APPH

Source: Exec Digital UK

Date :21/05/2007 16:04:12

APPH: APPH turns ambitious plans into a working reality

From design, through manufacture to supply, service, support, repair and overhaul, APPH’s products are at the forefront of the world’s aerospace market

Written by Donna Harle & Produced by Ben Weaver

APPH is a successful aerospace business based in the North West, producing and supporting hydraulic equipment for military helicopters, advanced fighter jets, civil airliners and business jets. The company’s Nottingham division forms the heart of the manufacturing capability of APPH, providing complex, multi-axis and mill-turn machined components for landing gears, match-ground hydraulic flight controls, aero-engine casings, and more. It is the sole British-owned company capable of providing complete landing gear systems.

Thousands of aircraft, hundreds of airlines and dozens of air forces throughout the world rely on APPH’s expertise - a testimony to its commitment to the very highest standards of technology, service, design and development.

Design and Development

APPH Runcorn Engineering division forms the centre of the organisation. It is here that ideas originate, innovative solutions are explored and systems are tested and certified. Working in close partnership with clients that include Saab, Rolls-Royce and Airbus, APPH offers a fully comprehensive service that covers initial concept through final design to lifetime engineering support. Solutions include landing gear systems, flight controls and hydraulic system assemblies for both civil and military aircraft. The company has an advanced engineering design division dedicated to designing, certifying, testing and supporting hydraulic systems and landing gears. Examples of these have been, the Saab Gripen, Hawk trainer, EH101 Merlin and the C27J Spartan.

Managing director, Dave Haslam said: "Every minute of every day, an aircraft fitted with APPH equipment takes off or lands." It is this very statement that proves there is a relentless demand within the aerospace industry, which APPH strives to exceed, for equipment to be lighter, faster, more efficient, greener and to be less expensive.

The company is committed not just to staying abreast of the developments that are taking place, but to keeping ahead of them through an ongoing program of investment in new technologies, procedures and processes, and is a company that operates world wide, with the experience and expertise to turn the most ambitious plans and futuristic specifications into working reality.

Products and services

Issues such as performance, weight, strength, reliability, maintainability and cost of ownership are presenting the aerospace industry with an unprecedented range of challenges. APPH provides products and services in hydraulics, landing gear, filters, machining, repair and overhaul, and if effective answers are to be found, innovative thinking and technical excellence are vital. APPH's research and development laboratory has comprehensive facilities to perform all aspects of the physical testing required for equipment certification.

APPH is committed to a policy of continuous improvement, to provide products and services that exceed its customer’s expectations, and as part of BBA Aviation, a listed UK PLC with £1.5 billion turnover in 2005, the company is a well established Tier 1 landing gear and hydraulic systems supplier.

In 2006 APPH was awarded several new development programs including UAV and helicopter projects, and in the same year it acquired Arnoni Aviation Ltd, the world’s largest independent Hawker parts support company.

The company has continued to win lucrative contracts this year - APPH filters division recently signed a new long term agreement to supply a wide range of filters for the aerospace industry, with the filters being used on numerous Rolls Royce engines and include the RB211 and Tay engines used on Airbus, Boeing and Gulfstream aircraft. It was also announced this year that BBA Aviation had acquired Commercial Aircraft Products (CAP). CAP’S proprietary products are approved and used by Cessna, Raytheon, Bombardier and Adams on both mature and embryonic platforms. This acquisition meant that CAP was to be integrated into the US operations of BBA Aviation’s Landing Gear and Hydraulic Company. For APPH, the acquisition proved to be beneficial as it further expanded its customer base and increased its footprint in Wichita.

With group companies in Runcorn, Bolton, Basingstoke, Nottingham, Witchita and Houston, continuous growth through both organic means and acquisitions, the company decided that it was time to re-brand all group companies as part of its continued expansion. The functions of the various companies were to remain the same, but to be covered by a universal format. All companies are named as APPH, followed by the approximate geographic location, and, where there are multiple divisions at one location, the main function of the division is also listed.