Aerosud 2022

REVOLUTIONISING

CARGO

Writer: Jack Salter | Project Manager: Ryan Gray

With the help of Aerosud, an internationally recognised supplier of aircraft interior systems, electrified air cargo has lift off in South Africa.

It follows an agreement signed with SAMAD Aerospace, in which Aerosud will help to develop and manufacture the UK technology start-up’s Starling Cargo aircraft.

Remotely piloted and complete with autopilot capabilities, Starling Cargo is a fully electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) aircraft that will have a cruising speed of 83 knots, a flight ceiling of 10,000 feet, and a range of up to 117 nautical miles, enabling point-to-point air cargo in payloads of up to 60 kilogrammes.

In the context of South Africa, and Africa as a whole, Starling Cargo will have particular advantages given the sparce infrastructure in place to move cargo at speed over medium-to-long distances. The flexibility of Starling Cargo operations will therefore add a new dimension to delivery turnaround times both country and continent wide.

“If you look at Africa, there are all sorts of lodges and exotic destinations in very remote areas, so this kind of cargo service is very interesting,” outlines Johan Steyn, Managing Director of Aerosud.

Interest in Starling Cargo has grown

in a number of industries, especially from companies within the likes of oil and gas, mining, medical logistics and emergency response who need to transit high-value cargo.

The aircraft will also deliver critical humanitarian supplies such as food, medicine and equipment to remote regions of Africa, and indeed the rest of the world, where local infrastructure may be either underdeveloped or damaged.

By utilising locations much closer to the customer’s required point of departure and destination, no matter how remote it may be, it means that Starling Cargo will be a considerably faster method of air cargo than conventional travel.

HARNESSED EXPERTISE

With multiple half-scaled prototypes having already been built and tested, Aerosud and SAMAD Aerospace are now working towards a major milestone in the development of a fullscale prototype of the eVTOL aircraft.

“We are positioning this as a collaborative programme – for South Africa and the wider region,” confirms Steyn.

Having worked together on the project with SAMAD Aerospace over the last three years, the certification process is now underway for the revolutionary Starling Cargo which,

In pursuit of global partnerships, Johan Steyn, Managing Director of Aerosud, delivers exciting details on the development of faster, greener and more sustainable air cargo

as a fully electric aircraft, also reduces emissions and the carbon footprint of air cargo.

“From an Aerosud perspective, the project could definitely accelerate our diversification into drones, for example, by applying the technologies and manufacturing capabilities that we’ve had for many years,” Steyn outlines. “That way, we can potentially get involved in other operations that are quite far from what we’re doing currently.”

It’s clear that through the Starling Cargo project, Aerosud has harnessed its expertise as an established leader in the South African aviation industry, the foundations of which were laid in the late 1990s as the company expanded into the commercial aerospace sector.

Today, Aerosud manufactures parts and production line assemblies

for the likes of Airbus, Boeing, BAE Systems, AgustaWestland and Sprint AeroSystems, as well as being involved in both civil and military aviation engineering projects with activities covering design, development, prototyping, manufacturing and service support.

As an established supplier of aerostructure and aircraft interior components, Aerosud’s experienced engineering team is able to execute complex industrialisation projects in a short period of time. Equipped with multiple in-house manufacturing technologies at the company’s one and only site in Pretoria, Aerosud is able to provide business solutions at a competitive price.

“We have developed manufacturing processes and capabilities that will allow us to partner with any African or global players,” says Steyn.

Industrial Development Corporation (IDC)

Established in 1940, the Industrial Development Corporation (IDC) is the largest Developmental Funding Institution in sub–Saharan Africa.

The Corporation provides funding to entrepreneurs, businesses, and project developers alike.

Through its Automotive & Transport Equipment Strategic Business Unit (SBU), the IDC offers a range of funding support to businesses operating in this sector.

+27 11 269 3000

Industrial Development Corporation of South Africa

A distinctly South African company that continues to change the local technology landscape, Aerosud specialises in the design and manufacture of components for both the civil and military aviation industries (Airbus A400M program (cargo aircraft).

