Daily tasks carried out by Airbus, Chester, are crucial for the safety and reliability of their aircrafts. With the goal of producing the perfect aircraft wing in a timely manner in their FAL division, they must ensure their tooling is organised for optimal efficiency. To achieve this, they partnered with Hoffmann Group UK to create a solution to replace their old tool cabinets.
Craig Pritchard from Airbus said: “Hoffmann’s specialists have helped us save time in production. Our team can easily find where a tool goes due to the foam inlay designs.”
He continued: “The people working on each job now has everything they need in one place which has increased efficiency. As the cabinets are also lockable, we are seeing fewer missing tools too. We've recieved invaluable advice from the Hoffmann team on the tools for our new cabinets”
The functionality and quality of tooling cabinets are crucial for the success of every manufacturing and engineering facility, especially for aerospace firms like Airbus. Misplaced tooling could lead to longer lead times or even obsolete products and in aerospace – this could be fatal.
Craig noticed that Airbus’ existing tooling cabinets needed to be improved, their old solutions were damaged and not secure. When it came to improving the cabinets, he recognised that they would benefit from foam inlays for better tool management and perforated panels for extra storage. Craig was impressed with Hoffmann’s eForm configurator and product selection.
He said: “We realised that the things that could be better on our original cabinets were already incorporated on the Hoffmann ones. We tried them out and realised they were perfect for the job.”
As the cabinets are now tooled to specific jobs, this saves on walk and wait times as operators have everything they need in one place. Craig continued: “before, all the cabinets were generalised and operators had to work from various boxes to fulfil one role. With the help of the Hoffmann specialists, who responded quickly to our requirements, our team has become more productive”
Hoffmann Group UK is manufacturer and supplier of industrial equipment to more than 135,000 customers across the globe. Headquartered in Germany, the company has 50 subsidiaries across the globe including Birmingham, UK. The organisation offers its customers expert advice with specialist consultants in PPE, Cutting Tools, Measuring Equipment and Workstations & Storage. As a manufacturer, Hoffmann prides itself on creating solutions for industry with manufacturers in mind.
To find out how Hoffmann could help you, visit Workstations and storage | Hoffmann Group (hoffmann-group.com)