This article is based on an official press release and company reporting from Collins Aerospace.

From WWII Gliders to “Wheels in a Week”: The Manufacturing Revolution at Collins Aerospace

In Troy, Ohio, a factory with deep roots in aviation history is undergoing a radical transformation. The facility, once known for producing the gliders that carried troops into World War II battles, has successfully implemented a new manufacturing initiative dubbed “Wheels in a Week.” According to Collins Aerospace, this program has slashed the production time for aircraft wheels by approximately 80 percent, reducing a 45-day process to just seven days.

The centerpiece of this efficiency drive is a new automated production cell described by the company as “tall and sleek, bigger than a phone booth but smaller than a passenger elevator.” This modernization effort highlights a broader shift within the aerospace sector, moving from traditional, fragmented machine shops to integrated, high-tech “Industry 4.0” environments.

A Historic Facility Reimagined

The Troy facility holds a significant place in American aviation heritage. Originally the home of the Waco Aircraft Company, the site was the largest manufacturer of civil aircraft in the United States during the late 1920s and early 1930s. During the Second World War, the factory pivoted to produce CG-4A gliders, which were essential for transporting heavy equipment and troops into combat zones.

Today, the site serves as a critical hub for Collins Aerospace, a Raytheon Technologies (RTX) business. While the brick-and-mortar backdrop remains, the interior operations have evolved. The “Wheels in a Week” initiative represents the latest chapter in this evolution, aiming to address the logistical challenges of modern aerospace manufacturing.

The “Wheels in a Week” Initiative

Historically, manufacturing an aircraft wheel at the Troy plant was a disjointed process. According to company reports, a single wheel would travel through five different legacy machines. This workflow required manual transport, setup, and handling at each stage, resulting in a production timeline of approximately 45 days from raw forging to finished part.

The new initiative sought to compress this timeline drastically. By consolidating these steps, Collins Aerospace reports that they have met their ambitious goal of a seven-day turnaround.

“Cutting time by 10 percent, that’s something we’re going to go do. Cutting it by 80 percent? That is a monumental effort that’s going to require all of us together to make it successful.”

, Greg Smith, Director of Operations, Collins Aerospace (Troy, OH)

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Technological Consolidation

The reduction in lead time is largely attributed to the introduction of a multitask machining center. Described in company materials as having “white walls and red doors,” this machine performs both lathe work (spinning and turning) and mill work (cutting and grinding) in a single setup.

Previously, these tasks required five separate machines. The new automated cell features a pallet-changing system that loads and unloads parts without human intervention inside the machine. This consolidation eliminates the “white space”, or idle time, that occurred when parts were moved between stations.

Impact on Safety and Flexibility

Beyond speed, the automation has introduced significant safety improvements. By removing the need for workers to manually lift and fixture heavy wheel forgings multiple times, the physical strain on operators is reduced. The role of the workforce has subsequently shifted from manual labor to technical oversight, involving programming and monitoring of the automated cells.

Troy Brunk, President of Collins Aerospace, emphasized the strategic value of this flexibility in a company statement.

“Taking 45 days of lead time down to seven creates more flexibility for us and our customers. When we think big, we can do a lot of things.”

, Troy Brunk, President, Collins Aerospace

The ability to switch between different wheel models rapidly allows the factory to handle smaller batches and urgent orders more effectively, a crucial capability in a supply chain often beset by fluctuations in demand.

AirPro News Analysis

The success of the “Wheels in a Week” program at Collins Aerospace illustrates a critical trend in the aerospace supply chain: the necessity of resilience through speed. By reducing lead times by 80 percent, manufacturers do not just save money; they insulate themselves against upstream disruptions. When a production cycle takes 45 days, a raw material delay is a crisis. When it takes seven days, the system can recover and pivot much faster.

Furthermore, the cultural shift mentioned by Scott Parkin, VP of Operations for Advanced Structures, suggests that the barrier to modernization is often as much about mindset as it is about machinery. The transition from a “grime and grease” shop to a clean, automated facility requires buy-in from the workforce, proving that Industry 4.0 is as much a human resources challenge as a technological one.

Sources

Sources: Collins Aerospace / RTX