Aviation Maintenance & Repair
SITUATION
Aviation repair and maintenance company’s processes and systems had overloaded, causing excessive costs, increased cycle times and poor customer service.
DRIVER GOAL
- Enable a 20% increase in aircraft completions, reduce the number of custom cockpit and cabin interior installation hours by 25%.
RESULT
- Reduced hours per aircraft at an annual rate of $11.99 million and reduced cycle time, allowing for additional margins of $3.2 million per year per aircraft
Case Study
Reduce cycle time & costs
Issue
Since 1971, this aviation company has been committed to meeting the needs and services of business jet owners and operators for both large and small aircraft. Their services include maintenance, sophisticated structural repairs, avionics upgrades and repairs, interior design and refurbishment, exterior design and painting, component and accessory service and completion of "green" aircraft. Due to its success and rapid growth, and with over 50 aircraft in process, the company’s processes and systems had overloaded causing excessive costs, increased cycle times and poor customer service.
Highland Approach
The Highland Group conducted an analysis of the operation to determine key drivers of costs and lengthy cycle times and to develop a targeted action plan to address identified issues. A focus team was developed to manage the overall productivity improvement activities.
Actions Taken
- Implemented a System For Managing in Engineering to insure that the correct drawings are released on schedule, allowing operations to complete its work with minimal delay.
- Developed a new Planning process, allowing for alignment with baseline Engineering planning and removing the need for ad hoc, on-the-floor production planning for each individual aircraft.
- Redesigned the Kitting of Materials process, eliminating non-valued direct labor activities by providing materials to the aircraft production team in required amounts and on time; also eliminated lost and damaged materials.
- Implemented a new Production Control process that aligns activities across production shops, insuring that the right things are built when required.
- Designed and implemented an integrated Master Schedule, which was the key element that tied all of the efforts together, providing the pacing for the planning, kitting and staging of production.
- Implemented Systems For Managing in the shops and at the executive level to support the integrated Master Schedule.
