GKN Aerospace reaches new heights with Lectra solutions

Lectra’s previous experience with GKN Aerospace’s business and processes, combined with its 20-year history as a leader in the aeronautics industry and its expertise in industrial best practices (stemming primarily from the auto industry), positioned Lectra as an ideal choice to work with the GKN Aerospace facility at Cowes on the Isle of Wight, UK, as it moves toward a goal of leaner technology and optimized production processes through a “Lean Manufacturing” program.

THE CHALLENGE

As composites have become an in-demand solution for better performance and lower emissions, GKN Aerospace at Cowes needed to meet increasing demand and control costs without compromising on quality. With some composite material cutting done by hand and some using ultrasonic technology, the processes at GKN Aerospace’s Cowes site had been largely labor-intensive. To maintain pace with customer demand while extending the application of lean initiatives, GKN Aerospace recognized the need to move towards advanced automated manufacturing processes and technology-led design solutions.

THE SOLUTION

As part of their “Lean Manufacturing” program aimed at increasing sustainability and efficiency in all areas of the business - including reducing energy consumption, process time, and material waste - GKN Aerospace - Cowes turned to Lectra to take advantage of their expertise in the field, as well as their existing experience with GKN Aerospace, having accompanied the firm in their strategy and growth over the past 15 years. Using Lectra’s state-of-the-art composite solutions, remarkable improvements have been achieved, increasing productivity, quality, and efficiency while reducing costs.

MEETING DEMAND IN A FAST-MOVING INDUSTRY

The use of composite materials in aviation has increased to represent 50% of the total airframe content in the latest aircraft designs. Some estimates suggest a further increase to as much as 80% for the next generation aircraft. Lectra has helped GKN Aerospace - Cowes keep up with increasing demand efficiently and costeffectively. “Through ongoing investment in the development of our employees, our technologies, and our customer programs, we are well positioned to continue the strong growth achieved in recent years,” affirms Adrian Sayce, Operations Program Manager for Composites at GKN Aerospace – Cowes.

Lectra has helped GKN Aerospace - Cowes efficiently meets changes in material types. Increasingly user-friendly Pilot Control Software dedicated to ply cutting allows faster changeover between jobs and simple fine-tuning of cutting parameters.