The group’s operating activities is done via Aerosud Aviation, a 100% subsidiary of Aerosud Holdings. A Level Four B-BBEE contributor, Aerosud, which now employs 477 people, is a recognised and approved Tier 1 & Tier 2 supplier to the major Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM’s), such as Boeing, Airbus, and Tier 1 suppliers such as Safran and Spirit (France).

Aerosud’s historical partnership with the Industrial Development Corporation has helped the company to maintain a solid growth path and most recently, IDC funding support enabled Aerosud to preserve jobs as well as overcoming challenges facing companies with exposure to the global aviation industry in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Our Aim:

To activate and expand industrial capacity in the South African automotive industry through offering flexible funding solutions. This includes funding and developmental support to our business partners ranging from Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs), through all tiers of their component supply chain.

Our Targeted Outcomes:

• Increased vehicle production volume in South Africa

• Deeper and wider localisation of automotive components in South Africa

• Developmental outcomes (job creation, youth & woman involvement, BEE, etc.)

Our Service Offerings:

• Our in-depth specialised nowledge of the global, regional and local automotive industry enables our SBU to support project development

• Our SBU nurtures relationships with all industry stakeholders ensuring access to networks that include national and municipal government agencies, as well as private institutions to support our business partner’s needs.

Who Can Apply?

• Automotive projects with funding needs of up to R1.5 billion (ZAR)

• New projects: Debt or equity funding to support project development for start-ups (equity would depend on strategic nature of the project)

• Existing businesses: Debt funding applications for expansionary funding of existing businesses.

Additional Value:

• Our funding can be utilised for procuring productive assets as well as working capital to stimulate industrial activity

• Funding terms can be customised to suit your needs, including capital repayment moratoriums and adjustable funding periods.

Application Steps

1. Submit a business plan 2. Basic assessment of business plan (high level desktop analysis)

Your partner in development finance

By implementing a wide variety of mechatronic and automated solutions, Aerosud has ensured continuous development and improvement of its manufacturing processes, and significantly enhanced its capabilities in areas such as robotic welding.

“The wide range of technical capabilities we have, together with our collaborative management style, means we are flexible enough to work in all parts of the world,” Steyn states.

“Aerosud holds all the necessary international quality and process approvals required to operate in the global market. Our ability to collaborate and form global partnerships, as we have done with

SAMAD Aerospace, is what will sustain us for the future.”

GOING GLOBAL

Another global partnership that the business has developed is with Xiamen Aircraft Industry Company (XAIC). The signing of a landmark MoU with XIAC will expand Aerosud’s reach into the Asian market, and envisages a series of feasibility studies to investigate and build a business case for the establishment of an aerospace production facility in the Chinese city of Xiamen.

It comes as Xiamen was nominated as the city for BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) innovation, with Aerosud well placed as a leader

AFRICA OUTLOOK: HOW DID THE STARLING CARGO PROJECT COME ABOUT FOR AEROSUD?

Johan Steyn, Managing Director: “It started with a concept three years ago. We knew some people at SAMAD Aerospace, and they knew some people in our organisation, so that’s how the connection was initially made.

“We have now started to work on a business case to understand what the applications of the cargo aircraft could be in South Africa; this is what we’re really working on at the moment.

“The objective then will be to carry that through, but we are interested in participating in the design, manufacturing and industrialisation of more products like this.

“Starling Cargo was a clean slate opportunity, so we could really bring our full value to the conversation. The people at SAMAD Aerospace are very clever, they have design ideas and so forth, but they are also looking for an industrial partner such as ourselves.

“That’s where I would say the synergies probably lie, and that’s what we’d like to leverage.”

African NDT Centre

African NDT Centre provides Non-Destructive Testing services to international standards and practices in both the general and aerospace industries:

• through our Airbus/Nadcap approved testing facilities and our French NANDTB qualified technicians.

• through our British Institute of NDT (BINDT) approved training and qualification centre in Centurion.

• through the ground-breaking NDT level 3 consultation services by our team of general and aerospace independently certified consultants.

• through our robust AS/EN 9100 and BS/EN/ISO 9001 certified quality management system.

