Planes, Trains and Audits
The Manufacturing process within any industry needs high levels of efficiency in order to successfully manage costs and achieve the highest level of quality. The Aerospace and Rail Manufacturing industries are two highly competitive, and lucrative areas within the UK and Global Markets. The product of the aerospace and rail manufacturing processes are Aeroplanes and Trains – both of high monetary value, but also of high monetary risk if mistakes are made. Mistakes in the manufacturing of planes and trains could cost a company millions, and may have negatives effects on reputation, regulation compliance and consumer confidence.
How can these companies prevent mistakes being made?
Supply Chain auditing enables companies to take control of their manufacturing processes, reduce mistakes and increase efficiency. UK based Trade Organisation, ADS Group, have designed SC21, a programme created to accelerate the competitiveness of the aerospace & defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chains. ADS believe that the industry must ensure it delivers competitive solutions for customers, whilst maintaining profitable business growth. This programme has been put in place, in order to reduce overheads, cut costs and simplify the manufacturing process in an industry that is expected to grow at a rate of 6.8% over the next few years.
Whilst programmes such as SC21 are excellent for improving operational effectiveness within an organisation, even companies who receive the ‘Gold SC21 Award’ are still losing money to manufacturing mistakes simply due to the large number of processes that go into manufacturing an aircraft. “The UK’s aerospace sector is the largest in Europe and second globally to the USA. The industry contributes over £31bn to the UK economy. SC21 is the Business Excellence programme” said Leslie Orr, Manager at ADS Northern Ireland.
“When you consider that an aircraft comprises of several million components, the scale of the industry is such, that even these very high delivery performance requirements can lead to several hundred component issues per month.”
The need to improve efficiency is essential for aerospace companies, with the total demand for new aircraft production estimated to be 35,318 aircrafts (excluding regional jets) over the next 20 years and production levels for Aircraft units having increased by 86.7% since 1994.
Whilst recent demand for train manufacture has not been as high as for aircraft, manufacturing mistakes in this industry can be just as costly. In 2014, France’s national rail operator, SNCF, which runs its prestigious TGV fast trains, developed 1860 trains that were too wide for the tracks that they were supposed to run on. This mistake cost the company over €50 million, and could have been resolved with sufficient planning and supply chain auditing.
AuditComply’s electronic auditing solution offers customers increased productivity, instantaneous reports, issue tracking and in-depth analytics. With AuditComply, Supply Chain management is simplified with remote self assessments for due diligence checks and pre-audit assessments. Our comprehensive platform provides enterprises with a complete non-conformance management workflow for suppliers, ensuring issues are actioned and verified in a timely manner, offering aircraft and train manufacturers with the ideal solution for Supply Chain Management.
About AuditComply
AuditComply is a fast growing technology startup which has developed a comprehensive Electronic Quality and Compliance Management Platform, which is used across industries that need to control and manage risk such as; the accreditation industry, food, manufacturing, financial services and the automotive sector.
AuditComply increases productivity through efficient data collection, instantaneous reporting, issue tracking and data analytics. Supply Chain auditing is revolutionised with supplier access for self assessments and non conformance management making supplier performance monitoring more reliable and effective. The cost of non-compliance is high, with wide reaching financial, commercial and legal consequences, affecting brand reputation, contracts, and with the risk of financial penalties. AuditComply helps mitigate risk, drives quality and optimises the complete manufacturing process from supplier to customer.
For more information about AuditComply contact info@auditcomply.com or visit the website at www.auditcomply.com.