Role of Robotics as a Business
Strategy in the Aerospace Industry
How robotics can positively impact the
economics of large manufacturers
Curtis A. Richardson
Associate Technical Fellow - Automation
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
Agenda
• Background
• Spirit AeroSystems Corporate Overview
• Case for Robotics in Aerospace
• Automation at Spirit AeroSystems
• Bringing the Vision Together
Wichita: Air Capital of the World
• Aviation manufacturing accounts for 56% of all Wichita manufacturing jobs, with annual
payrolls totaling more than $2.2B and average earnings per job topping $71,200
• >25,000 employees at six OEM / Tier 1s + >14,000 at 300+ supporting aviation suppliers
• Wichita manufacturers include general aviation / biz jet, commercial, and military segments
• 2010 deliveries worldwide:
 2,015 general aviation (GA: piston, turboprop and jet); 1000+ commercial jets
 During 2010 – Wichita companies delivered 58% of all GA aircraft built in the United States, and
accounted for 39% of global GA deliveries. Wichita firms delivered 776 GA aircraft in 2010.
 Spirit supplied significant content to more than 60% of the world’s commercial aircraft
 >70% of the world’s fleet was manufactured in Kansas
~5,000 employees
~10,000+ employees
~5,500 employees
~2,200 employees
~350+ employees
~2,400 employees
SCS00-00014-002 Revised 3-20-2011
SPIRIT History
• The Wichita site has been in operation for more than 80 years, beginning as the headquarters for 8
Aircraft Company (est. 1927) which Boeing acquired in 1929.
• More than 10,000 Stearman Kaydet Trainers were built between 1934 and 1945. During WWII
Wichita built 1,644 B-29s (41% of the total B-29 production), and the site produced 467 B-52s and
1,390 B-47s in the 1950s and 1960s.
• Commercial aviation work began at the Wichita site in the 1960s beginning with components for the
707 and 727 models, and soon the plant soon was producing 75% of the 737 as well.
• In 1990 the site was split into two entities, one for military work and one for commercial work.
Manufacturing at the site supported every current model of Boeing commercial jetliner.
• Between 1929 and 2005, the Wichita site provided more than 8,000 component units (fuselage,
struts, and nacelles) for Boeing commercial aircraft; modified nearly 5,000 aircraft (both commercial
and military including Air Force One); and built more than 15,000 aircraft.
• In 2005, the Onex Corp. financed the divestiture of the Wichita Division of Boeing Commercial
Airplanes from Boeing, creating Spirit AeroSystems, now a publicly traded company on the NYSE.
• Spirit's work statement as a key supplier to Boeing Commercial Airplanes has continued to grow.
Additionally, Spirit has expanded its OEM customer base to include companies such as Airbus,
Bombardier, Northrop Grumman, Gulfstream, Hawker Beechcraft, Mitsubishi, and Sikorsky.
