MDS collaboration with NRC key to winning major contract with Rolls-Royce
Iain Stewart (President – NRC), Ibrahim Yimer (Director General – NRC), Joe Hajjar (VP Business Development – MDS), Rob Redsell (Regional Director – Western Europe – MDS), Anton Stefani (Proposal Manager – MDS)
Ottawa, June 28, 2018 – The recent signing of the largest project in MDS’s history with Rolls-Royce, one of the biggest original aero engine manufacturers (OEMs) in the world, was the product of almost two years of preliminary work and collaboration.
In 2016, MDS began its scale model project at the National Research Council of Canada (NRC) to address technical concerns in the area of aeroacoustics. As a world leader in its industry as well as in the field of aeroacoustics, MDS took on the challenge of designing a scale model to investigate causes and effects of various engine and test bed configurations. A reconfiguration of the model in 2017, as well as significant advancements in the research, both contributed to the contract awarded by Rolls-Royce.
Team solutions played an important role
The proposed designs for the largest indoor aero engine test facility in the world investigated by the team were crucial to displaying MDS’s prowess, innovative spirit, and dedication to research and technology in the incredibly complex field of aeroacoustics. The close relationship between MDS and the NRC enabled highly complex solutions to be vetted and tested in the NRC’s state-of-the-art facilities—a critical part of the initial planning and proposal process, and a step that far outpaced the competition.
The research conducted over the past year and the vast strides MDS has made in solving the industry’s pain points with respect to aeroacoustics could not have happened without the NRC’s ability to support aeronautical product development.
“The NRC has unique expertise and infrastructure to support Canadian companies like MDS as they develop their aeronautical products, including assistance with aerodynamics, engine design, and aircraft structures,” says Dr. Ibrahim Yimer, Director General of the NRC Aerospace Research Centre. “This combination of know-how and facilities helps companies to compete in the global aerospace sector.”
By providing access to their Montreal Road campus in Ottawa and their expertise in development, experimental testing, and analysis, the NRC helped MDS continue its important research and drew conclusions that will be crucial in the design of the new Rolls-Royce test bed.
Collaboration builds opportunities
In the engine testing industry, prototyping is often not possible or practical, so collaboration aids in de-risking innovative approaches and reduces the cost to bringing a game changing technology or product to market. The reduction in time and the cost savings realized by working with the NRC enhanced MDS’s position when bidding for the most recent project to design and build the largest aero engine test facility in the world.
“MDS firmly believes in the benefits that can be gained by collaborating with partners like the NRC as well as Canadian universities,” says Joe Hajjar, Vice President of Business Development for MDS. “The access to their unique expertise, coupled with their drive to develop innovative solutions, is a winning combination for any Canadian business.”
To read the NRC’s story ‘Taking a model approach’, visit: https://www.nrc-cnrc.gc.ca/eng/stories/2018/mds.html.
MDS Worldwide Communications
Sarah Diguer
+1 613-744-5794, ext. 2288
communications@mdsaero.com
