WILLICH, GERMANY-Metrology and measurement device manufacturer Blum-Novotest is part of a team that has won a Chairman's award from BAE Systems.

BAE Systems has recognized a team at its Samlesbury plant that includes BAE Systems and Blum-Novotest employees. Blum-Novotest helped reduce cycle times by more than 40% on production components for the Typhoon aircraft.

The Samlesbury facility embarked on a project to replace an aging machining center with new technology. During this replacement program, BAE Systems engineers were tasked with transferring components and the corresponding fixtures to a newer Boko INF2 machining centre.

"The components we wanted to transfer are critical to the aircraft, so the project was of the utmost importance," says Ged Coulton, BAE specialist facilities engineer. "The complete project took us four months to complete due to its complexity and the need to maintain production using the existing method. However, the length of the project was more than justified by the complexity and accuracy demands of the project."