Technology that could reduce the amount of time taken to manufacture an aircraft by at least 20 per cent is being assessed by aerospace groups around the world. The companies hoping to cut years from design schedules include India's Hindustan Aeronautics Ltd, British Aerospace, France's Airbus Industries and Indonesia's Industri Pesawat Terbang Nusantara. The technology is a 'knowledge-based' engineering system called LEAD, developed by Concentra, a US-based software company. It allows companies to capture on computer the knowledge of their designers and engineers, as well as relevant legislation, safety criteria, materials performance and other rules.
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