the essential SERIES (2/4). The production of an airliner from A to Z. For the second part of this series, a spotlight on the different professions that operate within the A350 assembly line. From 6:30 a.m. to midnight, 1,200 people take turns to ensure that the Airbus long-haul plane takes shape.
Companions are an essential link in the aircraft production process. On the A350 line, there are 700 people responsible for the structural assembly of the plane. In short, they are the ones who fix the three sections together with some 10,000 rivets, who install the landing gear and who join the wings, the fin and the horizontal stabilizer to the fuselage with large screws and nuts. .
A companion fixing the fin to the fuselage. Airbus
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It is also the companions, nicknamed the “blue collar workers” because of their outfit, who install the reactor masts under the wing, then a little later the engines. When the structure of the plane is completed, the companions tackle two other tasks, essential for the aircraft to be able to take to the air. “There are the so-called Electrical and Systems activities,” explains Louis-Ponthus Rochot, responsible for the structural assembly of the A350 at Airbus.
The A350 is covered by some 170 kilometers of electrical cables. Airbus
Electrical activities involve connecting electrical harnesses with each other. Systems activities aim to install electrical systems, computers, and connect pipes that will contain fluid such as oil, air or water. » The companions therefore have several strings to their bow but they are not alone in building a plane. They have a “support” team behind them.
Quality engineer, workshop logistician, tool coordinator, test technician, etc.
On the A350 assembly line, there are a total of around ten different professions. In the production group, there are, in addition to the companions, around 500 people performing support functions. “There are five support professions who live with the companion every day on the plane,” explains Louis-Ponthus Rochot. There is the workshop quality specialist who ensures that the procedures are carried out as they should. » The quality specialist intervenes according to the experience of the companion and the criticality of the operation to be carried out.
Workshop logisticians rely on a logistics hub in Cornebarrieu. Airbus
Another important profession is the workshop logistician. He is the one who guarantees the arrival of the parts to the assembly line. It has a 36,000 m2 logistics hub located in Cornebarrieu to store all the parts. Technical support is also an essential link in the chain. “He is the preferred contact whenever a technical question about the plane arises. Need clarification on reading an assembly range, on the use of tools, technical support is there to provide this insight. »
To join the wings to the fuselage of the A350 no less than 2,500 rivets are necessary. Airbus
The tooling coordinator also plays an essential role in ensuring that everything goes smoothly. To manufacture a plane you need specific tools, most of which are designed by Airbus engineering teams. It is up to the coordinator to ensure that all these tools are there when the companion needs them, and in good condition. And once the plane is manufactured, it is the test technicians who enter the runway to carry out various tests on the aircraft. “We turn on the ignition, and we have to check that everything that should light up lights up, that is to say that everything we have connected is properly connected. »
There are six main professions on the A350 assembly line. Airbus
Real teamwork where everything, down to the smallest detail, is anticipated so that not a single grain of sand stops the machine. Thanks to the coordination of these different professions within the assembly line, Airbus is now able to release six A350s each month and is targeting monthly production of nine examples by the end of 2025.
2023-11-07 12:34:33
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