Simon Baxter, a member of the composites development team at BAE Systems Samlesbury, says, “With its base in greater Manchester and as a growing, independent business with no minimum order quantity, Bindatex is an ideal choice for BAE Systems and will be instrumental in providing agility in the development of our process and products. By fulfilling smaller orders quickly, Bindatex will allow us to reduce lead times, which is not always possible with our conventional supply chain, which is focused on delivering product to its high volume customers.”
Chris Lever, managing director of Bindatex, says, “The pace of the supply chain in the world of composites can be hampered by long lead times so, ultimately, the aim of the partnership is to speed up the process for the benefit of the aerospace sector, which is one of the major industries we supply.”
The various material types converted to precision tapes by Bindatex have been used recently in a number of automated fiber placement (AFP) composite research programs – both exclusively within BAE Systems and in cooperation with the UK Catapult Centres for High Value Manufacturing, where advanced AFP equipment has been applied.
Lever adds: “Securing BAE Systems as a client is a real coup for us. We look forward to seeing the relationship develop as our capabilities advance and evolve within an industry that’s certainly set to boom over the coming years.”