• through our development and fostering of sustainable business relationships.

www.andtc.com

Polymershapes

Polymershapes is the premier distributor of plastic sheet, rod, tube, & film with 75 years of industryleading heritage.

We have the industry’s most knowledgeable and highly trained sales and customer service team. Our network of stocking facilities enables our customers to access extensive inventory from world-class suppliers.

We offer expert capabilities including cut-to-size sheets, film conversion and CNC routing and machining.

We consistently deliver innovative solutions to delight our customers.

Polymershapes proudly partners with Aerosud for their aerospace performance plastics material needs!

T +1 407-851-0624

E orlando@polymershapes.com www.polymershapes.co.za

in the South African commercial aerospace manufacturing industry to apply itself in the region.

“The MoU aims to establish a joint venture operation in Xiamen within the next few years, utilising Aerosud’s extensive experience and willingness to collaborate globally.

“More than ever, we need to look for global participation in projects and build ties globally, to build a business that is not dependent on what hap pens in South Africa,” Steyn continues.

With customers spanning from Nantes, Bremen and Seville to Morocco, Mexico and the US, Aerosud has the track record to prove that global ties are already being built, together with a supply chain that extends into Europe, North America and the Far East, as well as locally in Africa.

Extensive use of modern business systems such as product lifecycle management (PLM), enterprise resource planning (ERP), and

manufacturing execution systems (MES) has enabled Aerosud to securely transfer data electronically through its supply chain.

Furthermore, it has the ability to dynamically manage production demand and priorities with suppliers, through an effective visual management system.

“We have a large, complex interna tional supply chain of more than 300 suppliers, 65 percent of which are in the US with the remaining 35 percent in the UK and Europe,” Steyn reveals. “Our 10 local sub-tier suppliers are also

internationally certified to provide machining, electrical wiring and sheet metal capabilities.”

As evidenced by its integrated supply chain, robotics and automation, and quick, robust industrialisation projects, Aerosud is a mature, smart supplier. “We are able to act without extreme oversight from the customer,” adds Steyn.

DIGITAL FOCUS

In order to remain a smart, relevant supplier in the aerostructures supply chain, Aerosud continuously invests

in its three main technology streams: composite, additive, and metallic manufacturing.

So as to improve the speed and reliability of its composite manufactur ing, the company’s ongoing focus is to develop its unique, patented cellular core technology (CCT). Allowing highly complex assemblies to be manufactured in one single piece, CCT significantly reduces the number of parts as well as the assembly time of structural composites, which in turn reduces overall cost and weight.

The uniqueness of CCT is in the tooling methodology used to manufacture parts, as sacrificial thermoplastic hollow cores, combined with external tools, allow for complex structures with multiple internal bays to be produced.

Aerosud is also developing the engineering processes involved in the design and qualification of additive manufacturing products, as well

as those associated with forming complex sheet metal components. Meanwhile, investments in various Industry 4.0 technologies support the efficient execution of complex assembly processes.

“We kickstarted a diversification programme in 2018 to focus on offering digital solutions and services related to our world-class manufacturing capabilities,” Steyn shares. “These digital offerings and consultation services concentrated on topics related to Industry 4.0, as well as a number of highly specialised engineering applications.”

Exemplifying this digital focus is MWorx™, a dynamic end-to-end advanced manufacturing platform that helps to automate processes and seamlessly integrate clients and suppliers. MWorx™ thus bridges operational gaps in the manufacturing process, saving time and money as a result.

On an operational level, Aerosud is also actively invested in training the future generations. With a self-funded Aviation Apprentice Training Centre, the company provides accredited training programmes to students in the fields of aircraft sheet metal and composite manufacturing.

“Positioning ourselves for growth is still the strategy, and we see the opportunity for the younger generation to take Aerosud forwards.”

Piloted by the engineers of tomorrow, Aerosud is destined to remain a leader at the forefront of South African aviation.

Tel: +27 (0) 12 662 5000 info@aerosud.co.za www.aerosud.co.za

AEROSUD

520 Van Ryneveld avenue, Centurion, Pretoria, South Africa

Tel: +27 (0) 12 662 5000 info@aerosud.co.za www.aerosud.co.za