Satair worked with Hawker on an initiative to improve their inventory programme along the Direct Line Feed contract. The main aim was to work in partnership to improve the effiency and effectiveness of the operation on site. This meant getting the parts directly to the line side. Many thousands of pounds are lost each year by engineers walking round with handfuls of parts and not specific quantities.The solution was to create 23 mobile trolley racks with bins attached at each location that the engineer would be working from. Thus ensuring that parts were specific to each area and the engineer did not have to walk around the site with handfuls of parts. The racks and System 9000 bins were chosen from Schoeller Arca Systems for their size, quality and overall price.
The implementation resulted in improved shop floor discipline, therefore saving money on the loss of small parts. The bins remained on racks, rather than all over the shop floor - a far more professional up to date logistics platform and media. It also eliminated the tired racks and bins that were on site. Overall resulting in improved service to customer. The intention is to use the model as a template for the other DLF contracts across the country. The work stations are neat, professional, flexible and ensured significant savings on lost product costing Satair and Airbus, Hawker thousands of pounds each year.
Roy Bird from Airbus, Hawker said;
“The improvements in service as a result of this implementation from Schoeller Arca Systems have been significant. Not only have direct costs improved, the biggest benefit has been a consistent 99% + availability of parts that has eradicated line disruption due to any materials covered by the DLF contract. Having a full time Satair representative on site enables both a swift response to any issues that may arise and access to a resource to support continuous improvement in the DLF process.”
