Assessment Methodologies Compared
Source: Alenia Aeronautica
A responsive and efficient supply chain, capable of providing products compliant with quality standards, is a winning card in the global market.
The rule also applies to the aeronautic industry that, due to the strict rules it is governed by, requires a detailed knowledge of its own supply chain. So we launched a careful review of our supply chain, first by Airbus recommendation and then in order to give a response to Boeing about the 787 “Dreamliner” programme. In the many assessments performed in 2007 we used two different methods alternatively, proposed by Airbus (CCA – Capacity Contingency Assessment) and by Boeing (PRA – Production Readiness Assessment), based on the review by two assessors of the vendors' production capabilities and skills. The Airbus methods focuses on the step-by-step analysis of the logistic/production flow, from materials procurement to manufacturing, from assembly to testing and end product delivery. Cycle times and lead times are measured for each process in order to identify existing and prospective bottlenecks in the flow. The Boeing method analyses, by means of a questionnaire, the criticalities in the various departments (manufacturing, supply chain, etc.) and provides a qualitative assessment that includes the proposed corrective actions to remove such criticalities and mitigate their impact. The initial status (as is) and the final status (to be) that the vendor will reach if the corrective actions are successful, are then reported on a chart (BORIS map).
From the beginning of 2008 we have been assessing our vendors in an organised and rolling pattern. The assessment methods we have developed are based on an overall approach to the vendor, encompassing all its departments from manufacturing to financial, and privileges the measurability of variables rather than their qualitative assessment.With our method, the various professional profiles in the company are involved in each stage of the assessment in order to check the reliability of the information collected. The assessment process has required the definition and development of several operating tools to evaluate production capabilities, delivery performance, financial reliability, supply risks and engineering/management expertise.
These tools are integrated to one another by means of one single interface, the repository, that enables web access to the data collected during past assessments and guarantees their effective and immediate use by corporate departments, and also enables the strategic management of the supply chain by the management.
Giovanni Di Micco, Francesco Feminella
Procurement & Supply Chain
Supply Chain, Budget & Control Planning & Development