Steeve Lavoie, a Methods Supervisor for Bombardier Aerospace, says that to remain competitive in aerospace manufacturing, Bombardier reviews and improves its manufacturing processes on a regular basis to enhance internal production speed and performance. When the production process is reviewed, he says it is vital to consider every operation required to make the parts and seek to eliminate operations not essential to manufacturing wherever possible. Bombardier has fully embraced this idea and is seeing significant returns on its internal investment in a Makino A88E machining cell system consisting of four machines and an automatic pallet handling system.

"Our goal with the Makino cell is to avoid operations after machining the parts, such as running them through honing equipment, jig bores and vibrabowl systems, as we’ve had to do in the past," he states. "The Makino cell has eliminated a number of these subsequent operations due to the machine’s precision." This has been part of the major time savings that the company has gotten from the Makino cell. Due to Bombardier’s team effort to eliminate after-machining operations and improve machining productivity, the aerospace manufacturer has seen a 90 percent decrease in production time on its parts," says Lavoie.

At one of its Montréal plants that cuts aluminum for the fuselage, door and cockpit structural parts of Canadair regional jets, Bombardier is running a cell of four Makino A88E machining centers that were brought in to replace about seven other CNC machines.

Reducing Cycle Time

		From the time a need is identified to a finished part, we now talk about our production cycle time in terms of hours rather than days.

"The most important improvement with the Makino cell has been a reduction in the time to produce a finished part," says Lavoie. "In collaboration with our lean manufacturing team, and with the help of the Makino equipment, we considerably reduced the production cycle time by eliminating time spent on unnecessary tasks and subsequent operations and improving the material flow. That means, from the time a need is identified to a finished part, we now talk about our production cycle time in terms of hours rather than days. We are now achieving cycle time production for a finished part in less than 24 hours."

The Bombardier implementation team added that parts were going from machining centers to another area of the plant for drilling operations, then to another area for jig bore operations, etc. The waiting time between the various operations was accumulating. With the Makino cell, the reduction of throughput time has also greatly reduced the need for inventory.

Productivity and Results

By equipping each of the machines in the cell exactly the same way, and standardizing cutting tools and fixtures, the Bombardier implementation team says the company has seen incredible improvements and realized the return on investment with the cell quickly.

The automation of the A88E cell at Bombadier allows this area of the Montreal plant to operate 24/7 with limited operator intervation.

Bombardier is using the Makino cell to produce about 950 different parts for its planes, with only 145 cutting tools. The quantity of parts being manufactured is approximately 80,000 annually. Lavoie says the company has seen a six-time improvement in machining productivity from the old CNC machining centers the Makinos replaced.

Accuracy is another big improvement that Bombardier has realized with the A88E MMC that has contributed to a more cost-effective manufacturing operation. "We reduced nonconformity of parts by 75 percent. Things that were previously caused by technical errors like surface finish, hole positioning and excessive vibration have been eliminated. With the improvement in machine uptime, we are now able to operate the machine 24 hours a day, seven days a week, with less resources than were needed previously. The combination of all these factors has led to a lower cost of manufacturing overall for us at Bombardier Montreal," says Lavoie.

Integration and Training

The integration and training process went well due to a good partnership with Makino throughout the entire activity. Prior to the purchase of the cell, Bombardier had sent test parts to Makino and had training at Makino’s US headquarters in Mason, Ohio.

Installation of the cell was completed two to three weeks ahead of schedule. Training the employees on the equipment was also a smooth process.

"We have trained our employees with Makino’s help, and they have direct access to the Makino interface on the machines they operate. By itself, the Makino cell is "auto-sufficient," says Lavoie.

"Operators receive their raw materials at the start of a shift, and during the day they are able to deliver finished parts without transferring them to another operating group-which is a very efficient way to operate. Parts are delivered directly to their final destination within the facility, and the parts are complete.

"When Bombardier bought the A88E cell, the Wichita plant installed an A66E cell, and the Belfast, Ireland site bought an A100E cell. By cooperating amongst ourselves, we have been able to help each other greatly," Lavoie continues.

Growth and Future

Bombardier is a Canada-based international manufacturer of a variety of different transportation vehicle types. It manufactures regional, business and amphibious aircraft through its aerospace division.

By investing in technology like the Makino A88E cell, Bombardier has increased its savings and improved profitability. Not only have the company’s operations costs been reduced, but Bombardier has also reconfigured manufacturing resources for additional gains. That kind of success story is key to remaining competitive and ensuring the future of Bombardier.

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