35% changeover time reduction for aircraft component manufacturer

2 Minute Read

Close Up of Jet Engine Assembly in Factory

The Challenge

The complexity of aerospace supply chains can create significant challenges in maintaining efficiency and productivity.

A tier 1 aircraft component manufacturer wanted to increase efficiency and operational effectiveness at a UK site aligned to its end-to-end supply chain, and asked Unipart to make performance improvement recommendations.

The Solution

Unipart undertook an extensive review of the Computer Numerical Control (CNC) processes, which require up to 1.5 hours of changeover for every 15 hours of use. The client requested Unipart to undertake a full review of this changeover with an aspiration of reducing the 1.5 hours by 30%. Unipart implemented its recommended changeover reduction principles.

Using Unipart’s Changeover Reduction Analysis tool, Unipart consultants engaged with the CNC team to conduct an in-depth analysis of the changeovers to understand the root cause of the lack of timeliness. This analytical and collaborative approach not only provided a granular understanding of existing processes and pinpointed areas for optimisation, but also enabled the CNC team to recognise the waste within the entire changeover process, fostering a shared understanding and driving improvement.

35%

Changeover time reduction

The Impact

Building upon these insights, Unipart documented a series of improvements and recommendations, resulting in a more streamlined process. In addition to tackling the current inefficiencies, these improvements will create a roadmap for ongoing continuous improvement.

From Unipart’s recommendations, the manufacturer should expect:

  • £100k cost saving per annum due to resequencing process elements
  • 35% reduction in changeover time, achievable without significant capital expenditure
  • 16% improvement in overall equipment effectiveness, from a baseline of 75%

The feedback on the project was very positive and future collaboration with the client to execute the strategic roadmap is anticipated.

Close Up of Jet Engine Assembly in Factory

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