Supporting the industrialisation of aerospace technologies

Abstract

Globally, the aerospace industry is recognised as one of the most significant multipliers for economic development. Aerospace requires a technology injection to enhance industrialisation. An example is the Rooivalk development programme, which ultimately resulted in benefits for 15 local organisations. South Africa’s Aerospace Sector Development Plan (SDP) identified several challenges to its growth: lack of government stewardship; constrained access to capital; the fact that South African labour rates do not offer a competitive advantage; an insufficient skills pipeline; loss of skills; and risk of exclusion from secondary markets, due to rising aerospace emerging market economies. The Aerospace Industry Support Initiative (AISI) is a Department of Trade and Industry-funded initiative hosted by the CSIR. Its goal is to enhance the global competitiveness of the South African aerospace and defence industry. This is done through focused programmes and interventions as guided by the SDP: Industry Development and Support; Supplier Development programme; sector strategic support initiatives; and sector-specific skills development in support of industrialisation. Government support mechanisms are put in place for the South African industry to ensure local industrialisation capability by creating spill-over similar to that achieved through the Rooivalk programme. The talk will share details on the fuel sloshing project, which models liquid fuel structure interaction. The industrialisation of this technology is supported by the Department of Trade and Industry and was developed by the CSIR. The technology is industrialised to realise benefits, including accurate design of components for fuel tanks; cheaper manufacturing; and the ability for a South African company to compete in global markets.