Fit for the future

A wind of change is blowing through the Coventry-based aerospace component specialist, where a long journey to Lean manufacture is coming to fruition. It's a metamorphosis that many subcontractors have gone through over the last five years as the pressure from competition has swung from a national to an international level and while the company has taken some pain to reach this point, the company is now in a position to remain prosperous in the long-term.

Those visiting Arrowsmith's site over the last few months will have seen a hive of activity as new offices and additional shopfloor and clean room capacity are installed. Still working away in the original facility, employees are working towards 5S and upgrading existing machinery. Running operations from his temporary office, director Jason Aldridge is busy implementing a new MRP system which will allow the company to take on much more work.

Arrowsmith started out as a general engineering firm in 1967, but since winning its first work package for Rolls-Royce in 1970, has naturally been involved in low-batch and R&D aerospace work. While the story has always been one of steady growth, meeting the increased demands of the aerospace industry over the last few years has not been easy.

More than anything else, attention to detail and commitment to continuous improvement has allowed the business to grow through a period when industry demands and competition have dramatically increased. For example, the introduction of key performance indicators back in 2006 soon demonstrated where efficiency could be improved. Signing up to the SC21 programme in 2008 gave the company more direction, and 2009 saw a migration to Jobshop MRP software to manage increasing orders.

In the last four years, On Time, In Full (OTIF) performance has increased from 72% to 89%. As a result of this improvement, Arrowsmith has not only gained Goodrich as a customer, but the prime is also now devoting resources to the subcontractor's 5S projects.

“People say Lean manufacturing saves you money, but in the short-term it costs a lot, not just with consultants and programmes but with downtime,” states Aldridge. “You eventually get the money back, but the crucial thing is that it will turn you into a company that will survive.

“Goodrich's improvement team are some of the best consultants I've ever dealt with. They're very motivated and will have achieved in seven weeks what would have taken us seven months alone. Having a major customer taking the time to help the business and who cares about what you do is a fabulous motivator for the whole team.”

Another factor has been the RDA support delivered throughout this period, in what Aldridge describes as a ‘purple patch' of funding before cuts were introduced.

“There's been a huge amount of progress throughout manufacturing in the Midlands,” he adds. “Work that has moved overseas is coming back now as a direct result. The only thing it hasn't done is bridge the labour costs, but the higher skill levels have worked in our advantage.”

The next stage for the company is to fill its additional factory space with new machinery, where once fully operational, it will offer 5-axis capability for the first time. It's also expecting to achieve bronze SC21 status next year as its efforts over recent years continue to bear fruit.

www.arrowsmitheng.co.uk