A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

The fourth Industrial Revolution, aka Industry 4.0, is overtaking the aerospace and defense industries, and it’s also taking center stage at Farnborough International Airshow 2018 at Aerospace 4.0. A new zone making its FIA debut and located in the heart of the exhibit area, Aerospace 4.0 hosts cutting-edge companies specializing in the advanced digital technologies and services that are creating and defining this new era.

 


“There’s a lot of hype around Industry 4.0: smart factories, digitalization of factories, automation, data exchange, and innovative processes,” said Sameer Savani, technology advisor at UK aerospace and defense trade organization ADS Group. At Aerospace 4.0, he said, “Visitors can look at all these technologies through the lens of the aerospace sector. They can explore the new technologies, speak to the experts who are developing these innovations, and learn how to adapt these new capabilities into their own companies.”

 


The technologies represented at Aerospace 4.0 provide a what’s what of the gathering transformation: cloud computing; location-detection technologies; additive manufacturing; augmented reality; big data analytics; smart sensors; autonomous robots; simulation; system integration; cybersecurity and the Internet of Things (IoT). The 4.0 zone also features a full conference schedule where experts will address these and other subjects. {{this last sentence made me stop. Is it us? Not the right name. The other option is Farnborough International News Network, but I could turn up nothing on a dedicated pub.}}

 


Global consultancy Deloitte (Stand 5125), which brings to this arena a deep industry knowledge, multi-disciplinary experience, and thought leadership in addressing complex business issues related to Industry 4.0, is sponsoring Aerospace 4.0.“We look forward to sharing our insights and helping shape the journey ahead,” a Deloitte spokesperson said on the eve of the show.

 


Understanding and adopting 4.0’s underlying technologies is essential, Savani said. “Aerospace companies need to remain competitive to sell into the global market, and in order to do that they need to make things better, faster, cheaper. And the digital tools provided by Aerospace 4.0 are the enabler to do that.” Additionally, “Some of the digital technologies are creating new ways of doing things, and in some cases creating new business models, and the aerospace sector needs to keep up or get left behind.”

 


The companies exhibiting at Aerospace 4.0 are leading the charge.

 


In May LPW Technology (Stand 5150) opened a brand-new, state-of-the-art metal powder manufacturing facility, designed to engineer out the risk of contamination, and offering new ranges of clean metal powders, manufactured exclusively for the additive manufacturing process. Supporting production, the UK company developed PowderLife, the full powder lifecycle management system strictly controlling risk for manufacturers, adding consistency and traceability in metal powder production through repeated AM builds, suitable for safety-critical, aerospace applications. LPW is certified to AS9120, AS9100, ISO9001 &amp; ISO13485.

 


Known globally as a manufacturer of leading-edge technology, Hexagon Geospatial (Stand 5220) helps companies make sense of the dynamically changing world, by enabling them to easily transform data into actionable information, shortening the lifecycle from the moment of change to action. At FIA, Hexagonal is showcasing the capabilities of the recently acquired Luciad, which delivers geospatial software solutions that power the world’s mission-critical operations. Its applications are designed to simplify the lives of developers and end users through advanced visual analytics.

 


Skyrora (Stand 5310) is a space launch vehicle development company that aims to cater to the growing demand to send small satellites into space. Headquartered in Edinburgh, the company uses a combination of Skylark and Black Arrow inspired technology together with advanced manufacturing to create cost-effective launch vehicles designed to launch from a UK spaceport. With its hardware testing program is undervway, the team is at FIA to talk about their technology and launch targets.

 


UK-based Vision Engineering’s (Stand 5120) globally patented technology, TriTeQ³, provides unparalleled and unique extreme 3D reality imaging for applications requiring high-resolution, real-time, and ergonomic image presentation. TriTeQ³ is an advanced, stereo image presentation system designed to provide fully interactive real-time natural 3D visualization with outstanding depth perception.

