On January 20 2006, Pratt & Whitneys F-135 engine was successfully installed into the first test F-35 Joint Strike Fighter aircraft at the Lockheed Martin Fort Worth manufacturing facility, with the aid of an Engine Removal and installation Trailer, a complex piece of support equipment designed and manufactured in Australia by Marand Precision Engineering.

Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney maintain that this event, achieved on time and on budget, represents a critical milestone in the JSF Program toward the first F-35 flight in the fall of 2006.

In June 2003, Lockheed Martin announced that Marand was the first company in the world to receive a contract for the design and development of ground support equipment for the JSF program.

Marand’s support equipment was specifically designed to meet the unit level engine installation and removal needs of the F-35 aircraft whilst on the production line and in the field.

Marand was contracted to design and manufacture seven JSF Engine Removal and Installation (R&I) Trailers, which provide a stable platform for the safe alignment, installation, removal and maintenance of the multi-million dollar F-35 engines, by using a very precise six degrees of freedom (6DOF) mechanism.

In a ceremony at the Avalon Air Show in March 2005, Marand ‘formally’ delivered its first trailer to Lockheed Martin’s Tom Burbage (Executive Vice President & General Manager JSF Program Integration) This was the first piece of Australian equipment designed, manufactured and delivered to support the JSF Program.

Australian company helps achieve critical JSF milestone

“The JSF Program is progressing well now that weight issues concerning the Short Take-Off & Vertical Landing variant have been resolved,” said AIRCDRE John Harvey, Director General, New Air Combat Capability.

“Additionally, Marand is a good example where Australian SME’s (small to medium sized enterprises) with established links in non-aerospace sectors have been able to diversify into the manufacture of aircraft components as a result of the JSF Program,” said AIRCDRE Harvey.

“Marand is hoping to build on its proven performance in the F-35 development stages as longer term production ramps up”, said AIRCDRE Harvey.
In early 2004, Lockheed Martin contracted a senior automation consulting engineer from Marand into their Palmdale facility in California. Lockheed    remains interested in Marand’s various unique robotic automation production solutions for use across many demanding applications on the program, similar to the equipment already in use by the Ford Motor Company in its two Australian plants.

Tony Ellul, Marand Director of Business Development & Marketing said “All of the various successes that Marand has accomplished over the last 30 months on the JSF program, the world’s single largest military program, have been achieved by drawing on our grass roots expertise applied in the Australian automotive industry. Many other industries benefit by drawing on Marand’s critical skill and knowledge base that such a large and technology driven sector demands.

When Tom Burbage visited Marand and one of our major customers Ford, to view the latest Automation Robotic Solution that we had designed, manufactured and installed he said “This is the type of technology that the JSF program needs to help us build and support the production rate of one aircraft a day”.

F-135 engine on Marand designed R&I trailer

Installation of the F-135 engine in progress with the aid of the first Marand designed R&I trailer

Australian Defence Minister Hill congratulates Tony Ellul at Australian Airshow

Australian company helps achieve critical JSF milestone

Tony Ellul went further by saying “Born out of the Australian automotive industry, Marand has been in business for over 37 years as a custom designer and manufacturer providing a wide and diverse range of precision engineered products supplied to many different indus- tries. In the last 10 years Marand has won the confidence of its customers by becoming a preferred Tier 1 supplier to the automotive and aerospace sector. In recent years we have seen a rapid convergence of technologies and growing need for Marand’s customised Automation & Robotics Solutions, which could be used in various applications in the global aerospace industry. Our generally lower labour costs, compared to coun- ties such as the USA, Europe, UK and Japan and the highly skilled and flexible workforce plus being Australia’s longest continually operating aerospace tooling company, places Marand in a strong position to win more international business.

Marand design staff responsible for the challenging contract have been advised by a senior Lockheed Martin manager that “It’s great to see such a complex piece of equipment come together as smoothly as the Marand Engine Removal & Installation Trailer has these last few months”

Another senior Lockheed Martin Support Team member had complemented Marand’s engineering team by saying that “The success of the Engine Removal and Installation Trailer, Lockheed Martin’s premier piece of support equipment, is due to Marand knowing what we wanted better than we did”

He continued by saying “I have been working in this field for over 40 years and in that time I have never seen a better set of O & M (operations & maintenance) manuals than what Marand has written. They tell me everything I want to know and I can’t fault them”

Tony Ellul proudly declared “The JSF contract is the first defence order Marand has exported. We are excited at the prospects of having our design and manufacture expertise recognised and utilised by other customers and joining their global supply chains, as we have done for Lockheed Martin”

Marand is very thankful to the Australian government for electing to invest in the SDD phase of the JSF program and the Departments of Defence and Industry for supporting and assisting SME’s gain the necessary exposure to allow them to bid for JSF projects and win on a “Best Value” basis and to deliver products as part of Lockheed Martin’s global supply chain.

First F-35 JSF aircraft in transition to engine fitment bay at LM Ft Worth. Marand R&I Trailer visible at bottom of picture

Marand designed & manufactured Robotic Assembly and Welding facility for Ford

For further information please contact

Tony Ellul
Director Business Development & Marketing
Email: tony_ellul@marand.com.au
Mobile: +61 419 365 864
Switch: +61 3 8552 0600