outlook
Danny Di Perna
Supplier Manufacturing Engineering Team Critical to Production Ramp
P
ratt & Whitney is in the midst of ramping up its plants across the US and around the world to meet customer demand for our new energy-effi cient, low emission and
extremely quiet commercial jet engine, the Geared Turbofan, as well as the F135, the engine for the Pentagon’s F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. At the same time, we will continue to deliver our more mature engine products fl awlessly. To ensure that we will be able to deliver engines on time
and at required quality, increasing collaboration with our sup- pliers is a major priority. Thirty years ago, we made greater than 50% of the parts we used; today, we make only 20% and depend on our 800 suppliers for 80%. To make this collaboration seamless, a team of Pratt & Whitney manufacturing engineers has taken on a critical new role, serving as a liaison between our engineering design team and our suppliers. While some 200 design and project engineers had been assigned to assist suppliers in various capacities, another 30-plus manufacturing engineers now form a Supplier Manufacturing Engineering Team (SMET) to help optimize supply chain processes, quality control, manu- facturing techniques and machining capabilities. In any given month, the SMET team makes between 50 to 60 supplier visits, where they resolve a host of issues, produce stan- dard work, institute cost reductions, give feedback on designs, sign off on Class I engineering changes and tackle producibility issues. Almost daily, suppliers are requesting that we send SMET members to help resolve complex challenges and opportunities. As Pratt & Whitney is adding new suppliers to address re-
quirements, such as no single point of failure (multiple suppli- ers for each part), cost reduction, capacity and performance, the SMET team’s support is critical as the company handles hundreds of transitions to these new partners. A low-cost supplier may require some technical expertise that they don’t possess internally that can be supplemented by our SMET. We can help them improve their internal pro- cesses and make the transition smoother. A key aspect is that SMET team members are the interface between the Pratt & Whitney design community and the supply base. Prior to this program, you might have a design side that
Senior Vice President, Operations Pratt & Whitney
didn’t want to change its design and a supplier side that didn’t want to change its processes. Our SMET intermediary is able to be the interface because he/she has knowledge of both compa- nies and becomes a conduit for change. Our suppliers appreci- ate having a Pratt person representing them in the conversation.
Our Supplier Manufacturing Engineering Team (SMET) helps to optimize supply chain processes, quality control, manufacturing techniques and machining. Pratt & Whitney’s internal Production Integrated Product
Team (PIPT) and Integrated Commodity Management Team (ICMT) typically decide which suppliers merit visits and what problems to solve, prioritized by cost, quality and delivery issues, and the criticality of the parts. We’re also visiting new suppliers before they produce their fi rst parts so we can determine if their capabilities, equipment and processes are the best they can be. At Pratt & Whitney, SMET is the fi rst centralized manu- facturing engineering team ever created to support and work with suppliers in their facilities. Team members have to possess a range of knowledge and skills. Social skills like effective communications and leadership are critical, but so are in-depth knowledge of our quality system, statistical problem-solving, intellectual property control, machinery and manufacturing processes, as well as ITC concerns. Success comes down to being adaptable and having a passion for solving the complex manufacturing challenges suppliers face. To date, suppliers working with the SMET have seen dra-
matic improvements in many key performance indicators above the ACE Gold standard of 6.0, in areas such as quality, on-time delivery and market feedback (ACE, or Achieving Competitive Excellence, is the United Technologies quality management program). With the help of the manufacturing engineers, suppli- ers are producing parts more aligned with demand and solving critical issues involving a number of high-profi le parts. Increased collaboration with suppliers is the future of manufacturing.
29 — Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2016
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