SCS09-00014-002
SPIRIT WORLDWIDE OPERATIONS
PRESTWICK
WICHITA
MOSCOW (JV)
ST. NAZAIRE
KINSTON
TULSA
MCALESTER
JINJIANG (JV)
SUBANG
~ 15,000 EMPLOYEES
~ $4.2B REVENUE (2010)
~ 15.3M ft²
SPIRIT’S GLOBAL FOOTPRINT CONTINUES TO EXPAND
BOEING
737
747
767
777
787
AIRBUS
A320
A380
A350XWB
BUSINESS & REGIONAL JETS
Gulfstream G250
Mitsubishi MRJ
Gulfstream G650
Bombardier CSeries
MILITARY
P-8A, P-8I
(ITAR Controlled Modifications)
Sikorsky CH-53K
KC-46A Tanker
TECHNOLOGY DEVELOPMENT
• Propulsion Technology
• Advanced Composites Technology
• Metals Technology
• Non-Destructive Inspection/Evaluation
• Automation
• Acoustic Attenuation
• Advanced Design & Analysis
AUTOMATED FIBER PLACEMENT LAB
INTEGRATED COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
METALLIC & COMPOSITE STRUCTURES TECHNOLOGY
VARIABLE AREA FAN NOZZLE
FUSELAGE SYSTEMS & STRUCTURES
Design and Build
• BOEING 777
• BOEING 737
• BOEING 787
- P-8A, P-8I
• AIRBUS A350XWB
• BOEING 747
• BOEING 767
- KC-46A Tanker
BOEING 777 ASSEMBLY
FUSELAGE
BOEING 737 FUSELAGE
INTEGRATED VALUE CHAIN ALLOWS FOR EFFICIENT DESIGN/BUILD
COMPOSITES
AIRBUS A350XWB
COMPOSITE CONTOURED
ONE-PIECE BARREL FOR BOEING 787
LIGHTWEIGHT, HIGH-STRENGTH COMPOSITE STRUCTURES
PROPULSION SYSTEMS & STRUCTURES
Nacelle Products
• Thrust reversers
• Fan cowls
• Inlets
• Systems
Pylon Products
• Fairings
• Secondary structures
• Systems
SUPERIOR PRODUCTS FOR COMMERCIAL, BUSINESS, AND REGIONAL JETS
AEROSTRUCTURES
Oklahoma Operations
• Composite and metallic wing components
BOEING 747-8 INBOARD FIXED
LEADING EDGE
- BOEING 737, 747, 777, 787
• Test phase
- GULFSTREAM G250, G650
• Control surfaces and floor beams
- BOEING 777
European Operations
• Large wing structures
- BOEING 767 & 777, AIRBUS A320 & A380
Malaysia Operations
• AIRBUS A320 composite wing component
subassemblies
• Design work for AIRBUS A350XWB leading edge
lower panels
North Carolina Operations
• AIRBUS A350XWB structures
BOEING 737 FLAP ASSEMBLY
AIRBUS A380 LEADING EDGE
DESIGN / BUILD LARGE STRUCTURES
St. Nazaire
• AIRBUS A350XWB composite center fuselage
panel assembly
MILITARY – ROTORCRAFT & FIXED WING AIRCRAFT
Sikorsky CH-53K
• Entry into rotorcraft business
• Design, development, test
activities, fabrication &
assembly
• Composite cabin and cockpit
• Composite expertise providing
advancements in operational
capability & reliability within
defense industry
P-8A & P-8I
KC-46A Tanker
• Entire fuselage production
• Inline provisions on
commercial line
• Forward fuselage section,
strut, inlet, fan cowl, core
cowl, fixed fan duct, fixed
leading edge
E-3 AWACS Radomes
• Large composite structure
• Precision processes
TRANSLATING COMMERCIAL EFFICIENCIES TO MILITARY PRODUCTION
Case for Robotics in Aerospace
• Civilian aircraft topped 2008 US exports at ~$75B
(ahead of semi-conductors & passenger cars*)
• Aerospace manufacturers in the U.S. employ >500,000 workers**
• Most aero companies are parts suppliers employing fewer than 100 workers;
Large companies (>1000 employees) supply >60% of aero manufacturing jobs**
• Aero jobs clustered throughout U.S.; large concentrations in WA, CA, TX, KS, CT, AZ
totaling 60% of the aero workforce; smaller clusters in FL, GA, OH, MO, and AL***
 Wichita, Air Capital of the World, is home to more aviation jobs per capita than any location
throughout the globe
• Hallmark of aero mfg: highly skilled workers executing complex & specialized processes
 $79,700 average aero mfg wage:
~47% greater than average mfg wage of $54,400***
 Shrinking skilled workforce pool:
aging workforce (attrition), fewer workers entering industry
 Skilled labor development investment:
$50M National Center for Aviation Training (Wichita)
* Data from www.worldsrichestcountries.com; passenger car exports valued at ~$50B
with another ~$40B of automotive accessories listed separately
** U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 2008 data
*** U.S. Aerospace Manufacturing: Industry Overview and Prospects
(Michaela D. Platzer, Dec 2009)
NOTE: Additional data given in Obama Speech Revives BizJet PR Battle
Case for Robotics in Aerospace
