Gallery: Inside Part-Out Specialist Ecube's UK Facility

Ecube which was founded in 2011, specializes in aircraft disassembly, recycling, and aircraft end-of-life services. Aviation Week visited its headquarters in St Athan, Wales to get an inside look at its operations. The part-out specialist also has teardown facilities at Castellón, Spain and within Coolidge Municipal Airport at Arizona. 
 

Located in the Aerospace Business Park at the St. Athan site, the facility is equipped with a fully operational 1,800-meter (5,905 ft.) runway and airside support, benefiting from CAT 1 ILS to support aircraft landing in adverse weather conditions.

The aircraft disassembly process starts with removing aircraft engines and hazardous toxic fluids such as fuel, hydraulic and oils. According to the company, the disassembly of an aircraft takes between three and five weeks, depending on its size.

The company has three hangars (each approx. 43,000 ft.²) within its St. Athan facility dedicated to disassembly, maintenance, storage and logistics. A disassembly hangar can accommodate two aircraft inside and up to three aircraft outside the hangar at a time. 
 
Once the aircraft moves to the hangar, the technicians remove easily accessible components such as avionics, safety equipment (including slides and lights), APU and nacelle components. As a final step, the landing gear is removed.
 

Seen here is the company's climate-controlled storage unit with the capability of 1,200 pallet positions. Disassembled components are stored here at the temperature between 18-20 C (64.4-68 F) before they are delivered.

The company has a team of in-house carpenters to fabricate crates to ship and transport the components safely and securely. They fabricate crates for all aerospace requirements, ranging from transporting dangerous goods, such as emergency slides, to shipping heavy and large structures such as flight controls or engine nacelles, which the company says differentiate it from other part-out companies.  

E-cube employs more than 100 employees and intends to recruit more staff over the next five years to meet any work ramp ups. Steven Taylor, chief commercial officer at eCube says: “We have plans to grow over the next five years and the workforce will be a challenge for us. So, we are looking at apprenticeship programs. We already have welcomed one apprentice and are looking to add more apprentices.”

Sustainability has always been a key focus of Ecube’s strategy. The company aims to target zero waste landfall for its aircraft end-of-life service. As a result, the company upcycles the disassembled components by reusing them to make innovative furniture (i.e. coffee tables, coaster sets, mirrors) and for educational training. Additionally, the part-out specialist has been closely working with the Aircraft Fleet Recycling Association (AFRA)'s best management practices. The MRO recently gained AFRA diamond level accreditation for disassembly, which now covers all three facilities. 
 

The last ever British Airways 747 has been preserved at Ecube’s facility for the future generation to enjoy.