AIDC spearheads aerospace industry development in Taiwan
2018/07/02
Aerospace Industrial Development Corp. based in central Taiwan’s Taichung City commenced assembly June 1 of new advanced jet trainers, marking a significant step for the domestic defense sector. The company is scheduled to produce 66 of the high-performance aircraft for Taiwan’s air force by 2026 to replace the military’s aging fleet of AT-3 trainers and F-5 fighters.
Speaking at the assembly launch ceremony, AIDC Chairman Liao Jung-hsin said the wholly new design for the next-generation trainers was completed within a tight schedule of three years, underscoring the high-level technical talent in Taiwan’s aerospace industry.
Noting that 757 new engineers were hired to develop the aircraft, Liao said manufacturing operations are expected to raise the number of job opportunities generated by the program to more than 2,000. “This will inject new energy into aerospace talent cultivation in Taiwan,” he added.
According to AIDC President Lin Nan-juh, progress to date demonstrates that initial concerns among local and foreign media outlets about the company’s ability to independently produce a new trainer were unfounded. In the 30 years since the firm’s last military jet program, “we have upgraded our processes for manufacturing task-oriented aircraft by incorporating skills learned while working with civilian airlines in such areas as cost management and smart manufacturing,” he said.
AIDC is best known for creating the Indigenous Defense Fighter, the first such homegrown aircraft. Yet the company has changed markedly since IDFs began rolling off the production line in 1988.
Established by the air force as an aerospace development center, AIDC became a state-owned enterprise under the Ministry of Economic Affairs in 1996. Publically listed in 2014, today the firm sells a wide range of goods including airframes and engines and conducts R&D in fields like composite materials.
The company is a supplier of airplane body sections and parts for industry giants including Airbus Group SE, Boeing Corp. and Bombardier Inc. and has obtained international accreditations in 934 aerospace production processes. About 90 percent of international flights take place on airplanes with AIDC components, Liao said.
According to the chairman, the firm is currently focused on three main objectives: completing assembly of the advanced jet trainers; developing more efficient smart manufacturing processes for aerospace products; and integrating expertise from local industry participants in areas spanning materials, machinery and transportation so as to cultivate a comprehensive domestic supply chain.
The company has already achieved notable successes in these areas such as the iAIDC Intelligent Manufacturing Platform, a smart machinery management system offering real-time monitoring through personal electronic devices. This platform has helped increase efficiency and speed up product development cycles, Liao said, adding that the next stage of the project involves adopting artificial intelligence solutions.
AIDC is also working to incorporate more enterprises into the Taiwan Aerospace Industry A-team 4.0 Alliance, a trade group it launched in 2016 comprising some 270 component providers, manufacturers and material suppliers. The alliance aims to promote the creation of value-added aerospace industry products through conducting regular training programs and helping members gain international accreditations.
“Such tie-ups are necessary in the face of increasing competition,” Liao said. “The alliance will help lower costs and boost efficiency among industry participants, bolstering the country’s position in global aerospace supply chains.”
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/news.php?unit=11&post=137040)
