THE NEXT GENERATION OF DEFENSE MANUFACTURING
NAVIGATING A COMPLEX THREAT ENVIRONMENT
ENVIRONMENT
Protecting the national security interests of customers, QinetiQ Target Systems delivers industry-leading solutions designed and developed for threat replication, military operational training, and weapon system tests and evaluations. We learn more about the company’s manufacturing excellence with Director of Operations, Alan Short
Writer: Ed Budds | Project Manager: Michael Sommerfield
he ongoing impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has permanently changed how manufacturing organizations
Forced to contend with widespread skills shortages, global manufacturers are finding it increasingly difficult to hire staff in a timely manner, with candidates seeking increased flexibility, enrichment, and development in new roles rather than traditional rewards and remuneration. Elsewhere, the increased digitization and adoption of automated technologies in manufacturing continues at pace, positively impacting responsiveness, productivity, and waste reduction.
Even in manual manufacturing environments, the industry has witnessed growing levels of automation connecting the shop floor with the point of sale, alongside the use of data and analytics which enable modeling and pre-emptive decision-making.
Within the vast defense manufacturing sector, these current trends abound.
As the worldwide threat landscape is constantly evolving, more sophisticated aircraft are being developed, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) use is growing, electronic warfare and swarm tactics are on the rise, and supersonic anti-ship missiles are becoming more prolific.
Additionally, with the emergence of anti-ship ballistic missiles and new hypersonic threats, it can seem impossible for defense manufacturers to keep pace.
Using mission-led innovation, the overarching goal for leading North American manufacturer, QinetiQ Target Systems (QTS), is to be the chosen defense partner around the world, helping shape the future of the sector by solving real-world problems.
“As an internationally leading provider of uncrewed air and surface autonomous platforms, we protect
MANUFACTURING OUTLOOK: WHAT FIRST INTERESTED YOU IN THE MANUFACTURING INDUSTRY?
Alan Short, Director of Operations: “I started my career as a graduate recruit in quality and process engineering with a couple of large US-based organizations, where I enjoyed the experience of starting up new facilities in Scotland, the UK, and Mexico.
“I then moved to a start-up medical device organization in the former, spending nine years helping to grow and develop the team. During this time, I was afforded my first exposure to the supply chain, product transfer, and the challenges of bringing a new product to market. Being a start-up company also meant I got involved in many different aspects of the business.
“I then spent several years working in various high-growth medical device organizations, establishing supply chains and manufacturing operations to support their growth, where I learned the value of process disciplines, planning, and risk management before joining QTS in April 2023.
“My interest in manufacturing stemmed from my time at university. While studying engineering, I spent some of my education in industry at a car plant, where seeing a product follow the culmination of many different processes intrigued me.
“I have learned to value the objectivity of manufacturing, the fulfillment of a plan, and the need for teamwork, innovation, and continuous improvement throughout my career.”
the national security interests of customers by delivering top-of-therange solutions.
“Designed and developed for threat representation, our products help ensure operational readiness in militaries across the globe,” introduces Director of Operations, Alan Short.
In this way, QTS expertly designs, develops, and manufactures uncrewed vehicles and supporting equipment for weapon system tests and evaluations. These include aerial and surface targets, customizable payloads and towed targets, launchers, and ground control stations.
Additionally, QTS also offers a range of global field services, including custom target operations, global livefire exercises, and vessel maintenance services for end-to-end training applications.
“With worldwide capability, our customer base is global, with NATO and AUKUS, a security partnership for the Indo-Pacific region between Australia, the UK, and the US, primarily utilizing our product and service offerings,” adds Short.
“At present, we have 150 to 200 employees in the business working both remotely and spread across our two manufacturing facilities in Alberta, Canada, and Ashford, UK.”
QinetiQ manufacturing operations, Ashford, UK
Building on Your Design!
