Assembly Planbook - July 2008 - (Page 15)

form, the ACU can accommodate up to four squibs, while an enhanced version can handle as many as eight squibs and four satellite interfaces. “This scalable ACU allows costLocomotive builder Railpower Technologies is driven manufacturbuilding a new assembly plant in Saint-Jean-surers to equip their Richelieu, Quebec. vehicles with safePension Plan, which represents ty electronics while maintaining some 278,000 active and retired their competitiveness,” says TRW educators in the area. vice president Ed Carpenter. “For the ﬁrst time in its history, Railpower will own a dedicated, world-class manufacturing facility,” says company CEO Jose Mathieu. “This facility is expected to signiﬁcantly improve our manufacturing efﬁciencies and provide Railpower with the ability to rapTOULOUSE, France—Airbus idly expand its current produc- has tapped Spirit AeroSystems tion.” (Wichita, KS) to build fuselage The new plant will be built on a components for its new A350 710,000-square-foot parcel of land XWB aircraft. The A350, which is with access to two major railroads. still in development, is intended to The plant will include 55,000 go head-to-head with the largely square feet of production space composite Boeing 787 Dreamand 4,000 square foot of ofﬁce liner, set to take its ﬁrst ﬂight later space, with an option to expand this year. either area as the need arises. Spirit AeroSystems, which Railpower Technologies spe- was purchased from Boeing cializes in the production of envi- (Chicago) in 2005 by Onex Corp. ronmentally friendly locomotives (Toronto), also manufactures fuand cranes, which produce fewer selage sections for the Boeing emissions than conventional en- 737 jetliner, and nose sections gines and are cheaper to operate. and other components for the The company also has an ofﬁce in Boeing 767 and 787. Erie, PA. The Spirit AeroSystems contract is one of a number of agreements Airbus is currently drafting as it strives to outsource as much of the actual construction of its new airplane as possible. According to Airbus, around 50 percent of the Spirit AeroSystems to Build A350 Fuselage Sections TRW Develops Low-cost Airbag Controllers LIVONIA, MI— Automotive supplier TRW Automotive Holdings Corp. has developed a new scalable airbag control unit (ACU) intended for use in the fastgrowing, low-cost vehicle market. In its standard Spirit AeroSystems has closed a deal to build fuselage subassemblies for the Airbus A350. www.assemblymag.com July 2008 / ASSE M B LY 15 http://www.fec-usa.com http://www.fec-usa.com http://www.assemblymag.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Assembly Planbook - July 2008

Assembly Planbook - July 2008 Contents Editorial Quality in Assembly Station to Station Assembly Lines Assembly in Action Surviving the Roller Coaster The Human Side of Manufacturing Do Your Fasteners Need a Preapplied Thread-Locker? Manufacturing Innovation A Century of Progress Trendsetting Plants Pulse Tools Get Smart Plastics: Design for X Product Reviews Products Advertisers Index Classified Leading Lean

Assembly Planbook - July 2008

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