Spotlight on Research: Aerospace

What do you give a leading aerospace school that already has a state-of-the-art flight simulator? An even better flight simulator, of course. A collaboration with Marinvent Corporation, nurtured over the past two years through Concordia’s Office of Research and the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science, has made this possible, and so helps expand upon Concordia’s existing strengths in this area.

“Aerospace education and research are of vital strategic importance, not only to Concordia, but to Montreal and Canada,” says Robert Fews, director of the Concordia Institute for Aerospace Design and Innovation (CIADI). “With this new simulator, we’re reaping the benefits of our strong industrial partnerships, and our students and researchers will greatly benefit as a result.”

The new simulator, a loan from Marinvent, will live at the Control and Robotics Group, part of CIADI, on the 10th floor of the Engineering, Computer Science and Visual Arts Integrated Complex (EV Building). There it will be of particular help to researchers who work on control systems for aircraft — for example, the kind of technology that makes it possible for a jet to go on auto-pilot. The new simulator can accurately model any existing aircraft — whether manned or unmanned, fixed or rotary wing.

Ten years ago, consulting firm KPMG ranked Canada’s aerospace industry number one in the world for cost effectiveness. However, with increased global competition, Canadian companies must find ways to become even more efficient. That’s where a brand new $1.3 million grant for Concordia and its university and industry partners comes into play.

The Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council (NSERC) has provided $680,000 and collaborating companies Bombardier and Bell Helicopter gave the other half to help launch a project called Lean Aerospace Value Streams, with Concordia’s Nadia Bhuiyan as the principal investigator. The other collaborating universities are École de technologie supérieure, École Polytechnique, as well as the Consortium de Recherche et innovation synergétiques en aérospatiale (CRIAQ).

Over 170,000 Canadians work in the aerospace sector, and universities graduate around 3,000 qualified aerospace workers every year. Harnessing this know-how to the maximum benefit of the domestic industry is crucial.

With new rivals emerging, among them China and India, Bhuiyan and her colleagues propose an innovative approach to keep Canada among the world leaders. The research will identify ways of applying lean principles, made famous by Toyota and other automotive companies, to
the aerospace sector, where they have never before been widely implemented.

“Most aerospace companies are trying to be leaner,” explains Bhuiyan, “whether the principles are applied to manufacturing processes or non-manufacturing processes, including product development.”

Lean describes a systematic approach of eliminating waste — anything that does not add value to the customer. It has been estimated that only about 5 percent of work in a company actually adds value. An additional 35 percent of work is considered necessary to the normal functioning of the organization, while a staggering 60 percent is waste, defined as things such as excess inventory, redundant tasks and rework.

The scope of the lean aerospace project is broad, encompassing a wide spectrum of industry activities, right from the very beginning of any given aircraft project. When planning a new aircraft, a company must start by capturing customers’ requirements and effectively linking these into the development of the new product. This information must flow effectively for the project to be a success.

“I am particularly interested in how lean principles can be applied to the design process,” says Bhuiyan. “Engineers formulate an idea or concept, build a prototype, and it typically takes many years to get a final product or service to market. . A lot of engineers’ time is wasted during this phase and we want to see how to speed everything up and still deliver the best possible product to the customer.”

Research will also be conducted in lean management, the supply chain, human resources, and, of course, the manufacturing process itself. Several of Bhuiyan’s colleagues in the Faculty of Engineering and Computer Science are participating in the various investigations, including Yong Zeng and Kudret Demirli.

Beyond the potential applications of the new research, Bhuiyan is also happy that Concordia students will receive highly relevant new training under the project.

“Graduate and undergraduate students will be learning how to apply lean principles in local aerospace companies,” she explains. “It’s a win-win situation: improved efficiency in industry and unparalleled experience for our future graduates."