Throughput Optimization of Paint Shop Operations in Aerospace

Airbus Helicopters Canada’s one of the main important activities is to serve the Canadian market in helicopter completion and customization of civil and parapublic helicopters, including private, corporate, EMS, law enforcement, firefighting, search and rescue, oil & gas, utility, and tourism. With the recent orders from Ontario Government and other customers, the production capacity is expected to double within the next two year. In helicopter completion, the paint shop process particularly creates challenges in terms of bottlenecks and high turnaround times. This process is particularly challenging to tackle due to specific constraints in paint applications, process time variability, as well as the need to use insulated paint room, causing limitations in achieving continuous operation flow. The objective of this project is to provide new facility design for paint shop process to achieve continuous flow and reduce the turnaround times from 6 weeks to 3 weeks. To achieve this objective a simulation-optimization approach will be implemented. The final recommendation of this work will lead to an updated production system design that is capable of meeting delivery targets in a cost efficient manner.

Faculty Supervisor:

Onur Kuzgunkaya

Student:

Partner:

Airbus Helicopters Canada Limited

Discipline:

Engineering

Sector:

Aerospace

University:

Concordia University

Program: