Streamlined final assembly process to boost deliveries
ATR is gearing up to almost triple output at its Toulouse plant following a recent surge in orders. The manufacturer has introduced a more efficient assembly process as it aims to boost deliveries from 13 aircraft last year to 30 or more from 2007 – its highest since the late 1990s.
The Franco-Italian manufacturer has enjoyed a major turnaround in fortunes during 2005 after a bleak couple of years for the turboprop producers, taking orders for more than 60 new aircraft. Its annual output has been running at between 10 and 20 aircraft since the turn of the decade, with deliveries dropping to just nine aircraft in 2003, but plans are now in place for a substantial increase in rates.
“We’ll deliver around 16 aircraft in 2005 – a similar level to last year, and increase to 23 next year and 30 in 2007,” says John Moore, senior vice-president commercial. The plan is to maintain output at this level “or greater, depending on market demand”, he adds.
As part of the output increase effort, ATR has reconfigured its final assembly line into a substantially more efficient system, enabling higher rates to be achieved without significantly increasing the workforce beyond the current 70.
“We have switched from a three-station industrial assembly process to a single station, which reduces the cycle time from one and a half months to 12 days,” says ATR planning, logistics and toolings manager Jöel Fabé. The first aircraft to be built using this technique – an ATR 72-500 for CCM Airlines – is undergoing final assembly.
Fabé says that by consolidating what was a three-phase process into one, the structural assembly and electrical and system installation will now all take place simultaneously, reducing build time considerably. After this, the aircraft moves to a second and final station for customisation work, including engine installation and painting – a process lasting 30 days.
Meanwhile, ATR expects to reveal details of its plan to relocate its spares centre from Toulouse to a better-connected hub airport in the coming months, as it looks to improve its response time for customers.
“It could be at Paris or Amsterdam or another major European hub,” says ATR chief executive Filippo Bagnato. “We are currently in discussions with several potential suppliers and expect to announce our selection before year end.” The move will be implemented next year, he says.
ATR is revamping its Toulouse factory as demand surges.
Source: Flight International
