Lean Tools and Material Handling for Aerospace Manufacturers

1. The Demands of Aerospace Manufacturing Environments

Aerospace manufacturing is not a high-volume, linear production process defined by huge production runs of me-too, generic parts. It is a high-mix and low-volume production process where a wide array of precision-engineered parts must be perfect. While the goal is to meticulously assemble, test, and validate the finished plane, the number of components within that plane is astronomical.

Complicating the matter is the requirement that aerospace manufacturing be Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) compliant, while adopting ergonomic work practices that embrace and foster a safety-first mindset.

Finally, with new aerospace programs requiring lighter, more efficient, and more accurately made-to-order or build-to-print parts alongside high part and material traceability, the demand for lean tools for aerospace production has never been higher.

• High-mix, low-volume production
• ESD-compliant, ergonomic work environment and strict safety standards
• Constant adaptation for new programs and parts
• Importance of efficiency, traceability, and reusability

Managing the sheer volume of parts and materials requires an entirely new mindset concerning material handling for aerospace manufacturers. This requires doing away with welded material handling structures. It involves eliminating wooden carts and platform carts that don’t properly secure materials and that can’t be changed, altered, or adjusted to new aerospace parts or material sizes.

It means using high-strength steel tubes and joints to assemble made-to-fit aerospace modular workstations. It means using those same materials to customize material bin sizes for lean modular work cells, customized mobile material handling carts, push carts, trolleys, and flow racks.

For manufacturers wanting the very best lean tools for aerospace production, it comes down to leveraging the flexibility, ease-of-use, and quick-change features provided by Flexpipe’s material handling for aerospace manufacturers solution.

In the image above, an aerospace manufacturer used Flexpipe’s Flexlab Design Services to create custom mobile carts. These custom mobile carts easily transport right-sized panels immediately in front of any rework or repair job. The above mobile cart has been customized to hold specific-sized panels. For this work task, there are nine panels required, which perfectly match the nine (9) slots.

Flexpipe’s Flexlab Design Services

For aerospace manufacturers that want to design their own material handling structures, there’s the free Flexpipe Creator Extension. This simple SketchUp plug-in simplifies the design process for material handling structures and lean workstations. Aerospace manufacturers can design their structures and order a customized parts list directly from the extension.

2. Why Aerospace Modular Workstations Thrive in Aerospace

There are several important reasons modular workstations thrive in aerospace manufacturing environments, and why Flexpipe’s system is critical to creating these structures and simplifying material handling for aerospace manufacturers.

Highly Adaptable Solution for Complex Layouts

Second, the Flexpipe system is designed for adaptability. Material handling for aerospace manufacturers must allow for quick adjustments. There is no need to move equipment and machinery around to make space for new workstations or lean work cell configurations. With Flexpipe, aerospace manufacturers can simply build around these structures. 

In-House Assembly and Adjustments

First, modular Flexpipe workstations and lean work cells can easily be assembled, changed, or modified in-house by manufacturing employees. As opposed to welded structures that can’t be changed without incurring high costs and extended downtime, a Flexpipe modular workstation can be adjusted without the need for external third parties or suppliers.

High-Strength Steel with Excellent Wear and Impact Resistance

Third, Flexpipe steel is Q235 cold-drawn carbon steel with the official designation of SPPC, “Steel Plate Carbon Commercial”. This steel undergoes heat treatments that strengthen the steel’s impact and wear resistance in addition to its loading-bearing or weight-carrying capacities.

A high-strength steel that can support heavy loads, Q235 steel is also infused with carbon, an element that helps increase the steel’s hardness. The result is a sturdy, durable, high-strength steel that can support heavy loads while enduring direct impacts, making it the ideal solution for heavy-industrial aerospace manufacturing environments.

Ideal for Aerospace Production Line Efficiency

Finally, aerospace manufacturers must have a flexible solution that allows for increased aerospace production line efficiency. The ability to quickly adjust a workstation or lean work cell’s physical structure and dimensions without needing to go outside the facility ensures faster changeovers for different-sized parts within new aerospace programs.

Whether it’s needing wider workbenches with ESD-compliant decking materials to handle larger-sized components or assemblies, or needing to create newer lean work cell designs to account for different assembly work processes, the Flexpipe system is the ultimate solution for quick-change adjustments.

This customized Flexpipe cart was designed and assembled at an aerospace manufacturer. The customized cart is used to transport airplane nose cones for the final staging and assembly. The cart has three separate doors to ensure the cones stay stationary while each cone is surrounded by Kaizen Foam to protect the cones during transit through the various stages of production.

