Crash Dummies and Robot Arms: Inside the Testing of Airline Seats

In a quiet town in Northern Ireland, inside a vast warehouse, a robot arm tirelessly opens and closes an airplane meal table. Programmed to perform this task 28,000 times, day and night for over a week, this robot is part of the rigorous testing process at Thompson Aero Seating in Banbridge. "We can measure the force that the robot's having to apply to that," says Gerald King, head of engineering at Thompson Aero Seating. "Is it increasing? Which means more friction."

Testing for Quality and Safety

Thompson Aero Seating, known for producing luxurious first-class and business-class seats with privacy enclosures and built-in entertainment systems, uses various machines to test the longevity and safety of these expensive seats. Among these is a state-of-the-art £7.5 million facility where crash test dummies are strapped to seats and subjected to high-speed impacts. The aim is to ensure that both the seat and the passenger could survive exposure to forces up to 16 g's. This facility is the only one of its kind on the island of Ireland.

Northern Ireland: A Hub for Aircraft Seat Manufacturing

Surprisingly, nearly a third of the world's aircraft seats are manufactured in Northern Ireland. Thompson Aero Seating, bought by a Chinese company in 2016, produces about 1,500 seats annually and is one of several specialized companies in the region. Other major players include Collins Aerospace in Kilkeel and Alice Blue Aero in Craigavon. On a global scale, companies like Safran dominate the market, with facilities on six continents.

Challenges Following the Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic drastically impacted the aerospace manufacturing industry, leading to massive layoffs and reduced demand. Thompson Aero Seating, like many others, faced significant financial losses and had to cut its workforce by half. Now, with the world reopening, the demand for aircraft seats has surged again. However, the industry faces a shortage of skilled workers, making it difficult to meet the rising demand. Airbus' chief executive noted in June that the slow supply of seats and other cabin parts is a "very difficult situation."

The Struggle to Meet Demand

According to Nick Cunningham, an analyst at Agency Partners, the seat manufacturing industry not only lost skilled hands-on workers but also lost the expertise needed to train new talent. This has resulted in a bottleneck in testing and certification processes by third-party agencies, which are also experiencing labor shortages. Thompson Aero Seating, however, can bypass this issue with its in-house testing facilities, allowing them to meet customer demands more effectively. "We're having to be very strategic with regards to the new customers," explains Colm McEvoy, Thompson's vice president of corporate accounts.

Navigating Workforce Shortages and Future Plans

Thompson Aero Seating employs more than 650 people across its Northern Ireland sites, but it is still seeking to fill more than a dozen job vacancies. "We're in competition with other manufacturing companies to try and secure the best talent," says McEvoy. Despite these challenges, the company has a five-year plan to significantly increase its annual seat production. On a tour of the factory floor at the firm's Portadown site, McEvoy points out workers riveting aluminum seat parts and meticulously checking the wiring for entertainment systems in these high-end seats, each costing "tens of thousands" to produce.

Conclusion: Resilience and Innovation in a Post-Pandemic Era

Thompson Aero Seating and other Northern Ireland-based seat manufacturers are navigating a complex post-pandemic landscape, marked by rising demand and labor shortages. Through innovation in testing and a strategic approach to workforce development, companies like Thompson are positioning themselves to thrive in the evolving aerospace industry.