Increasingly stringent emission targets has encouraged prime airframe assemblers to reduce aircraft weight, in doing so reducing CO2 emissions associated with fuel burn. All three major aircraft manufacturers have chosen to achieve this by incorporating greater proportions of advanced composite material within aircraft structural design. This research presents the development of a novel approach to simultaneously model continuous and discontinuous production processes, enabling new understanding of composite material production cost drivers within an aerospace manufacturing supply chain. The sources of composite component cost drivers are traced through a complex manufacturing supply chain to understand specific driver impact. A hybrid mass and energy balance methodology is presented to simulate composite material production processes within a framework using physics inputs. Verification of the simulation results has been demonstrated through comparison with real aerospace material pricing. A production cost mark-up factor has been identified. as the greatest contributor toward material price, owing to its recurring manifestation at each tier interface. Dominant production costs at discrete supply chain tiers have been shown to develop from raw process materials, through energy dominant production techniques, finally resulting in large labour commitments for material handling and equipment preservation. The methodology investigates two non-deterministic aspects of production simulation; cost drivers changing with time and production processes changing with technology. This research has identified the cost drivers associated with composite component production are resultant from a multi-tier production supply chain, introducing non-value added costs at each ~tier interface. Through an analytical modelling method, the understanding of material production costs is encouraged, which may prompt a shift in composite material procurement strategies. The model has demonstrated that with ever increasing material production costs, product ion technology can provide a quantifiable reduction in component weight and composite material cost.

This research was initiated by carrying out an extensive literature survey on the current inter-relationships between Manufacturing Business Improvement Methods (MBIMs). The review highlighted that one particular improvement concept is lean manufacture. This review carried out an investigation into the lean environment and assessed many applications of the concept. The literature survey also highlighted restrictions to lean thinking. It is been proposed how some of these limitations can be alleviated by introducing other MBIMs into an integrated methodology. The research assesses currently practised MBIMs and reveals that these methodologies have differentiating relationships, thus producing many types of implementation strategies. The research resulted in studying the inter-relationships between these MBIMs including cultural issues surrounding process improvement initiatives, so they can be unified into an integrated methodology creating a unique strategy that can be correctly tailored to a chosen environment. This research outlines a proposed design methodology that involves ten stages of change including the planning, creating, data collection, analysis and strategic implementation to apply. The approach flows through the change process systematically highlighting how to achieve the best outcome. Feedback into the system is also visible. The proposed design methodology incorporates significant findings from the research, as it highlights the originality of the amalgamation of both the technical and cultural transformations, which are two very different aspects, but highly important factors of change. By considering the two factors, a more harmonious approach in implementing the MBIMs within a company is achieved, therefore resulting in a higher success rate of change. A number of case studies illustrating the implementation of the proposed design methodology is also presented.