The assemblies can be found on most RR commercial, military, marine and power generation jet engines. Every month the company manufactures around 800 different kits and assemblies, utilising their skilled workforce of 130.
Problem 1: Each assembly consists of, on average, ten components. Consequently the company needed a way of easily maintaining a large number of bills of materials.
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"FactoryMaster's MRP facility tells us what we need and when we need to order it. It used to take weeks... now it's just a matter of hours."
Ian Burton, Joint-MD
B&D Patterns
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Problem 2: Each assembly involves: purchased tube, bar and some detailed components; manufacture of detailed components; CNC pipe bending and in-house X-ray testing of pipe assemblies. Clearly, there was a need for an integrated system which could handle complex BOMs, Purchase Ordering, and Production procedures, to keep track of the entire process.
Problem 3: The customer’s requirements are constantly changing. It is not uncommon for scheduled dates and required quantities to move, right up to the day of delivery and with purchasing lead times ranging from five days to six months (e.g. specialist forgings), B&D wanted a system by which they could identify up-to-the-minute requirements, both purchasing and production and to be able to action decisions rapidly. Solution: FactoryMaster successfully addresses the intense demands of B&D’s business. The company relies most heavily upon the Material Requirements Planning Report (MRP), which, fed by the BOM, the integrated stock system for materials, bought-ins and manufactured components, purchase ordering and production control, offsets what is currently available and what is going to be available against customer demands (sales orders).
Ian Burton, joint MD with his brother, Mark, is full of praise, "Before we chose FactoryMaster, our business was under great pressure, responding to the exacting demands of Rolls-Royce and regularly delivering late due to us struggling to keep on top of the larger assemblies. When companies like ourselves are late on delivery, the knock-on effects can be serious and expensive."
"Thankfully, FactoryMaster's MRP facility with lead times tells us what we need and when we need to order it. Furthermore, the administration involved in processing a Rolls-Royce sales order schedule used to take us nearly two weeks. FactoryMaster has reduced this task to a matter of hours."
Just some of the benefits brought to B&D by FactoryMaster:
- Bulk purchasing of common components
- Greater pro-activity, reduced ‘fire-fighting’
- Time saved identifying and ordering requirements. Multi-million pound order book translated into full component requirements in just a couple of hours.
- Forecasting results in shorter lead times
- Confidence to manage expansion
Company: B&D Patterns Ltd
Joint MDs: Ian Burton, Mark Burton |