3. Smart Material Handling for Aerospace Manufacturers

From creating aerospace lean manufacturing kitting and picking carts to creating FIFO flow racks for line-side presentation and easy retrieval of materials, the Flexpipe system allows for the ultimate in customization.

Given how critical aerospace components are and their extended lead time from raw material to finished product, having customized mobile carts is essential. Here, an aerospace manufacturer designed a customized cart with ESD-compliant placement holders. This ensures the parts are protected through every stage of the production process. 

4. Optimized Lean Workstations for Aerospace Technicians

When it comes to having flexible and modular material handling for aerospace manufacturers, it’s ultimately about being able to create customized, ergonomic workstations with ESD-safe materials for production technicians and employees.

The Flexpipe system allows for more than just aerospace modular workstations. These workstations can be height-adjustable and made extremely safe. They can minimize musculoskeletal injuries by reducing the amount of strain required when lifting heavier integrated assemblies. They can reduce the amount of twisting and reaching while also being made to reduce the number of accidental trips and falls.

5. Multiple Work Cell Layouts for Improved Workflow

While having lean aerospace modular workstations is important for ergonomics and improved efficiency, it’s equally important to leverage lean work cells for improved workflows. With Flexpipe, aerospace production line efficiency dramatically improves with the ability to create multiple lean work cell layouts.

Whether it’s a standard U-cell layout for improved work processes, wanting an S or Z-cell layout to work around existing obstacles and equipment, or needing a T-Cell layout where production managers can easily access various workstations, Flexpipe allows for any-sided lean work cell.

6. Integration With Other Lean Tools for Aerospace Manufacturing

From implementing numerous continuous improvement programs, adopting fail-safe Poka-Yoke material handling practices, to ensuring 5S-compliant workstations and visual signs and indicators for improved safety, the Flexpipe system improves all lean tools for aerospace production.

Flexpipe eliminates the most common tripping hazards so often associated with welded structures that don’t allow for proper locations or placement of wires and cables. The system ensures that 5S initiatives are constantly improved while promoting and fostering a sense of responsibility for workspace upkeep amongst aerospace manufacturing technicians and production employees.

Flexpipe Improves 5S Initiatives.

Flexpipe Improves Worker Safety

Whether it’s using simple tie wraps and other accessories to secure wires and cables to steel pipes and joint areas to eliminate tripping hazards, creating ergonomic workstations, or ensuring that placards and warning signs are more easily spotted by production technicians, Flexpipe can dramatically improve worker safety.

Flexpipe Simplifies Continuous Improvement

Adopting lean and continuous improvement requires tools that simplify these processes. Flexpipe does exactly that. It’s a solution that simplifies material handling for aerospace manufacturers while being the perfect complement to improving workstation structures, material handling structures, and lean work cell layouts.

Flexpipe Makes Shop Floors Lean

Having a lean shop floor isn’t just about how it’s laid out. It’s not just about have clean workflow and simple processes. It’s ultimately about how the shop floor looks. Does the shop floor look clean? Does the shop floor look organized? Do employees feel as if they’re working in a clean and well-organized environment?

All these questions are much more difficult to answer with fixed, welded, and bulky workstations and material handing structures that take up too much space. Over time, welded workstations show their age. They look dirty. They are dirty, and they quickly begin to break down. Having multiple, older-looking, delipidated workstations makes the entire shop floor unappealing.

Flexpipe solves all these problems. The galvanized steel pipes are available in multiple colors and have a High Density Polyethylene (HDPE) outer coating that guards against scratches and scuff marks. Not only are workstations, carts, trolleys, flow racks, and other material handling structures made-to-fit, but they also look and feel clean.

7. Real-World Applications

Landing Gear Manufacturer Saves 40% on workstations and other Aerospace Lean manufacturing Structures.

Click here to learn more about how this manufacturer saved $758 for all their aerospace modular workstations for a total savings of $454,800.00.

Electronic Manufacturer Uses Flexpipe to Increase Production Volume by 300%

Click here to learn more about how this electronics manufacturer used the Flexpipe steel tube and joint system to adopt lean manufacturing best practices that dramatically increased production volumes by 300%.

Commercial Diagnostics Company Uses Flexpipe to Increase Productivity by 25% and Reduce Shop Floor Space by 20%

Click here to learn about how a medical device and diagnostic company created over 70 modular material handling structures and workstations that increased production and freed up space.

8. Getting Started with Flexpipe

Getting started with Flexpipe is easy. From starter kits, insight into various material handling structures to free starter plans, Flexpipe provides it all.

To gain insight into how to improve material handling for aerospace manufacturers, please reach out to one of our aerospace structures experts.

Build your First Project with a Starter Kit