Wilson Process Systems – EMS Services for the UK and Beyond
Wilson Process Systems, a privately owned UK electronics subcontractor, has been supporting local and overseas customers for well over 40 years. Born in the late 70s from bare PCB fabrication, it has evolved into a well-established CEM.
With this consistent growth, Wilson has continued to expand its footprint into two sites covering 28,000 sqft based in Hastings, East Sussex, where joint Managing Directors, Tim and Nick Wilson, pride themselves on offering an agile and responsive service, with a company ethos of ‘right first time’ and ‘automation where possible’, which has led to proven success over many years. Wilson is also a big advocates of making ‘doing business easy’, which is reflected in its customer base ranging from Cummins, VMS and Kantar, across such industries as industrial control, communications, medical and digital signage.
Key general services include both surface-mount and automated through-hole assembly through a suite of universal equipment, whilst also offering specialist services including automated conformal coating, resin encapsulation and thermal testing where electronic systems require extra protection against ingress and the environmental conditions they reside in. Automated selected soldering is also available alongside a standard reflow process, aqueous washing and AOI (automated optical inspection).
To complement the automated portion of the business, Wilson boasts a 40+ strong team of IPC trained operators, dedicated to the second stage build process. With almost all PCBA’s requiring hand assembly in various forms, Wilson can call upon resources which capture 100 percent component coverage of both PCBA and any ‘Box Build’ system. To enhance this further, tests can be included if required from simple ‘go, no-go’ to full functional tests.With all
this combined, concludes a complete selection of resources, which is invaluable to fulfill Wilson’s core competence when supporting customer needs.
It’s this combined ability to offer a full PCB assembly service that’s able to cope with dynamic demands from clients that has made Wilson Process, one of QinetiQ Target Systems’ UK partners of choice for the past 12 years. Over this time, both companies have experienced changes in technologies, challenges in material supply, and exponential demand due to global politics.The support offered by Wilson has played a key role in allowing QinetiQ to develop, manufacture and release new products where the emphasis has been on economical, ultra-reliable PCBAs.
Tim Wilson commented, “we’ve been supporting all our customers with consistent quality for over three decades, helping engineering teams with DFM (design for manufacture) to improve ‘right first time’ prototypes that lead into volume production. This is especially important when considering maximum productivity for high mix PCBAs, or boards requiring conformal coating.
We’ve also promoted collaboration between our procurement team and partner customers to establish a robust supply chain to ensure continuity whilst helping manage inventory, which over the past three years has seen multiple challenges keeping both materials and assembly flowing”.
Whether it be small batch production, urgent samples or scheduled monthly drops, full procurement or free-issue, Wilson is geared to perform. If you want to know more about how Wilson can support your business, please visit www.wps.co.uk
Banshee Aerial Target drone
Jet 80 demo launch, Spain
Towing Jet 40s, Norway
KEY CAPACITY MILESTONES
Towards the end of 2023, QTS reached an incredible milestone in the production capacity of its signature product – the 9,000th Banshee Aerial Target drone. The target formed part of the British Royal Navy’s Project Vampire, providing a low-cost, high-performance uncrewed aircraft system for the program.
“By the end of this year, we are on track to accomplish the landmark of 10,000 units produced! This is a testament to the continued quality we deliver and another achievement
we look forward to celebrating,” Short enthuses.
Furthermore, by meeting the increasing demand for advanced autonomous systems, the development of QTS’ multi-role autonomous boat (MRAB) is progressing on schedule.
This vessel, featuring remote autonomous operation with crewed and uncrewed functionality, is set to be unveiled in late 2025, manufactured in partnership with Zodiac Hurricane.
The boat’s key features include
single-user control with integrated autopilot and antenna farm capabilities, remote access to critical sensors, payloads, engine information, and vehicle command, alongside powered onboard batteries and a robust onboard safety system.
Elsewhere, the company has started to decentralize its manufacturing systems, supporting its single route to market strategy.
