An A320neo nacelle line that redefines innovation
In May 2021, Safran Nacelles inaugurated a new production line in Le Havre for the aft cowl of its A320neo nacelle. A team effort involving the plant’s employees, this ultra-modern line features the best Lean Manufacturing precepts, plus a number of innovations, all geared to operational excellence.
The new assembly line addresses a strategic challenge for the company, namely to bring 40% of ACC production back in-house, whereas it had previously been outsourced.
It’s a model for quality, productivity, safety and environmental performance,” proudly states Vincent Caro, CEO of Safran Nacelles. He’s talking about the assembly line for the aft core cowl (ACC) on the nacelle equipping the engines for the Airbus A320neo. This new line at the company’s plant in Gonfreville-l’Orcher, near Le Havre, was inaugurated in May by Vincent Caro, alongside Ross McInnes, Chairman of the Safran Board of Directors, and Olivier Andriès, Chief Executive Officer. The new line covers some 1,200 square meters (12,960 sq ft) and includes 14 workstations. Once assembled, the ACCs are sent to the A320neo thrust reverser assembly line just a few meters away for integration.
60+ INNOVATIONS
The new assembly line addresses a strategic challenge for the company, namely to bring 40% of ACC production back in-house, whereas it had previously been outsourced. This will give Airbus a second supply source, while also ensuring the dependability of the nacelle supply chain. And of course the new line had to meet the airframer’s demanding expectations.
Safran Nacelles therefore allied collective intelligence with technical innovation to come up with the new assembly line, the upshot of close collaboration between operators and production support teams. It features more than 60 innovative solutions designed to shorten production cycles – which have been cut four-fold! – and improve both quality and workstation ergonomics. “Our teamwork played a decisive role in meeting the targets for delivery times and competitiveness,” notes Ghislain Fauquet, head of the ACC production engineering drive. “We focused on improving the assembly process itself, but also all associated steps, down to the slightest detail on our workstations. The line also incorporates state-of-the-art technologies in terms of virtual reality modeling, allowing us to hit our cost and quality targets right from the first part made.”
Safran Nacelles plans to make more than 150 aft core cowls this year and then nearly double its production capacity in 2022.
Ross McInnes, Chairman of the Safran Board of Directors, Olivier Andriès, Chief Executive Officer of Safran, and Vincent Caro, Chief Executive Officer of Safran Nacelles.
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Spotlight on innovation
A few of the solutions featured on the new assembly line
- Tool preparation
To reduce costs induced by duplication of tools, each workstation has a cart that includes all the tools needed for assembly operations, already adjusted and calibrated.
- Varnish primer
Once the aft cowl has been made, a protective coat of varnish is applied to project it when integrating with the thrust reverser. The aim is to reduce waivers due to scratches or impact damage.
- Optimized drilling
A drilling method called “one way assembly” allows drilling holes with the requisite quality without having to disassemble parts for deburring – resulting in considerable time savings and improved quality.
- Handling assist device
Each of the drills weighs 7 or 8 kg (15-18 lb). To improve working conditions, these workstations are fitted with a handling assist device that reduces the physical effort needed for drilling and avoids any possible damage due to a handling accident.
