An Industrial System - Airbus in Toulouse
Objective: To use the aeroplane manufacturer Airbus and its location in Toulouse to find out more about manufacturing, assembly and high technology industry and to complete our case study on this industrial system.
What is an industrial system?
Industry can be secondary industry/factory/manufacturing/assembly or processing. It consists of:
What is an industrial system?
Industry can be secondary industry/factory/manufacturing/assembly or processing. It consists of:
- Inputs - Raw Materials/labour/land/transport/machinery/components/capital/packaging
- Processes - Activities that convert the raw material/components into something useful
- Outputs - Products or goods/waste materials/fumes/profit
Task. Please use the task booklet below to complete the activities for this section of work. At the end of the work pack you will see how this case study can feature in Paper 1 (from November 2023). There is also a mark scheme to help you to structure your answer (PEEL, PEEL, PEE).
Siting Factors for Airbus in Toulouse - Help Statements (Task 2)
The A62, A64, A66 roads runs close to the facility in Colomiers and connect to the rest of the country. Toulouse has its own international airport - Blagnac. The Airbus factory is on site and has access to the runways.
There is a large pool of workers, not only in Toulouse, but also in the surrounding area and conurbation. Workers also arrive on short & long term contracts from other Airbus facilities around Europe and the world.
The site is well connected to the Airbus network by the Beluga aircraft and the road network.
There is already existing government research facilities and other research based companies like Astrium, British Aerospace and Rolls Royce in the area.
If hi-tech firms group together they can share associated services. By sharing services it should reduce costs and increase the amount offered to potential customers.
Legacy work - Pre-2024 (not necessary at IST)
Manufacturing, Processing & Assembly - A380
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Objective: To study the manufacturing process of Airbus planes and why Toulouse was chosen as the location for the manufacturing base.
The Airbus A380 is a double-deck, wide-body, four-engine jet airliner manufactured by Airbus. It is the world's largest passenger airliner. Final assembly of the aeroplane occurs just down the road from IST in Toulouse but it is truly a global manufacturing operation. There was no way Airbus could create a manufacturing facility large enough to build the entire A380 in one place. Various parts are built all over Europe: Help diagram here.
Task 1 - European Components On the worksheet below, label the components of the A380 Aeroplane and where each is made. Task 2 - Spatial Distribution of Manufacturing i. On the A3 map worksheet above and with the help of Google Maps label on the locations of each of the Airbus sites listed above. Key: Ports - Black Dots Toulouse - Red Cirle Other sites - Yellow Circle Task 3 - The Chain of Production Complete the chain of production worksheet to the right, following all tasks carefully. |
This is a finished A380
This is a RORO (roll on roll off)
This is a barge
Components being transferred to lorry in Langon
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High Tech Industry - Location & Siting Factors
Airbus in Toulouse
Hi-tech industry: Industries that are focused on research and development and the production of products that often contain microchips.
Conglomeration: The process of clustering together in one area.
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Airbus by nature is a High Tech industry where plane manufacturing takes centre stage using the latest technologies and expertise from a vast and high experienced workforce. We will be focusing on Airbus Futures as an example of High Tech industry and why Toulouse is at the centre of this operation.
Case Study - High Tech Industry Task 1 - Watch the first video about how the wings are made in Broughton and complete the following questions: a. How many years do Airbus have to think ahead? b. How many people does the plant employ? c. How many wings are made every year d. How much does each wing cost e. How many component parts does each wing contain? f. What is the economic boost created by Airbus for the surrounding area and the UK as a whole? g. How does training and aircraft manufacturing work together to aid research & development? Toulouse as a location & its siting factors for High Tech Industry Task 2 - Read the statements beneath carefully, then complete the worksheet to the right (blue tab). ?? - The A62, A64, A66 roads runs close to the facility in Colomiers and connect to the rest of the country. Toulouse has its own international airport - Blagnac. The Airbus factory is on site and has access to the runways. ?? - there is a large pool of workers, not only in Toulouse, but also in the surrounding area and conurbation. Workers also arrive on short & long term contracts from other Airbus facilities around Europe and the world. ?? - Toulouse has its own universities that can not only supply skilled labour but also research and development facilities. Other Airbus locations such as Hamburg, Bristol and Madrid also have their own universities producing skilled and knowledgeable potential workers. ?? - There are attractive areas to live nearby and enjoy recreation time e.g. Gers, Tarn and the Pyrenees (skiing) and the Mediterranean coast is 90 minutes away. ?? - The site is well connected to the Airbus network by the Beluga aircraft and the road network. ?? - There is already existing government research facilities and other research based companies like Astrium, British Aerospace and Rolls Royce in the area. ?? - If hi-tech firms group together they can share associated services. By sharing services it should reduce costs and increase the amount offered to potential customers. |
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Task 3 - Individual Research Task
You are to choose one of the case studies below as an example of your high tech industry case study using Airbus and future technological developments as your focus. Use the worksheet below to record your information.
You are to choose one of the case studies below as an example of your high tech industry case study using Airbus and future technological developments as your focus. Use the worksheet below to record your information.