 


Family-owned and operated Samuel, Son &amp; Co. (Stand 5000)—a network of metal manufacturing, processing, and distribution facilities—is on the forefront of modern manufacturing more than 160 years after its 1855 founding. With more than 4,800 employees and more than 100 locations, The U.S. company provides metals, industrial products, and value-added services to customers in aerospace and other industries. Burloak Technologies, a division of Samuel, specializes in the design, prototyping, and production of 3D metal and plastic parts used in several sectors, including aerospace.

 


A global partner providing design, manufacturing, and precision engineering services and solutions to a wide variety of industries, the UK’s Frazer-Nash Manufacturing (Stand 5102) is dedicated to meeting the most demanding industry challenges. With a particular emphasis on the aerospace sector, the company harnesses the latest innovations in process efficiency, digital design, and additive manufacturing to help clients “stay ahead of the curve.”

 


An independent, end-to-end IT services company serving some 6,000 clients, DXC Technology (Stand 5007) was created by the merger of CSC and Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s Services business. With this heritage and some 137,000 employees in more than 70 countries, U.S.-based DXC helps manufacturers move quickly to embrace innovation: digitally securing and transforming operations, value networks, and customer experiences through ecosystems of solutions and services.

 


Additive Industries (Stand 5346) is showcasing its modular end-to-end 3D printing systems that accelerate additive manufacturing of high-quality, functional, metal parts. The Netherlands company’s systems can redefine the business case for series production of additive manufacturing applications, offering substantially improved reproducibility, productivity, and flexibility.

 


The UK’s Digital Catapult (Stand 5003), an advanced digital technology center, is a change agent driving the early adoption of these technologies in UK companies to make them more competitive and productive and grow the country’s economy. Last year alone Digital Catapult had meaningful engagements with more than 600 start-ups and scale-ups, 40 new industrial collaborations and 30 new academic institution engagements. It provides physical and digital facilities where smaller companies can experiment and test these new technologies.

 


The Salesforce (Stand 5210) customer success platform provides key capabilities to help aerospace and defense customers succeed in the 4.0 era. Its seamless integrated Platform reaches across sales, service, marketing, analytics, commerce, and IoT, all with the power of artificial intelligence. The U.S. company offers clients the technology that will help address the challenges across their business and seize the opportunities they have today, while their pace of innovation “future-proofs” them, according to the company.

 


The UK’s Tri-Tech 3D (Stand 5001) is the official platinum partner for Desktop Metal and Stratasys 3D Printers. With a broad knowledge of Aerospace 3D printing applications, Tri-Tech 3-D can help clients expand, migrate or start an enterprise in the world of additive manufacturing.

 


3D Systems’ (Stand xxxx, I looked on the story list and on the exhibitor list IS sent and couldn't turn this up) 3D printers are designed by the U.S. manufacturer for aerospace and defense, as well as other demanding industries, starting with its entry-level FabPro 1000, which supports manufacturing, design, and engineering, and 3D scanning applications.

 


Companies helping mount the impressive 4.0 gathering include event coordinator Metro Broadcast, a wholly owned subsidiary of WPP Group; creative design and marketing agency AGD Ltd; trade show display and presentation creator Splash Design, Ltd; and Hunter Events.

 


Aerospace 4.0’s impact will vary widely based on company size, position in the supply chain, the technologies they want to adopt, and “what’s driving their business,” said Savani, and each company will need a customized response. “There’s no one-size-fits-all solution here, and there certainly won’t be Industry 4.0 in a box.”

 


And make no mistake these technologies are disruptive. “Companies will have to think about how they reskill existing employees for jobs that might be displaced due to the adoption of digital technologies,” Savani said. “But equally important is how companies remain attractive to the future workforce. Those future employees are going to expect to work for digitally savvy companies, and they’re going to expect the latest digital tools to be at their fingertips.”

 


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Aerospace 4.0 Hosts the Coming Revolution

Cutting edge technologies, companies on display in new zone dedicated to showcasing innovations transforming aerospace and defense manufacturing.

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