RUAG Aerospace today announced its intention to use highly automated fuselage component production after completing the planning phase for an assembly line to manufacture the new A320 family shell for Airbus.
The news comes on the back of the company securing a contract which makes it the sole supplier of section 15 fuselage side panels for all aircraft in the A320 family.
The deal brings the total value of RUAG's contracts with Airbus to 200 million ($240 million) by 2010.
The new line will be based at the company's factory in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany. Wing and fuselage components for the Airbus are built at the company's headquarters in Emmen, Switzerland,
The line is scheduled to begin production in February 2006.
Investment
It will mark the company's investment in the latest generation of automatic manufacturing equipment and its use of highly automated fuselage component production
The contract was won by RUAG as part of a global invitation to tender.
The international aerospace and defence specialist says that winning the deal is testament to Airbus's confidence in the company's manufacturing capability and high quality standards.
The deal will safeguard production in a significant segment of RUAG Aerospace's operations over the coming years.
The company says that apart from the engineering issues, the continuous rise in demand for the A320 family, Airbus's highest-volume aircraft range, makes the order a major challenge.
Mike McGrath
Source: Flight Daily News
