Streamline flowline manufacturing in aerospace with electric tuggers

Lucy Cresswell

Global Brand Manager

Date last reviewed: 04/08/2025

Aerospace manufacturing spans a wide range of environments and disciplines - from metal fabrication and composite production to large-scale final assembly operations.

Large commercial aircraft can be made up of as many as 5 million individual parts - each manufactured to the highest standards within a tiered production system. Due to the sheer volume of components and the need for specialization and scalability, aircraft manufacturing frequently relies on a flowline production approach that incorporates modular sub-assemblies.

Flowline processes in practice  

A rear fuselage assembly (which in itself is composed of multiple parts and sections) is transferred to a sub-assembly area of the plant. From here, sub-assemblies are fitted to support jigs and systems, increasing in size and weight as additional parts and sections are added at the various workstations.   

The same process is true for other sub-assemblies such as wing sections, additional areas of fuselage and tail or empennage sections. These various sub-assemblies are then transported using just-in-time (JIT) techniques to the final assembly line (FAL) ready for the final build.   

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Sub-assembly movement challenges in flowline production

Throughout a staged production process, sub-assemblies increase in both weight and size as additional materials and structural sections are added. This creates significant challenges when transporting them efficiently through the production flow.

Depending on the specific components being moved, heavier sections are typically transported using overhead cranes, forklift trucks, or large transfer trolleys. For smaller components, some facilities still rely on manual labor and physical handling to maneuver parts through different production stages.

However, these traditional transportation methods present several limitations for aerospace manufacturers - whether in moving fuselage sub-assemblies or during final aircraft assembly.

One major issue in staged, flowline production is downtime while waiting for a licensed forklift operator to become available. This can cause production bottlenecks and reduce overall efficiency.

Overhead cranes can also contribute to delays. In facilities with multiple cranes, overlapping routes often lead to idle time as operators wait for others to clear shared paths. Their fixed design restricts layout flexibility, and mechanical failures can bring production to a halt.

Remote-controlled transfer trolleys offer another option, but they tend to be bulky and hard to maneuver precisely in aerospace environments. In the event of a breakdown, they pose a high risk of causing complete flowline stoppages.

As a result, many manufacturers are turning to industrial electric tuggers as a more modular, reliable, and flexible solution for moving assemblies through complex production environments.

Powerful, lean, and flexible solutions

Aerospace electric tuggers offer an alternative to traditional aerospace material handling methods and deliver considerable efficiency gains in the form of time savings, flexibility, and process improvement for aerospace manufacturers.   

Suitably powered to move even the heaviest loads within the aerospace industry, our industrial electric tuggers enable a single operator to carefully position, and manoeuvre loads of over 154,000 lbs.  

Aerospace manufacturers need handling solutions that help support robust and lean production processes. With a license-free operation, industrial electric tuggers remove bottlenecks and any downtime in waiting for licensed lift truck drivers or crane operatives, whilst also providing a safer alternative for use in congested areas. Where transportation was previously carried out manually, electric tuggers mean staff are freed up to carry out value-adding activities and critical production tasks.  

With a design focused on scalability, manufacturers can utilize industrial electric tuggers and tows on a range of applications as required. Working alongside a flowline system, industrial tuggers deliver flexibility and allow manufacturers within the aerospace industry to scale production up or down as needed.

Easy integration to deliver flow  

Electric tuggers can be seamlessly integrated into existing processes without the need for infrastructure overhauls or complex installations.   

Facilitating the controlled movement of sub-assemblies,  electric tuggers quickly help manufacturers realize the real-world benefits of efficient flowline processes. This, combined with a design focused on easy integration with common aerospace manufacturing equipment make MasterMover tuggers an attractive option for aerospace manufacturers.   

Having provided powerful, compact electric tuggers to most of the world’s largest aerospace assembly plants for 28 years, we’ve developed a proven track record of delivering tangible process improvements for flowline production systems.