The Skill and Competence Base of International Aerospace

1
The Skill and Competence Base of International
Aerospace

• Professor Philip Lawrence
• Aerospace Research Centre
• Bristol UK
• Deutsche Gessellschaft für Auswärtige Politik
  29/1/02

2
Contents

• Characteristics of Aerospace
• Aerospace Knowledge Base
• Concurrrent Engineering
• Skills and Competency
• Advanced Engineering Environments (AAEs)
• Snapshot Problems for the UK?
• Conclusions
• Epitaph!

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Key Characteristics of the Aerospace Industry

• High Technology
• Complex Technology Linkages
• Very High Program Costs
• High Minimum Efficient Scale (MES)
• High Value-added Labour Process
• Very Long Product Life
• Steep Learning Curve
• Intense Regulation
• High Skill-Base
• Highly Distributed Programs

4
Types of Aerospace Knowledge

• Product Knowledge
• Process Knowledge
• Management Knowledge
• Systems Integration Knowledge
• (Pinelli et.al, 1997).

5
Branches of Concurrent Engineering in Aircraft
Design and Build

• Aerodynamics CFD, Advanced Computing Codes,
  Mathematical Modelling, e.g. NAS at NASA Ames
• Aerostructures Materials Science, Mechanical
  Engineering, Chemical Engineering
• Avionics and Systems Electrical Engineering,
  Software Engineering, Human Factors Engineering
• Systems Integration Software tools, digital
  mock-ups, advanced simulation, wind-tunnel sizing
• Propulsion suck, squeeze, bang, blow

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Aerospace Management

• Project Management
• Accounting and Finance
• Supply Chain Management
• Marketing and Sales
• Customer Support
• Maintainability
• Airworthiness Certification
• RT

• Managing International teams
• Government Relations
• Intercultural Integration
• Public Relations

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Airbus ACE Milestones
Order released for Project
Definition of basic concept
Instruction to Proceed
Go Ahead
Begin Final Assembly
First Flight
Entry into Service
Product Idea
Top level a/c Spec
Concept for product selected
Authorisation to offer
First metal cut
Power On
Type certification
End Development phase for basic aircraft
A380 1992-2006 US11.3bn
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Key Elements in competitiveness

• Intrinsic competitiveness depends on a firms
  core competence. Core competence has 4
  dimensions
• 1. Knowledge set embodied in employee knowledge
  and skills
• 2. Knowledge set embodied in technical systems
• 3. Knowledge creation and control process guided
  by managerial systems
• 4. Values and norms associated with various types
  of embodied and embedded knowledge
  (Leonard-Barton 1992)

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Airbus Definition of Level of Competencies

• LEVEL 0 No experience in terms of Aeronautical
  Industrial Product and of Airbus
• Methods and tools. Adequate basic
  engineering capability
• LEVEL 1 Short experience in terms of
  Aeronautical Industrial Product and of Airbus
• Methods and tools Capability to perform
  manufacturing drawing/stress analysis
  calculation under a strong leadership
• LEVEL 2 Experienced people in terms of
  Aeronautical Industrial Product and of Airbus
• Methods and tools Capability to perform
  manufacturing drawing/design
  principles/stress analysis Capability to manage a
  mono skill small team (less than 10 persons),
  Level of CDBT
• LEVEL 3 Broad experience (previous
  developments, ) Well aware of multi-skills
• activities and in particular production
  capabilities. Capability to manage a multi
  skill team (up to 50 persons) Level of CMIT,
  CDBT
• LEVEL 4 Broad experience in Architectural
  capabilities, broadly experienced specialist
  Level of Domain

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Competency Deficit UK Aerospace Employment
Issues 1997-1999

• 62 establishments had hard to fill vacancies
• 53 experiencing current difficulties
• Skills shortages almost exclusively in
  engineering area
• Key skills Software engineers, skilled
  technicians, design engineers, CNC machinists

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Changes In Aerospace Engineering

• Accelerating the Development Cycle to Reduce Cost
• Use of CAD/CAM and digital mock-ups
• Global distribution of DBTs using interactive
  tools
• Increased use of non-metals to reduce weight
• Exploration of fly-by-light technology
• New airframe concepts (Sonic Cruiser, Blended
  Wing, Hypersonics)
• E-business, e-engineering

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Forecast for Aerospace e-business 35 of all
sales by 2004
Goldman Sachs, AWST 28 Feb 2000
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Collaborative B2B Engineering
e.g. CAD
Viewing/lightediting
Partner
Editing (download)
Check out
Check in
Replication in partner work area (XML document)
Web Server
PDM
Owner
Export Product Folder Content
Reconciliation Import
Cap Gemini
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Collaborative Project Management
e.g. MS Project
Partner
Editing (download)
Check out
Check in
Replication in partner work area (XML document)
Project Management
Owner
Export Project structure BW-Reports Documents
Reconciliation Import
Cap Gemini
15
Advanced Engineering Environments (AEEs)

• Computational and communications systems that
  create integrated virtual and/or distributed
  environments linking researchers, technologists,
  designers, manufacturers, suppliers and customers
• CF. B-777 use of 238 dbts in 60 countries using
  CATIA, with digital mockup. But still physical
  testing for landing gear certification and wind
  tunnel tests for aero-structures sizing

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Linking Science and Engineering

• AEEs can provide new direct links between the
  research community and engineers in companies,
  (connecting the lab and the factory).
• Use in virtual reality, man/machine interface,
  knowledge based engineering etc

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Barriers to AEEs

• Tool and System Integration
• Data smog, or information proliferation
• Cultural Issues
• Education and training (6 months for new tools)
• Compatibility with Legacy systems

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Systems Life-cycle Phases and Reviews a
potentialfocus for AEEs
Operational Need Requirement
Operational Concept formulation
Operational requirements review
Concept exploration
System requirements review
Concept Demonstration And validation
System design review
Preliminary design review Critical design
review Production readiness review
Full-scale Engineering development
Production and deployment
Product Improvement Review
Operation and maintenance
After Chapanis, 1996
System Retirement
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Conclusions

• Aerospace has a high skill and competency base
• Many companies exhibit good practice
• But programs are too expensive
• AAEs can accelerate program development
• Tools and systems are sometimes incompatible
• Science and engineering need to be brought closer
  together
• Skills shortages are in evidence in some countries

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Epitaph Flogging Dead HorsesThe tribal wisdom
of the Dakota Indians, passed on from one
generation to the next, says that when you
discover you are riding a dead horse the best
strategy is to dismount. Yet in modern business,
where heavy investment is involved, isnt it odd
that other strategies are often tried with dead
horses, including the following

• Changing riders
• Buying a stronger whip
• Threatening the horse with termination
• Appointing a committee to study the horse
• Arranging to visit other sites to see how they
  ride dead horses
• Lowering standards so that dead horses can be
  included

• Hiring outside contractors to ride the dead horse
• Harnessing several dead horses together to keep
  going
• Providing additional funding and/or training to
  increase the horses performance
• Productivity studies to see if lighter riders
  would improve the dead horses performance