\\\ Manufacturing \\\ Success story
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Magellan
17
•
Reliable production
processes at
reaches greater
Hannover Messe
18-19 heights with EFACS
•
Measuring and
managing time
& attendance
Magellan Aerospace (UK) is a design-to-manufacture
supplier of aerospace structural components and
in a downturn
assemblies. A wholly owned subsidiary of Magellan
Aerospace Corporation, the £70 million turnover
20-21
company has steadily grown, at times by acquisition,
•
which has led to design and manufacturing operations
A clear view
currently being split between sites in Bournemouth,
in the Cloud
Wrexham, Bristol and Biggleswade. At the heart of this
is a decade’s reliance on EFACS Enterprise Resource
Planning (ERP) software from Exel Computer Systems.
hile Magellan’s the flow of orders between each process.
W
manufacturing operations However, this is complicated by the scale and
vary slightly between its variety of manufacturing that Magellan has to
different sites, many of the accommodate, as Shelley explains: “Just at
core process steps remain this one plant we might have as many as 3400
the same. Take the main manufacturing base live works orders. The shortest may only take
in Bournemouth, for example, which supplies half an hour while the longest can involve up
primarily to Airbus in addition to other to 53 different operations and literally take
aerospace companies. Orders are received months to complete.” Indeed, Shelley identifies
electronically and directly from a supplier balancing load versus capacity as one of
portal, typically on a two-week call-off basis Magellan’s major business challenges, as well
from forecasts that might extend up to two as ensuring consistency of on-time delivery.
years. These are checked to see that order
data remains between buffer stock and Introducing a new order can therefore be a
Master Production Schedule (MPS) challenge in terms of ensuring the company’s
capabilities, or as Eric Shelley, business existing capacity is not overloaded that that
information systems manager for Magellan there are no significant knock-on effects
puts it, “to ensure we keep a smooth drum regarding on-time delivery. There is also the
beat of regular orders to help maximise the possibility of unexpected machine failure to
use of our capacity”. consider. Furthermore it is possible to lose
track of an order that is a Work in Progress
This smoothness of flow extends not only to either because it is scrapped or reworked
each of the production processes themselves without anything being updated. Either way,
– machining, treating, painting, assembly a customer can be in danger of not receiving
(where required) and dispatch – but also to an order on time. >>
14
MANUFACTURING
&LOGISTICSIT March 2009
www.logisticsit.com
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