Derby-based metrology specialist AddQual Ltd says the UK aerospace sector’s accelerating adoption of automation and AI in engine inspection closely reflects the same structural shift it is seeing across OEM and Tier 1 supply chains. Last week’s visit by Aviation Minister Keir Mather MP to GE Aerospace’s Filton facility shone a spotlight on a direction of travel that many in aerospace already recognise as irreversible. AI-assisted borescope inspections, robotic inspection systems and digitally enabled Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) operations are becoming embedded, production-critical capabilities.
For AddQual Ltd, headquartered in Derby, the significance of GE Aerospace’s UK investments is not just the sophistication of the inspection tools themselves, but what happens to the data those tools generate.“ Automation and AI only deliver real value when the data they create can move frictionlessly through the organisation and the supply chain,” says Ben Anderson, Managing Director of AddQual. “What GE Aerospace is demonstrating at Filton is a recognition that inspection data is now a strategic asset.” With an installed base of more than 78,000 engines worldwide, GE Aerospace’s UK-developed AI inspection technologies are generating vast volumes of structured information: defect identification, conformity decisions, trend analysis and predictive insights that feed directly into design, sustainability and operational performance.
That same data-first mindset is increasingly being demanded of suppliers far beyond the engine OEMs themselves. While OEMs are investing heavily in AI-enabled inspection hardware, many Tier 2 and Tier 3 suppliers still struggle with how inspection data is captured, validated and shared. Manual reports, disconnected spreadsheets and delayed communication remain common, even in safety-critical programmes.“ Manufacturing quality doesn’t fail for lack of inspection,” Anderson explains. “It fails because data is late, inconsistent or trapped in silos. The industry focus is shifting from how we inspect to how quickly and reliably we can turn inspection into decisions.”
This is where AddQual’s MiDAS platform — the Metrology Interface DAShboard — directly aligns with the direction being set by major aerospace OEMs. MiDAS takes raw measurement data from metrology equipment and inspection processes and converts it into real-time, structured intelligence that can be consumed instantly by engineers, quality teams and customers. In practical terms, this means live visibility of conformity status, automated rule-based decision making, supplier–customer transparency and a digital audit trail that supports regulatory compliance. The same principles underpinning GE Aerospace’s AI-driven engine inspections — speed, consistency and data reusability — are applied across the wider manufacturing ecosystem.
At Filton, GE Aerospace highlighted how AI-assisted inspections reduce aircraft turnaround times while improving safety and accuracy. AddQual sees a direct parallel at component and sub-assembly level.“ When inspection data is structured and available in real time, delays, disputes and rework fall away,” says Anderson. “That doesn’t just improve delivery performance; it builds resilience into the entire programme.” As OEMs continue to expand digital MRO networks — from Filton to Cardiff and Heathrow — expectations cascade down the supply chain. Suppliers are increasingly required not only to meet dimensional tolerances, but to provide digitally consumable evidence, instantly and without interpretation. AddQual’s role, Anderson argues, is to bridge that gap. “We sit between the physical world of measurement and the digital world OEMs now operate in. MiDAS ensures suppliers can plug into that ecosystem without reinventing their entire operation.”
The Minister’s visit also reinforced the UK’s position as a centre for advanced aerospace services, supported by skills, research and industrial collaboration. For AddQual, which works with major OEMs and is involved in research partnerships and digital transformation projects, this alignment is critical.“ What we’re seeing at GE Aerospace is a vote of confidence in UK-engineered digital capability,” Anderson concludes. “The same principles are driving our work in Derby: automation, trusted data and decision-making at speed. That’s where the aerospace sector is heading, and it’s where AddQual is already operating.” As AI and automation move from inspection novelty to operational necessity, the message from both Filton and Derby is clear: the future of aerospace quality lies in turning inspection into intelligence — at scale, across the entire supply chain.
