Hyde Group approached TRITEC when it was asked to design a factory wing transportation system for the Airbus A340 series.

The brief was to provide the control system for the movable traction unit that incorporated a heavy duty traction battery, hydraulic pump and 7KW DC Motor. The operator interfaces were to be kept as simple as possible utilising positioning algorithms in the controller itself.

The main transporter was a large low profile flat bed raft with four stanchions for the aircraft wing pick-up points, four driven wheel-sets with 360 degree positioning and hydraulic and electrical systems.

An embedded 'industrial PC' was used to perform the mathematical tasks of converting the human machine interface (HMI) controls into real-world coordinates for the complex four-wheel steering system.

The transporters, which have been in use since 1992, continue to give excellent service.