popular IFE choice for commercial aircraft. Known for innovation and flexibility, Thales continues to bring to airlines new IFE capabilities and services.
It started in the year 2000 when Thales decided that a new web-based IFE platform was the best approach to a new IFE system design. The Thales TopSeries IFE system made its' debut in 2002. Since then, market acceptance has enabled Thales' IFE business to grow into a strong global operation serving world airlines.
TopSeries Timeline
| 2000 |
Committed to design and develop a new IFE system platform |
| 2001 |
Announced the new TopSeries system |
| 2002 |
Installed the first TopSeries overhead system on an A318 |
| 2003 |
Installed the first TopSeries in-seat video system on an A320 |
| 2004 |
Entered the Digital Media Services business calling it TopEffects |
| 2005 |
Won the Frost and Sullivan award for product innovation |
| 2006 |
Installed TopSeries audio video on-demand systems on regional jets |
| 2007 |
Recognized as a Crystal Cabin Award finalist for IFE |
| 2008 |
Introduced TopConnect suite of connectivity solutions for IFE |
| 2009 |
Put the total number of TopSeries system sales over 1,000 aircraft |
Over the years, airlines have witnessed Thales' "industry first" achievements. For example, Thales was the first to design an audio and video on-demand system for regional jets. Unheard of in the history of IFE, Thales designed an IFE system that did not require seat boxes. Today, this innovation has allowed passengers on short haul flights to enjoy a wide range of entertainment, and has enabled airlines to maintain onboard service commonality across their fleet.
Thales IFE operations are all around the world with major sales and service facilities in the United States, France, Singapore and China. The headquarter facility for Thales' IFE business is in Irvine, California where over 700 people occupy 220,000 square feet of office, lab and manufacturing space. The company follows the principles of the LEAN Enterprise which effectively support the company's ability to manage growth and ensure that operation processes bring value to the customer.
What makes Thales a leader is the people that work for the company. Teamwork, open communications, innovative thinking, honesty, trust and respect are all part of the Thales culture. The company continually invests in its people to ensure that they fulfill their jobs within this framework.
Thales employees come from many diverse cultures which together represent the best of what the world has to offer. With customer satisfaction at the heart of Thales' work principles, the company is focused on the unique differences of its global customers. Employees are hard working, proud and genuinely care about the customer.
The pace of Thales' growth in the IFE market continues at an unsurpassable speed. In 2009, Thales delivered TopSeries next generation technologies that enhance system performance and introduce 3-D capabilities. The organization's momentum will continue to feed the expansion of service capabilities which includes on-line tools that help maintain the system.
The TopSeries system is as a strategic piece of Thales total aircraft solution. Thales sees many opportunities to help airlines and OEMs deliver on the promise of flight safety and passenger satisfaction, and will continue to grow and remain committed to a leadership position.
58 Discovery - Irvine, California 92618
Tel: +1 949 -790-2500 / Fax: +1 949-790-2998
Alan Pellegrini
Vice President / General Manager
Judy Weber
Vice President, Program Management
Jeff Sare
Vice President, IFE Commercial
Fred Schreiner
Vice President, Engineering
Stuart Dunleavy
Vice President of Marketing & Customer Proposition
Dieter Rademacher
Vice President, Strategic Partners
Jonathan Savitch
Vice President, Service and Support
Dan Reed
Vice President, Strategic Business Development
Ken Brady
Advanced Technologies
Lori Salazar
Vice President, Product Management
Robert Stonick
Vice President, Contracts
Catherine Clarke
Vice President, Human Resources
Lori Krans
Vice President, Communications
Eric Pecquerie
Vice President, Operations
Guy Blanguernon
Chief Financial Officer
