Why process optimization and collaboration are necessary to fuel the aerospace manufacturing recovery

As the commercial aerospace manufacturing sector begins to recover, it’s worth taking stock of where it was before the pandemic, the challenges it faces now, and how it can meet them. 

In this blog I explore these topics, consider the critical role that process optimization needs to play in aerospace manufacture recovery, and raise a call to action for greater collaboration across the sector to deliver the sustainable and highly productive industry we need. Clearly these improvements will play equally into the commercial and military sectors, but here I focus on commercial as the segment facing the greatest challenges.  

Where we were in 2019

Demand for wide-bodied commercial aircraft was already dwindling pre-pandemic, driven by high operating costs, coupled with advances in narrow-body range and efficiency enabling airlines to deliver greater flexibility and lower cost in their long-haul operations.  

At the same time, the market for narrow body aircraft grew throughout the 2010s as short-haul air travel mushroomed. The global focus on reducing carbon emissions is likely to impact this growth, with Austria and France having already banned internal flights less than 2.5 hours, but for now demand is still strong.   

Even leaving aside Boeing’s troubles with the 737 Max, concerns were raised by some industry watchers as early as 2018, around manufacturing and supply chain abilities to cope with this growth. 

In working hard to keep up whilst dealing with fallout from challenges such as the 737 Max problems and the difficult Airbus/Bombardier merger, it could be argued that major manufacturers had no headroom to make the transformational supply chain and manufacturing improvements needed to meet growing demand.  

Today’s challenges 

Demand for new aircraft, and narrow body aircraft in particular, is returning as the air travel market begins to recover. It is now clear that aircraft manufacturers will need to ramp up build rates to beyond 2019 levels to meet this demand. 

Issues with global supply chains, from power shortages in China to the global shortfall in semiconductor supply mean that many industries, including aircraft manufacture, no longer have the confidence they had in supply of materials and services.  Partnerships with global suppliers can greatly reduce this exposure, but complex, multi-vendor chains still present a risk. 

The climate emergency and efforts to tackle it will increasingly impact on aerospace manufacturing, both directly and indirectly. I discuss the direct effect, and the drive towards sustainable air travel, in a previous blog. The indirect effects on the industry of climate change and global action on it can be expected to increase over the foreseeable future. 

Meeting today’s challenges and getting aerospace manufacturing fit for tomorrow 

Overall, the aerospace sector is well positioned to meet these challenges, in that there are clear transformational opportunities to deliver a more sustainable and productive industry. 

The greatest opportunities lie in three key areas:

1. Process optimization and Industry 4.0 

Process optimization is already well established in the aerospace manufacturing sector. Boeing and Airbus went through Lean Six Sigma process transformations in the 1990s and 2000s, and their journeys are ongoing.

Industry 4.0 creates opportunities to take this optimization to the next level as it harnesses digital capabilities to deliver step improvements in industrial process productivity. 

Deploying machine learning can automate not only manufacturing processes themselves, but the cycle of continuous improvement, creating the foundation for future predictive maintenance technologies 

The Internet of Things enables direct communication of critical data between the machines involved in the manufacturing process. This combination of big data and artificial intelligence offers the capability to analyze vast quantities of production data in real time, identify anomalies and inefficiencies and create actionable insights for tuning the process. 

The distributed digital ledger capabilities of Blockchain enable secure end to end transaction management and materials tracking throughout the supply chain.  

Industry 4.0 has specific potential in sectors like aerospace manufacturing where tolerances are narrow and safety is paramount. With its capabilities to deliver consistency and built-in stringent quality assurance with reduced human intervention.

Henkel’s Smart Factory in Montornès demonstrates how we are embracing the power of Industry 4.0 to drive process optimization in aircraft manufacture.  

2. Advancing manufacturing technology 

The Industry 4.0 innovations that are driving digitized process optimization also play a part in the nuts and bolts of manufacturing itself. 

Additive manufacturing, an application of 3D printing technology, is enabling a growing range of components to be printed , and, critically, for those components to meet stringent aerospace standards   

Innovations such as carbon nanotubes that enable large components to be manufactured to consistently high quality without large ovens or autoclaves, robotic adhesive dispensing systems, resin infusion techniques and thermoplastic composites have the potential to transform the efficiency and sustainability of manufacturing. 

3. The power of collaboration

Collaboration is always a sensitive subject in a competitive industry like aerospace, but right now there is unprecedented potential for collaboration to help transform the sector for everyone’s benefit, whilst maintaining control of partner specific intellectual property and addressing anti-trust concerns.

Safety and sustainability are shared goals that should have nothing to do with gaining competitive advantage. 

Complex and increasingly digitized supply chains and manufacturing processes lend themselves to innovation from a wide spectrum of expertise, from industrial chemists to IT specialists. 

I believe appropriate collaboration needs to play a pivotal role in delivering the productivity, sustainability and high safety standards that aerospace manufacturing requires. 

What next?

Henkel is playing a leading role in delivering the future of aerospace manufacturing through innovation, process optimization, collaboration and a commitment to sustainability.