Spirit AeroSystems Selects Right Hemisphere Software to Enable Visual Manufacturing

Pleasanton, CA — January 20, 2009 — Right Hemisphere®, the leader in visual product communication and collaboration solutions, today announced that its software has been purchased by the world’s largest supplier of commercial airplane assemblies and components, Spirit AeroSystems, Inc. (NYSE: SPR). Spirit AeroSystems plans to use Right Hemisphere’s software to generate “visual routers”—or animated, visual work instructions. Once they are in production later this year, these visual work instructions will aid shop floor personnel building fuselages in Spirit’s expanding Wichita, Kansas-based manufacturing facilities.

Spirit AeroSystems purchased Right Hemisphere’s Deep Server™, Deep Access™ and Deep Exploration™ software, and will integrate them with its SAP® Product Lifecycle Management (SAP PLM) software. Right Hemisphere’s Deep Server enterprise software will read Model-Based Definition (MBD) design data created in CATIA® V5 software and stored in SAP PLM, and combine it with Spirit’s manufacturing bill of materials (MBOM) and textual work instructions. With this data and Right Hemisphere’s Deep Exploration client software, a Spirit manufacturing engineer will be able to author visual routers. The Deep Exploration software will allow an engineer to create call-outs; set the most appropriate view of the model to aid the assembly process at hand; highlight the parts to be used in the assembly process; animate specific parts; and more. Once completed, these visual work instructions, or routers, will be deployed on the manufacturing shop floor in Flex-based HTML templates with Right Hemisphere’s Deep View software.

“Enhancing text-based instructions with animated, visual work instructions is a great way for manufacturers to increase the speed of their production while actually reducing assembly line errors,” said Right Hemisphere CEO Michael Lynch. “This is just one example of how 3D Visual Manufacturing solutions can optimize product development and manufacturing processes. They can also help manufacturers establish more effective ways to communicate and collaborate with global partners of varying levels of technical and language capabilities.”

Based in Wichita, Kan., Spirit AeroSystems is the world's largest independent supplier of commercial airplane assemblies and components. In addition to its Kansas facility, Spirit has operations in Tulsa and McAlester, Okla., Prestwick, Scotland, and Samlesbury, England. In the United States, Spirit's core products include fuselages, pylons, nacelles and wing components. Additionally, Spirit provides aftermarket customer support services, including spare parts, maintenance/repair/overhaul, and fleet support services in North America and Europe.