LISI ANNUAL REPORT 2009
RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
The electronic closing and locking
systems of the Sleeve Taper
Hi Lite™ (STL) were designed to
withstand lightning strikes.
Their development alone required
the involvement of:
- 1/3 of our R&D staff,
- 3 factories, to develop and
industrialize the product,
- our tooling plant for the
implementation of the innovative
installation system.
Over a thousand prototypes
were tested in the first stages of
development.
24
inventions were registered
and 16 patents were filed in 2009
(7 by LISI AEROSPACE and 9 patents
by LISI AUTOMOTIVE)
—
Very robust R&D
activities in aerospace
In contrast with production, the activities of
our Research & Development teams were
very strong in 2009 and, despite economic
woes in the economy, the re-organization
and growth of R&D at LISI AEROSPACE
continued. In 2009 our clients selected
several new products, making the crucial
final steps from the research stage to
the development, industrialization and
qualification stages. These new products
today employ more of our resources than
just the R&D teams alone, and already
constitute major pillars of the group’s
business.
Our R&D teams taken as a whole filed
7 patent applications and 24 invention
registrations in 2009. This inventive
capability, always driven by the needs
expressed by our clients, allows us to
anticipate the great technical challenges
of the coming years. The management
of projects, the implementation of new
technologies and the holding of planning
sessions are crucial advantages for our
clients in the development of new
devices. The experience attained by LISI
AEROSPACE is a major asset to ensure the
risk management and protection of their
most ambitious projects.
—
The STL system, a
major development
Designed for the assembly of composite
structures subject to risk lightning strikes,
the STL (Sleeve Taper Hi-Lite™) is the ideal
locking fastener for critical applications
requiring a high mechanical strength and a
reliable and ergonomic installation.
This concept presented and tested in 2008
by LISI AEROSPACE utilized the majority of
our development resources in 2009. This
product is now in the testing phase for our
largest client, Airbus, and will again involve
a major portion of our resources in 2010
in order to ensure the support necessary
for the implementation of this product in a
major program like the A350XWB.
— Research and development are right at the heart of the group’s business activities. Our
unique ability to create innovative and lasting link assembly solutions of outstanding
quality is what cements our relationship with our clients. One of the pillars of our
competitive advantage, inventiveness is also one of the engines of our growth. This also
means a desire shared by our teams to overcome ever more complex technical challenges.
Encouraging and supporting
our capacity to innovate
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