"The best solution for our products"

CESA, Compañía Española de Sistemas Aeronáuticos S.A.U, is an international company belonging to the Canadian Group Héroux-Devtek and is now known as Héroux-Devtek Spain (HD Spain). CESA Héroux Devtek's main lines of business include the design, development, production, maintenance and support of products for hydraulic and drive systems. The company's hydraulic and electromechanical technologies are used in a variety of applications ranging from flight controls and landing gear actuators to cargo doors.

Two M35-G / 1800 mm and two M100 / 3000 mm are located in the production hall at CESA Héroux Devtek. "When purchasing the machines for our factory, we took into account the type of parts we machine and were looking to make improvements in our processes. We machine complex pistons with lengths of up to 2 m, diameters of 56 mm and a wall thickness of 2.8 mm," says Iñigo Meseguer, explaining why the company opted for WFL machines. The parts produced on the machines are used in the aviation sector and primarily include hydraulic cylinders, hydraulic pistons and structural parts such as pins, rotary connections and wheel axles for landing struts. Batch sizes range from 8 to 16 units.

The overall package was impressive

To achieve the best possible results, the WFL machines had to meet a number of requirements, which were also key factors in the company's purchase decision. The robustness and precision of the MILLTURN, plus the automation facilities, were top of the list.

CESA Héroux Devtek wanted to optimise the process: "Efficiency and COMBO, as we call it, are very important criteria for us," says Iñigo Meseguer. Within the company, the term "COMBO" means that one operator is responsible for two to three MILLTURNs. "Our operators are highly skilled and can work on several machines at the same time. This in turn obliges us to strive for efficiency in the processes so that machine downtimes can be kept to a minimum," explains Iñigo Meseguer.

The future of automation for parts such as those made by CESA Héroux Devtek consists in reducing set-up times as far as possible while the machine is stopped, thereby ensuring that the machine works autonomously for as long as possible and that the stop is programmed and the operator warned in advance. With this in mind, the company has developed a warning system that communicates with the machines and warns the operator when the machine stops and indicates which tasks needs to be carried out. Iñigo Meseguer says: "This process is also part of our drive towards digitalisation and sustainability, as our factory is now paperless – in other words, we have removed all paper from the cells and everything is digital."

As to the question of which machines or processes were replaced by the MILLTURNs, the answer is: lathes, machining centres, and in some cases grinding machines, also bearing in mind that machining processes have been simplified by standardising the operations.

"We can definitely say that we have found what we were looking for and needed in WFL: namely a very good solution for our products," stresses Iñigo Meseguer.

A first-class service from WFL

"WFL's service is among the very best," enthuses Meseguer, adding: "The experts, who can be reached via their service hotline, provide fast, on-the-spot support that impresses in every respect. We also work with SIAISA, WFL's representative in Spain. They are committed and very responsive, and help us find solutions to any problems."

Keywords: automation, digitalisation and sustainability

CESA Héroux Devtek has come a long way in terms of automation, digitalisation and sustainability. "Our main goal is to grow as an industry leader and exceed the expectations of our current and potential customers through dedication and constant commitment, and this can only be achieved by focusing on automation, digitalisation, sustainability and new technologies such as artificial intelligence. We already gained experience in these areas through internal developments carried out in 2021, when I developed a visual recognition system based on convolutional neural networks internally at CESA with the LEAN team, thereby opening up new horizons in the areas of machining and surface treatment. We are well on our way, and I have no doubt that this technology will help us to make "smarter" decisions in routine processes, detect anomalies in real time and work on predictive maintenance, whilst at the same time increasing our efficiency and equipping CESA with dynamic capabilities, which are undoubtedly the key for companies that know how to adapt when the going gets tough," says Iñigo Meseguer.

The history of CESA

CESA was founded in 1989 on the initiative of the Spanish government to improve the international position of the Spanish aeronautical accessories industry as a result of its involvement in the Eurofighter programme and to develop, manufacture and service products and systems for the aircraft. In 2007, CESA consolidated its activities with the opening of new facilities in Seville (Spain) devoted to MRO and services. In 2018, Héroux-Devtek acquired 100% of the CESA shares from Airbus Defence & Space. From that point onwards, the company became part of the Héroux-Devtek Group and operates under the name Héroux-Devtek Spain (HD Spain).

The Héroux-Devtek Group, the world's third largest company specialising in the development of landing gear, is thus expanding its range of products and services in the field of hydraulic and actuation systems and adding new technologies such as electromechanical actuation to its portfolio. The Héroux-Devtek Group comprises 15 plants in North America and Europe and currently employs a total of 1,800 people.

Héroux-Devtek Spain is constantly optimising its engineering, certification and manufacturing capabilities to develop high quality products and services for civil and military aviation.