Northrop Grumman names Kuka as top tooling supplier

Kuka Systems has earned supplier-of-the-year honours from Northrop Grumman for its contribution to launching the Integrated Assembly Line (IAL) automated manufacturing system to produce the centre fuselage of the F-35 Lightning II jet fighter. Kuka Systems' contract to design, build and install the IAL is worth over $100 million and covers more than 500 tools required for 78 tool positions occupying 200,000ft² of floor space at Northrop Grumman's Palmdale, California manufacturing centre. It includes automated assembly tool systems, transportation systems and manufacturing systems. “Kuka always hits the ground running and offers a unique skill-set and approach with regards to designing, layout, fabricating, validation, project management and the interfacing of a system of tools,” said the official citation from Northrop Grumman. “Kuka is more than a supplier but rather a partner who has provided innovative solutions and excellent product quality which consistently yields annual ratings above 99% defect free!” The IAL is being phased into service and when F-35 production reaches a peak starting in 2014 will be capable of manufacturing one centre fuselage per day. “This supplier-of-the-year award is particularly gratifying because Northrop Grumman is an innovation pathfinder whose support for this project is helping validate the potential of automated assembly concepts to change how military and civil aircraft are manufactured,” stated Kuka Systems' vice-president aerospace division, Robert Reno. www.kuka-systems.com