News

Hawksland develops & commissions new aircraft factory & final assembly line

Hawksland Associates has recently completed the first phase of a 3 part strategy to establish a low cost aircraft factory and final assembly line in Mexico for its European client.

The setting up of a final assembly operation in Chihuahua (Mexico) is an important step for our client’s vision of achieving its Global Footprint ambition. The client’s plant would be a ‘world-class’, low cost aircraft assembly plant for build-to-print empennage’s, enabling them to offer the most competitive solutions in the commercial aerospace market.

As part of this programme Hawksland Associates led its clients Supply Chain, IT, Industrialisation, Construction, Quality, Recruitment and Training Teams to deliver a 6,000 square metre facility to manufacture aircraft products meeting the customers’ requirements.

Hawksland were initially assigned to help develop the manufacturing operation using best-in-class design for factory design, supply chain & logistics, layout and organisation design. The outputs were used to create the business case that led to a go-ahead being given by the client for the operation to be set in Mexico.

The supplier approved facility was set-up within 9 months on time and to budget. Production started to plan and the first product was completed within 3 months and shipped to the customer. The quality rating of that product exceeded all expectations. Work has now started on the next platform planned to be operational within six months and a third platform with plans for going into production 12 months from building handover.