Thompson Aero inaugurates Dynamic Test Facility

Thompson Aero is the latest seat maker to launch its own crash test operations. The Dynamic Test Facility (no one likes to call them crash tests, even though that’s what they are), announced just last December, officially opened earlier this month at the company’s Northern Ireland headquarters in Bainbridge.

The significance of this new state-of-the-art facility cannot be over emphasized in terms of the opportunities it provides. Our orderbook is very strong and the growth trajectory we have over the coming years will be underpinned and supported by our new in-house capability.

– Keith Anderson, CEO, Thompson Aero Seating

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The Dynamic Test Facility allows engineers to reproduce the dynamic conditions of a full-scale crash event in a controlled environment. Adding the facility on-site increases Thompson Aero’s capabilities to certify new products for airworthiness. Tests can be run more frequently and at lower costs as the company iterates designs. This helps reduce lead times in delivering designs to airline customers as well.

Testing locally also saves time where design iterations are required, as hardware no longer must be shipped to the United States or European continent for testing. Thompson Aero also calls attention to the sustainability angle of running tests in-house. Beyond the shipping savings, the home-grown testing enables engineers to further explore innovative, lightweight and market-disruptive seating solutions.

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Thompson Aero’s facility opening comes two years after Recaro similarly inaugurated its in-house crash test operations.

While Thompson Aero provided most of the funding directly, additional support was received from Invest Northern Ireland, local MPs, Councillors, business leaders, the Makers Alliance, ADS (the national trade body for Aerospace, Defence, Security & Space), and Sharing In Growth’s business transformation coaches.