“First, we are setting up a North American supply chain for our aerial targets. As we take this forward to other products and regions, this will
“ONE OF THE CHALLENGES I ENJOY AT QTS IS BALANCING THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE MANUFACTURING OPERATIONS AND SUPPLY CHAIN WITH AN INCREASING PORTFOLIO OF PRODUCTS” – ALAN SHORT, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS, QINETIQ TARGET SYSTEMS
“AS AN INTERNATIONALLY LEADING PROVIDER OF UNCREWED AIR AND SURFACE AUTONOMOUS PLATFORMS, WE PROTECT THE NATIONAL SECURITY INTERESTS OF CUSTOMERS BY DELIVERING TOP-OF-THE-RANGE SOLUTIONS”
– ALAN SHORT, DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS,
include developing a nuanced supply chain that has the capacity and capability to support the region with the highest customer demand whilst enabling other areas of less demand to leverage the benefit of investment and lower unit costs,” he explains.
VALUING THE SUPPLY CHAIN
The diverse range of specialist materials and components that are part of QTS’ products means the company heavily relies on its welloiled and efficient supply chain, meticulously compiled over time to
QINETIQ TARGET SYSTEMS
form a smooth, reliable operation.
“Our supply chain partners’ support and performance were a key contributor in achieving a record year in aerial and surface targets. The importance of our partners will continue to increase with the level of technology in our products,” Short elaborates.
This requires a mature relationship in which QTS supports the supply chain’s investment in capability, as the company aims to treat partners how it would like to be treated by its own customers.
“We have focused heavily on building beneficial relationships with our key suppliers in the last year, including exploring mutual sharing of cost and productivity improvements and establishing agreements where risk is shared and mitigated,” he adds.
“We still have a way to go, but we are taking a holistic view of order and inventory management, knowing this will yield long-term benefits. We are already seeing significant improvement in the metric of on-time in-full (OTIF) and working capital.”
As an organization, QTS recognizes
QinetiQ Hammerhead flares
QinetiQ Hammerhead disembarking from Naval vessel
QinetiQ Hammerhead Hotnose
QinetiQ Hammerhead lineup
SC Aerofina SA develops research and design, production, testing and evaluation, maintenance and integrated customer support for:
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that its impact reaches far and wide into the supply chain and is therefore embedding policy and action into its supplier onboarding, contracting, and ongoing governance.
FLEXIBLE AND RELIABLE
With the leading ability to create and deliver customized solutions and fully integrated systems worldwide, QTS gives its customers the flexibility and futureproofing they need to stay ahead.
This client-focused approach sets the company apart from other manufacturers and industry peers, as it can effectively respond to requirements using the talent and exceptional resources in its state-of-the-art engineering facilities in the UK and Canada.
“One of the challenges I enjoy at QTS is balancing the development of the manufacturing operations and supply chain with an increasing portfolio of products,” references Short.
Sos. Fabrica de Glucoza nr. 2-4, Bucharest, Sector 2, 020332, Romania
Phone: (+40) 21-242.0772 serv@aerofina.ro www.aerofina.ro
“This requires us to continually develop standardization and rigor in our product transfer processes, upskill and progress the team, become more flexible and responsive in manufacturing, and increase supply chain capability. It is a multifaceted challenge, and I am very happy with how we are rising to tackle it,” he acclaims.
Responding to a wide range of world events and continuing to support its customer base compounds QTS’ need for flexibility and responsiveness. To date, the company’s success can be attributed to this adaptability and will continue to be crucial in how it responds to customers’ needs and maintains a respected reputation within the industry.
Moving forwards, QTS’ primary role as an operations team boils down to delivery.
“We are targeting unit output increases of 10 to 25 percent,
depending on the site. We will also build upon the fantastic momentum we made in productivity improvements during the last financial year, continuing our exciting journey in lean manufacturing,” Short concludes proudly.
UK: 01233 505600
CANADA: +1 403-528-8782
qtsmarketing@qinetiq.com
www.qinetiq.com/targetsystems