In an industry marked by increasingly strict quality regulations and impending deadlines for lowering environmental impact, GKN Aerospace truly soars. A leading tier one supplier of aircraft components across the globe, the company is proactively developing “Lean Manufacturing” technology for its clients while working to increase sustainability and efficiency in its own business.

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.

Peter Steen, Value Stream Manager composite logistics at GKN Aerospace - Cowes, in charge of scheduling all composite materials across four departments, explains: “Having been in the business 37 years, I have witnessed clear improvement with the new generation cutters. Each machine has evolved remarkably with technology. Our newest solution, created with Lectra’s support, is faster, more user-friendly, adapted to our specific needs, quieter, and more economic in cutting.”

Material savings are a real benefit for GKN Aerospace - Cowes, which currently has an annual budget of around £12 million for composites materials.

“We use Lectra cutting machines for cutting single-stack woven materials and their marker-making for advanced nesting, which helps us lower material wastage,” says Peter Steen.“These solutions have met all our requirements for them.

PARTNERING FOR ONGOING SUCCESS

Beyond technically advanced solutions, Lectra offers companies such as GKN Aerospace knowledge of the aerospace industry and understanding of changes in the industry - helping each customer adapt their optimization strategy and solutions to real-world challenges. A comprehensive maintenance training program complements Lectra’s remote service contracts. Delivered via a dedicated response center, Lectra’s service contract allows GKN Aerospace at Cowes to get immediate help without the need to wait for interventions by onsite technical engineer, so they can work faster and smarter.

“GKN Aerospace - Cowes has worked with Lectra for 15 years, and we’ve always been satisfied with the service they offer. We see Lectra as an industry expert and value their advice,” concludes Sayce.