Moog

CONVERGENCE

CONVERGENCE
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CONVERGENCE was launched to deliver an end-to-end digital transformation solution that enhances process capability, improves productivity and flow of product, all while reducing lead-times. ATI funding and support allowed the Manufacturing Technology Centre, Moog and Delapena, a local SME, to take bold technical and financial steps.

£5.35m of ATI project investment, coupled with Moog’s match funding, will help Delapena to unlock £15 million in sales value within 10 years. This project will undoubtedly benefit the UK aerospace sector and beyond with numerous efficiencies. It supports the vision for UK aerospace to improve sustainability, address mobility and increase UK competitiveness.

CONVERGENCE aims to develop and demonstrate enabling digital architecture and technologies for an I4.0 manufacturing facility. It will also digitally optimise the design and processes of a new purpose-built facility and develop new manufacturing capability.

The UK was the destination of choice for this project as Moog in Tewkesbury is the worldwide Centre of Excellence for design of electrohydraulic servo valves. The funding allowed the Tewkesbury business to secure the attention and resources of the Moog US head office. The ATI funding provided the opportunity for Moog and Delapena to collaborate with the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) on digital architecture and manufacturing solutions. Without this funding, neither party would have taken such bold technical and financial steps.

The process automation solutions in development will lead to greener, cleaner and more sustainable manufacturing. The target efficiency improvement of the project is 20% across manufacturing and assembly operations. It is also targeting a 25% reduction in scrap and rework value and an increased rate of production. The new innovative technologies and processes developed by CONVERGENCE will provide efficiency, capability and capacity provision to allow for onshoring of work from other Moog facilities into the Gloucestershire Moog operations.

The project has already produced some breakthrough technologies. CONVERGENCE supports the vision for UK aerospace in improving sustainability, addressing mobility and increasing UK competitiveness in line with ATI ambition. Specifically, enhanced factory flow, based on a digitally enabled backbone, allows Moog to move from traditional batch manufacturing methodologies to pull systems with improved flow. An exercise will take place to upskill existing Moog employees to meet the demands of the business as it continues to develop CONVERGENCE technologies and processes into production ready states. Consortium knowledge will be shared and disseminated within the partners and supply chains to enable new skills to be developed in line with adopted and relevant technologies. The MTC will disseminate case studies to member organisations through a developed relationship with Innovate UK and the Knowledge Transfer Network. A SME digital handbook will also be generated as a “blueprint” for SMEs when looking to adopt Industry 4.0 practices within their businesses.

CONVERGENCE aims to develop technology that enables honing machines to operate without “operator intervention” and run autonomously. These innovations enable considerable growth opportunities for Delapena with new sales in the UK and beyond. The growth for the Delapena business aligned with similar applications would increase sales by at least £15m within 10 years of the project close. Delapena already has a list of prospective customers (UK and international) that are struggling with a skills shortage and are actively looking for an autonomous solution. Without ATI support, and the collaborative approach with Moog, Delapena could not have risked such an investment.

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CONVERGENCE
Total project value: £10.75m
Project partners: Moog, Delapena, MTC
  • £15m

    potential sales unlocked

  • 20%

    efficiency improvement

  • 25%

    reduction in waste targeted

"We are delighted to have been awarded this funding; this is a fantastic opportunity to deliver innovations that can be exploited across all aspects of the aerospace sector; whole aircraft design and integration, aerostructures and advanced systems propulsion technologies, whilst supporting the commercialisation of digital manufacturing innovations within the partners and across broader sectors and supply chain companies in the UK. Developed technologies within CONVERGENCE will be shared to the broader UK aerospace industry, reflecting satisfied customers through case studies and demonstrating achieved operational improvements. CONVERGENCE will deliver an unprecedented improvement in efficiency, yield, performance, delivery, quality and flexibility due to the innovations and technology set to be developed and will position Moog in the UK as the modern, digitally enabled, competitive supplier of choice for servo‐valves."

Mark Lawton GM Moog Aircraft Control Components Sector of Moog Aircraft Segment