Factory of the Future for Aircraft Wing Manufacture and Assembly

This two-year project brings together Airbus, with a consortium of leading aerospace companies and research organisations, to strengthen UK manufacturing for conventional and next generation aero-structures, in support of maintaining complete UK wing capability.

It will enable component manufacture, assembly and equipping to be developed and proven in a safe environment, before being applied to the production line. The project will improve industrial performance, through the development of optimised methods, processes and tools – boosting productivity by up to 30%, and leading to cost reductions.

The vision is to develop key outputs to define a world class manufacturing facility:

• Supply chain integration to manage logistics, zero variation and product customisation
• Low energy technologies to minimise plant operational costs
• Reconfigurable facility to meet surge capacity, rate fluctuation and product mix variation
• High level of automation to minimise variation and eliminate repetitive tasks

“This project is the first of its kind for Airbus UK, addressing industrial efficiency through the development and industrialisation of innovative manufacturing solutions. Collaboration has enabled us to exchange creative ideas, and we are well on our way to realise the vision set at the beginning of this project,”

said Amer Liaqat, FOAF Project Manager at Airbus UK.