The Hyde Group, based in Manchester and employing over 1300 people, are also actively engaged on the 787 programme and are playing an essential part in the team efforts required to ensure delivery of the 787.

However, Hyde Group are not tasked with supplying intrinsic aircraft components or systems but instead are playing a crucial role in support of the conversion of the 747 transport platform necessary to support the manufacturing process.

It is becoming increasingly common practice for the major OEMs to acquire major component parts from risk sharing partners around the globe, and then bring these parts to integration sites for final assembly. In the case of the 787, this typically means transporting large assemblies from partner manufacturing facilities in Japan and Italy to integration sites in the US at Charleston VA and Everett WA. This will be achieved by the use of converted 747-400 passenger aircraft into what is now known as the Dreamlifter.

The conversion of three aircraft is currently being undertaken by Evergreen Aviation Technologies (EGAT) at their facility in Taiwan. Hyde Group is contracted to supply most of the tooling required to support the modification process. This includes, for example, assembly jigs to put together the new larger fuselage sections and the provision of large 5-axis drill plates to drill attachment holes for the section of fuselage known as the “swing-zone”, a new section of aft fuselage that is hinged and latched, and which allows the entire empennage of the Dreamlifter to swing sideways to permit the loading of the various 787 major assemblies.

First flight Dreamlifter took place on 9 Spet 2006 and will be followed by a certification programme leading to entry into service in 2007. The design of the swing-zone tools, with the airframe design being undertaken by Gamesa in Spain, presented programme challenges that Hyde Group met by collaboration with the Boeing Design Centre (BDC) in Moscow. BDC placed engineers, within the Tool Engineering Group at the Hyde Group office in Manchester, who managed the data flow to have finished tool designs produced in Moscow for manufacture at Hyde Group and delivery to Taiwan.

This truly global extended enterprise has proven to be extremely successful and the Hyde Group intend to build on this by offering, in conjunction with BDC, all the 787 partners a tool design and make service that can deliver tools conforming to all the necessary standards.