We often see them along motorways or in industrial parks. The common one does not have access to it, but this summer, the business team The press The factories that are part of the landscape was opened.
Bell in short
- The Bell helicopter manufacturer is a subsidiary of the Multinational Textron, whose head office is in Providence, Rhode Island, the United States. The headquarters of Bell is for its part located in Forth Worth, Texas.
- The Mirabel factory employs 1600 people, including 400 engineers.
- Number of devices assembled in Mirabel in 39 years: 6000
- Some customers: Quebec Sûreté, Canadian Coast Guard and Canadian Armed Forces
No risk to be taken when you enter the Bell factory in Mirabel. Just before accessing it, representatives of The press are invited to put on shoes with steel cap and wear protective glasses.
The rules are worth for everyone. No exception.
“Security is our greatest priority,” says Geneviève Gagnon, head of the composite materials center and production engineering.
Upon passing The press On this sunny summer day, the morning is already well started for several of the employees on the floor.
Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
Geneviève Gagnon, first director, composite materials center and production engineering, at Bell in Mirabel
Some pierce holes in materials, others cut wires. There may be bursts, so it is better to remain alert even if the security rules are above all preventive measures.
First observation: workers are grouped by trade in this manufacturing and assembly plant.
Structural people are busy in a specific location on the cabins of the devices. Nearby, electric specialists take care of spinning. To another location, mechanical experts install transmissions and blades.
Up to eight employees can work at the same time on a device at a given stage, which makes the coordination fundamental.
A little further, we miss the cutting equipment.
By continuing our way, we cross the sandblasting installations, the painting workshop, a giant format oven, and the mechanics responsible for preparing the devices before the air tests.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
Four models of helicopters are assembled in Mirabel, in addition to parts for other devices which are sent to other factories of the organization outside of Canada (in Texas, in the United States, and in Chihuahua, in Mexico).
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
Bell is particularly supplied with three engine manufacturers, including Pratt & Whitney, in Longueuil.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
Parts that are not manufactured in Mirabel come to Canada, but also from all over the world (Mexico, United States, Turkey, Korea, India, etc.).
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
The installation of the pads under the device is done at the very end of the assembly process. It is easier to move the device on wheels inside the factory.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
After the composite parts were cut, laminated and vacuum, they are put in the autoclave (a giant format oven) which subjects them to high temperatures and pressures in order to harden and consolidate them.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
There are areas controlled in several places on the mounting chain to prevent the risk of foreign debris which could be forgotten in a device and which could harm the proper functioning of it or cause damage or injuries during test phases depending on the manufacture. It is particularly very important that employees do not have unnecessary personal objects on them (jewelry, pens, keys, telephone). The protocol also plans to document and keep track of all the tools so that they are always stored in the right place to ensure that none has been forgotten in a device.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
A helicopter results from the assembly of thousands of parts, and 450 of these parts are manufactured at the Mirabel factory. Hundreds of suppliers are therefore used in support.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
The Mirabel factory only assembles commercial devices. However, they may have military applications.
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Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
The devices are tailor -made according to the tastes and needs of the customer. Some will ask for air conditioning, a search camera, a hook to lift, etc. Some customers come to recover their own device if they have their driving license. Others have it delivered by truck or by boat – in these cases, the devices are disassembled before leaving the factory.
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The environment (temperature, humidity, etc.) is controlled in certain workspaces where more sensitive composite materials (carbon fiber) are manipulated before cooking.
Computer -assisted machines according to specific input instructions are used to complete certain production and manufacturing stages. Especially for precision or repetitive tasks. But the bulk of the work remains done manually.
Robotization is tested for sandblasting, for example, but the manager of the final line and the finishing center, Patrick Comtois, explains that the production volume remains too low to justify robotization as in the automotive industry.
“We produce 170 devices per year while an automotive factory can produce hundreds of vehicles a day,” he says.
Certain factory sectors are also secured with restricted admission because the company has privileged access to military information, explains Patrick Comtois.
Bell notably supports the activities of the Fleet of Griffon devices of the Canadian Armed Forces.
Photo Charles William Pelletier, special collaboration
Patrick Comtois is first director, final line and finishing center, at Bell in Mirabel.
We have staff on military bases all over the country and we manage the supply of parts and the availability of our machines so as to restore a device as quickly as possible.
Patrick Comtois, manager of the final line and the finishing center
Employee’s commitment is important and valued in this company where workers are non -unionized, would like to emphasize Geneviève Gagnon.
“The consultation spirit is in the DNA of the Mirabel factory. We are a very agile business thanks to 39 years of industrial peace, ”she says.
