CFM International (A): Building a Durable Partnership That Works

It is spring 1995, and the CFM partnership—a joint venture between GE Aviation and France’s jet engine manufacturer Snecma—is facing difficult challenges. The parent companies must decide whether and how to renew their nascent partnership agreement, in the face of global and national economic turbulence in an industry undergoing dramatic change. The JV’s careful attention to an equitable split across both partners is suddenly jeopardized as conditions in the market have changed and new leadership at the parent companies brings different aspirations for each side. Now the partners must decide how to move ahead.