Out of Hardware to Open Systems in Record Time

Abstract

LUCAS Aerospace Ltd. in Luton, Bedfordshire, has earned an outstanding reputation for quality that is reflected in its products, its award‐winning training programme, and its commitment to its entire organisation and workforce. As a company dedicated to quality, Lucas is constantly re‐evaluating its practices to determine opportunities for improvement. In doing so, Lucas has taken great leaps in its technological approach, most recently by its conversion from McDonnell Douglas hardware to the IBM RS6000 with the help of Kewill‐Trifid's IBS manufacturing and business software. The change to Open Systems was the calculated result of extensive research and testing, but the resulting degree of success was unprecedented. The company plays an integral role in the aviation and defence industries in Great Britain and around the world. As the Engineering and Heating Systems Division of Lucas Aerospace Ltd., Lucas Luton's function is twofold: manufacturing aircraft transparencies for cockpits and cabins for civil and military aircraft, for example the Tornado canopy and A320 pilot cabin windows; and producing de‐icing systems for aircraft — an application that stops ice forming on aircraft engine intakes, wings and also on helicopter blades. Lucas also currently possesses the contract to develop screens for the European Fighter Aircraft, and it provides anti‐icing systems for the Concorde, the EH 101 helicopter for Westland Helicopters, and the V22 tilt rotor helicopter in the United States. As recent recipients of both a British Quality Award and a National Training Award, Lucas clearly shows that its commitment to its people — their training, development and job satisfaction — is equal in importance to their production of an excellent quality product.

Citation

(1992), "Out of Hardware to Open Systems in Record Time", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 64 No. 5, pp. 18-26. https://doi.org/10.1108/eb037237