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Abu Dhabi /Â WAM
Abu Dhabi’s advanced composite aerostructures manufacturing facility Strata Manufacturing, on Wednesday unveiled plans for its second facility at Nibras Al Ain Aerospace Park.
The Strata 2.0 facility will more than double Strata’s existing capacity and sets the company on a firm path towards Abu Dhabi’s long-term goal of achieving economic diversification and driving global competitiveness for the UAE’s manufacturing sector. Located adjacent to Strata’s existing facility, the second site will have a final size of approximately 60,000 sqm, with construction on the Strata facility expected to start in 2018, and set to become fully operational by 2020.
The new plant will manufacture two of the most complex work packages that include the horizontal tail plane, HTP, for the Airbus A320 and the vertical fin for Boeing’s B787 airliners. These work packages will be manufactured, fully equipped, tested and delivered directly to the final assembly lines of both Airbus and Boeing.
The Strata 2.0 facility will be designed as a “factory of the future” that will feature a range of smart technology solutions and equipment to support Strata’s ambition in becoming one of the top aero-structure companies globally, according to Ismail Ali Abdulla, Deputy CEO of Strata, who was speaking during a roundtable at the Global Manufacturing and Industrialisation Summit, GMIS 2017, in Abu Dhabi.
This new factory will deliver on innovative solutions that will seek to revolutionise traditional production methods in aerospace by introducing smart technologies and additive manufacturing to create a unique and seamless flow. It will combine real-time visibility on operations with cognitive decision-making to drive efficiencies, eliminate waste, elevate the quality and unlock greater value for shareholders, customers and employees.
Abdulla described the new factory as “a true milestone for the company, aligning achievements with future opportunities.”
“The ‘factory of the future’ vision is centred around the 4th industrial revolution. We have identified key guiding pillars for the new factory; Smart Building, Smart Manufacturing and a Smart Workforce. Strata 2.0 will unify these pillars inside the new iconic facility, said Abdulla, adding that since its inception in 2009, Strata has been a catalyst for socio-economic growth,
delivering on Abu Dhabi’s
Economic Vision 2030.
Strata identified key guiding pillars for the new factory including, smart building, smart manufacturing and a smart workforce. “Strata has developed an ecosystem of its own in Al Ain, and it has been built on the trust and confidence of our global partners,” Abdulla continued.
Abdulla expressed his pride in having fostered an Emirati manufacturing talent base, now employing hundreds of highly-skilled male and female UAE nationals in a very dynamic setting, who will lead the introduction of Smart technologies in Strata 2.0.