Aerospace sector is targetted for future growth

Citation

(2009), "Aerospace sector is targetted for future growth", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 81 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2009.12781cab.005

Aerospace sector is targetted for future growth

Article Type: Aerospace technology From: Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology: An International Journal, Volume 81, Issue 3

Substantial investment over recent years by owners of coal mines in the UK has been instrumental in Lancashire-based contract machinist, Clitheroe Light Engineering, increasing its turnover by 17 percent in 2007 and a further 21 percent in 2008.

A large part of the subcontractor’s business is the manufacture of internal hydraulic valve gear for equipment used in coal mines. Investment in the sector is set to continue through 2009 and beyond, particularly at Daw Mill colliery in the West Midlands and at Hatfield and Kellingley in Yorkshire, where major refurbishment projects are under way. So, Clitheroe Light’s prospects look bright this year, despite the general economic downturn.

An indication of the current strength of deep mining can be gauged from a press release issued by UK Coal on January 5, 2009, which reported that in 2008, Daw Mill achieved the highest annual output for any colliery in the history of coal mining in Britain. The 680-man mine produced 3,218,000 tonne from a single coal face, beating the previous best of 3,160,000 tonne set by Selby’s Wistow mine 13 years ago.

Looking further ahead, Clitheroe Light is actively concentrating on the aerospace industry for further business growth.

Commented Helen Meloy, a director of the 28-employee company, “We were machining aerospace components in the early 1990s, mainly the parts that other subcontractors could not tackle, and we still produce components that are used in aircraft X-ray equipment.”

“So we have long experience in the sector, but recent years have seen changes to the industry. Direct suppliers now need the relevant infrastructure and approvals, which we are in the process of putting in place.”

The company already holds ISO 9001:2000 and is currently installing bonded material storage, traceability systems and other processes required for registration to the aerospace quality management system, AS9100, which it expects to receive mid-2009.

A member of the Northwest Aerospace Alliance since January 2009, the subcontractor is located in Clitheroe, Lancashire, ideal for accessing firms in the North of England, the UK’s largest aerospace manufacturing region.

Figure 2 The extended Fastems FMS for prismatically machined parts at Clitheroe Light now has two workpiece load/unload stations to cope with the increased throughput

Production of precision mill-turned parts is a significant part of the business, but what defines the company is its 34 m long, 72 pallet, flexible manufacturing system (FMS) for the production of prismatically machined components. There are very few FMS of this size installed at subcontractors in the UK (Figure 2). It runs 24/7, 365 days a year, taking the labour cost content out of the parts produced and helping Clitheroe Light to compete with overseas suppliers.

The existing Doosan and two Mori Seiki horizontal machining centres that are linked into the FMS will be joined by two more half-metre-cube HMCs when order levels justify further investment.

Details available from: Clitheroe Light Engineering, Tel.: +44 (0) 1200 422707, Fax: +44 (0) 1200 425517.