Forget Labor—Industry Cannot Get Enough Automation In Manufacturing

Airbus assembly line

Airbus says all existing and new single-aisle preassembly lines eventually will be equipped eventually with Flextracks—robotic systems that have either flexible or stiff rails that can be easily disassembled and reassembled around narrowbodies—allowing lightweight, modular drilling robots to move independently along the fuselage.

Credit: Airbus
At Pratt & Whitney’s Eagle Services Asia unit in Singapore, robotics that assemble high-pressure compressor rotors deliver 100% first-pass yield, reducing assembly time by 50%. The result has been an 80% increase in output at the facility over the past two years, company managers said while...
Michael Bruno

Based in Washington, Michael Bruno is Aviation Week Network’s Executive Editor for Business. He oversees coverage of aviation, aerospace and defense businesses, supply chains and related issues.

Garrett Reim

Based in the Seattle area, Garrett covers the space sector and advanced technologies that are shaping the future of aerospace and defense, including space startups, advanced air mobility and artificial intelligence.

Forget Labor—Industry Cannot Get Enough Automation In Manufacturing is available to both Aviation Week & Space Technology and AWIN subscribers.

Subscribe now to read this content, plus receive critical analysis into emerging trends, technological advancements, operational best practices and continuous updates to policy, requirements and budgets.

Already a subscriber to AW&ST or AWIN? Log in with your existing email and password.