Mapal cuts a multi-million aerospace deal

For the contract, Mapal has developed specialised tools that will be used for machining composite materials as used in the manufacture of complex aircraft wing sections. The company will supply all of the tools needed for these operations for the duration of the contract and will also provide tool repair and refurbishment services. In developing the new tools Mapal has successfully addressed a range of challenges, including the need to achieve high cutting performance without delaminating the composite materials. The contract was awarded at the end of a closely contested testing and tendering process, which included extensive end-user trials with prototype tooling. Mapal attributes its success in winning this prestigious contract to the technical innovation that was demonstrated during these trials and to the company's fast and effective response and commitment to the rapidly evolving requirements of its customer. "Representatives from the customer also visited our facilities in the UK and our R&D in Germany," said John Claypole, managing director of Mapal's UK operation, "and they were clearly very satisfied with what they saw. Finally, they carried out exhaustive checks on our financial position, just to be sure that they were dealing with a company that had the resources necessary to deliver on its promises." Mapal's customer is already using sample tools supplied by the company for preliminary work on the prototype wing sections, and will shortly take delivery of the first production tools.