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Provides insight into using integrated product development (IPD) teams, design for assembly (DFA) and design for manufacturability (DFM) for aircraft design. Aircraft structure is very complex and has large quantities of fasteners (100,000 plus for fighter aircraft, 1 million plus for large commercial aircraft). Applying DFA reduces parts/fasteners, which in turn reduces the number of opportunities for defects. Describes the application of design‐for‐six‐sigma‐manufacturability (DFM) to aircraft structure which additionally reduces defects during production.

THE Trident has been designed with the objective of achieving freedom from fatigue cracks on the primary structure, during the operational life of the aircraft. Additionally, in areas where the fail safe concept can be applied, the design aim has been to provide multiple load paths and/or crack stoppers so that, in the event of any one member failing, the remaining structure can sustain at least limit loads for a longer period than the interval specified between major inspections of the structure. In the places where it is not possible to apply the fail safe concept, that is on flap and slat tracks, tailplane hinge fitting, engine mountings and landing gear, a substantial margin of safe life is provided.

FMS real time scheduling requires the concurrent solution of both loading and despatching problems. The loading strategy is the most critical and important scheduling decision in an FMS. Presents an effective loading rule (job‐group loading rule), based on experimental observations: a group of jobs, reflecting the ratios of the production mix, is loaded on the input warehouse every time that it is completely empty; all the jobs loaded on the input warehouse have to be accessible for the material handling system. Demonstrates how this job‐group loading works as a dynamic rule for real time scheduling of manufacturing systems, defining a part releasing policy able to guarantee reaching a periodic, steady state production. The capability of the job‐group loading rule has been verified when the FMS characteristics are closest to a real situation. Analyses the effects of the interferences on transport operations, the variability of machining times, the finite capacity of interoperational storage and the stops for preventive maintenance or breakdown. Research results show the capability in FMS management of real time scheduling based on the job‐group loading rule.

An examination of the advantages of fail safe design and present non‐destructive testing techniques, and the importance of facilitating inspection at the design stage. THE introduction to this paper justifies in depth the case for fail safe philosophies in aircraft structural design. The advantages include improved safety, weight savings, the full availability of the potential fatigue life of each individual aircraft in the fleet, protection against accidental damage in service and manufacturing errors, together with a good resale value.