Planning the Supply Chain of the future

Source: Alenia Aeronautica

The planning and development of the Supply Chain is an essential factor to support the growth of our business in future years.

Notwithstanding the serious economic situation we are living, the programmes now in portfolio will allow us to predict a growth by 2.5 of external activities in the next decade. This means we will need to design and plan the growth of the domestic linked industry as well as of international supplies. The main drivers for the selection of our future partners are

entrepreneurial skills, expertise,workload sustainability and good financial standing, keeping in mind that international partnerships are often aimed at supporting market penetration strategies and at guaranteeing the compliance with the industrial set-off plans arising from sales contracts. In this framework, an essential element for the improvement of the industrial system is the simplification of supplies and logistic flows that is obtained by reducing the number of vendors and rationalising production line infeed. The mechanics re-design project (described in another article, editor's note) is aimed exactly at gradually redefining work packages according to assembly requirements, through the creation of kits and visual supply monitoring systems based on Lean Manufacturing logics. To achieve these goals,we will have to prepare certain tools, e.g. new contract templates and strict methods to learn and review the skills and capabilities of our vendors and monitor their progress.

Contract templates will have to provide for risk sharing partnership clauses, encouraging industrial and technology continuing improvement projects capable of gradually reducing costs. For vendors, partnership cannot be a status that is obtained once and forever, but that must be maintained with a consistent action aimed at improving competitiveness - their own and that of the entire industrial system. The tools and procedures for assessing the progress of our future vendors' skills and capabilities are the specific subject of future interventions.

 

Giancarlo Mezzanatto

Procurement & Supply Chain

Head of Supply Chain, Budget & Control Planning & Development