Plyable recognized as Boeing Aerospace Xelerated portfolio member

Plyable (Oxford, U.K.), a provider of composite tooling for the aerospace industry, has been recognized by Boeing (Arlington, Va., U.S.) as a key member of the Boeing-backed Aerospace Xelerated program. Launched in 2020 as the ATI Boeing Accelerator, the program aims to foster innovation and drive transformation in the aerospace industry. Boeing’s partners in Aerospace Xelerated include GKN Aerospace (Solihull, U.K.), the UK Defence and Security Accelerator, Etihad Airways (Abu Dhabi) and the Tawazun Council in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Its areas of activity include:

• Supply chain intelligence;
• Flight operations optimization (navigation, flight planning, flight data, security and safety);
• Passenger journey optimization (passenger experience, communications, disruption mitigation);
• Operational efficiency (digital factory, smart maintenance, data analytics);
• Next-generation workforce (talent pipeline & retention, training).

Plyable is combining advanced artificial intelligence (AI) with a global network of experts to automate and streamline the design and production of tooling for composites production; GKN Aerospace cites a 40% reduction in lead time. Plyable offers a full range of tooling materials and use cases — from tooling board and 3D printing for prototypes and small series to metal molds for high-volume, serial production.

Plyable was one of the first companies to be selected for the Aerospace Xelerated program, graduating in the spring of 2020 and joining a portfolio of graduates that is now 29 strong. “Aerospace Xelerated is about bringing together the power of innovation, startups, scale-ups, new ideas and disruptive technologies, with a great aerospace company which has been around for a century and needs to innovate to be around for the next hundred years,” says Sir Martin Donnelly, UK managing director and European president, Boeing.

Aerospace Xelerated welcomed Cohort 3 in January 2022 and Cohort 4 in January 2023. Aerospace Xelerated presented a digital Demo Day on YouTube (below), which also gives more details.

Plyable has now been invited to represent Aerospace Xelerated as a portfolio company at this year’s Paris Air Show. Attendees can visit the company’s exhibit in Hall 2B, stand F139 at the Paris Air Show. “Participating in the Aerospace Xelerated program offered incredible access to the industry and insights that helped us get to where we are today,” says Plyable sales director Elaine Winchester. “Plyable has now been extensively adopted in the eVTOL [electric vertical takeoff and landing] market as well as by larger OEMs and Tier 1s. The eVTOL teams in particular have really leveraged the immediate capacity and short lead times Plyable offers [read “Vertical Aerospace used Plyable to go from CAD to first flight in less than 90 days”]. It’s been amazing to visit them a couple of weeks later and actually see their prototypes being made, even flying!”