• Because manual processes still dominate aero manufacturing…
 Trad. cost reduction measures include low-cost labor markets often leading to:




Extensive/expensive supply-chain management, shipping risks
Quality management challenges
Loss of process control including expedite capability
Irrevocable erosion of intellectual property,
mfg know-how
 Lost cost reduction opportunities;
design for manufacturing fades
 The U.S. Solution: Robotic automation as an alternative
to outsourcing but requires expertise, capex
 Robotics experience found mostly at OEM/Tier 1 level
 Resources to support development efforts
 Relatively large capex investment
Case for Robotics in Aerospace
• Aerospace Robot Opportunities: Narrow-body/single-aisle aircraft
 >8,400 Boeing 737 family aircraft sold since 1968 (>5,000 since 1995) with >6,800 mfg to date;
>3,000 Airbus A320 family aircraft sold since 1984
 Both 737 and A320 produced at a rate near 40 per month; both considering replacements by
2020 to mid-2020s timeframe
 Narrow body market value estimated at $1.7T (>21,000 aircraft) over next 20 years*
 Bombardier C-Series (Canada), Embraer E-190/195 (Brazil), Comac C919 (China), Irkut MS-21
(Russia) are major potential contenders in 90 - 220 seat aircraft market
• Narrow-body aircraft manufacturing method
 350,000+ parts assembled using 600,000+ rivets
 Extensive monument automation investment;
Automation capex exceeds $200M per program
 Next-gen aircraft aluminum vs. composites debate
 Robotics facilitate scalable solutions in terms of
process, product size, and production rate
* Future of Narrow Body Airplane Market
Automation at Spirit
Establishing internal automation strategy, infrastructure
• Transforming our manufacturing process
 Additional need to increase productivity, flexibility:
Military: shrink time to production & program costs
Commercial: new programs, rising production rates
 Optimize mix of manufacturing processes
 Consideration of non- & recurring costs
 Boeing - Wichita robot installs before 2006: 6
Spirit robot installs since 2006: 24+
• Transforming our workforce
 Develop internal expertise to facilitate automation discussions
 Develop guidelines, standards for automation deployment
 Develop skills for programming, operating, maintaining
 Implement control, data network architectures (IT)
 Design for Automated Manufacturing (DFAM)
Automation at Spirit
Establishing internal automation strategy, infrastructure
• Vision: Develop & deploy robotics
where critical factors include…
 Safety, ergonomic, environmental issues
 Cost-effective production capacity scalability
 Minimal lead times for responsiveness
 Complementing skilled workforce to smooth
cyclical industry employment trends
• Collaborate throughout supply chains & value streams
 Facilitated ad hoc partnering between end users, equipment suppliers, researchers
(e.g. Advanced Manufacturing Partnership, SBIR, etc.)
 Professional society synergy (e.g. SME/SAE Aerospace Automation Consortium)
 Industry-specific, location-targeted stakeholder collaborations
(e.g. Automation Alley, Great Plains Robotics Alliance)
Bringing the Vision Together
• Great Plains Robotics Alliance: Total Stakeholder Involvement
To promote and support sustainable growth and industry expansion
through robotics technologies by facilitating and coordinating
informational resources, research, education, and training.
 Aerospace cluster manufacturers
 Non-aerospace manufacturers
 National Center for Aviation Training
 Wichita Area Technical College
 Wichita State U. College of Engineering
 National Institute for Aviation Research
• Involving, investing at all levels





K-12 education/educators
Post-secondary of all varieties
Applied research & application development
Feedback to automation supply base
Multi-level government, economic development
cooperation
Contact Information
Curtis A. Richardson
www.spiritaero.com
Associate Technical Fellow – Automation
Automation Technology Research & Development
Spirit AeroSystems, Inc.
3801 S. Oliver
M/S K68-24
Wichita, KS 67278-0008
(316) 526-6500
curtis.a.richardson@spiritaero.com