Waerlinx now installed at the second Airbus wing assembly plant

Citation

(2001), "Waerlinx now installed at the second Airbus wing assembly plant", Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, Vol. 73 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/aeat.2001.12773cab.001

Waerlinx now installed at the second Airbus wing assembly plant

Waerlinx now installed at the second Airbus wing assembly plant

Keywords: Waer Systems, Airbus, Supply-chain management, Software

Waer Systems Limited, a supply chain management system supplier, reports that it has had further recognition of the effectiveness of its WaerLinx™ system from Airbus UK (Plate 1). Having first been installed at the Broughton, UK wing assembly facility, its proven ability to streamline the supply of small components and cut costs has resulted in its implementation at a second site – the one at Filton, UK.

At Filton, Airbus UK assembles wing leading- and trailing-edges for the Airbus family of aircraft. The finished components are transported to Broughton, Flintshire, by road, where they are incorporated into the wing structures that, when complete, are air freighted to Toulouse, France, and Bremen and Hamburg in Germany.

Plate 1Airbus project leader, Steve Sheppard, with Chas Oldfield, Waer Systems' WaerLinx™ project manager

Waerlinx, the software system created, developed, marketed and installed by Waer Systems Limited, is described as providing detailed and completely "transparent" data to all the various parties involved in the manufacture, procurement, supply, stocking and fitting of all the fasteners that go into each Filton-assembled leading- and trailing-edge wing set.

The system represents an important refinement of the "pull" philosophy, with modules allowing, where appropriate, integration with the local MPS (master production schedule). With static inventory levels at every stage being monitored, controlled and minimised on a part-by-part, bin-by-bin basis in accordance with the usage rate, variance and item cost, users can be confident that the build-up of excess inventory that can so often occur with traditional "push" systems is prevented.

Additionally, with consignment stocking, the commitment of suppliers to improved response times is amplified, as they are the ones who benefit because of the reduced stocking levels that result.

Toby Summerfield and Rich Burnham, the two principal vendor controllers at Airbus UK, praise the impact of Waerlinx highly:

Previously it's been difficult to work out what was needed and when, but now we've got a system in place where we can type in a supplier's name and find out the exact stock of every single part number; when we'll need more; and when we'll run out.

It's no exaggeration to say that Waerlinx has made a huge difference. The system is user-friendly, very flexible, very adaptable, and – above all – easy to use. It only takes minutes to learn if you're used to handling data on a PC.

This is the first time that the Filton AGS (aircraft general store) has been run on a system tailored to meet the complex requirements of supplying thousands of part numbers to the point of use, at minimal overhead cost. Waerlinx became fully operational on 27 September 2000, and it now controls 4,400 part numbers available from 8,000 parts bins situated adjacent to assembly lines throughout the site. Over seven million parts are currently issued each year, and the WaerLinX system will, we are informed, be able to cope with the future additional parts requirements of the A380 super-jumbo and other new models.

The parts bins are specially designed for ease of use by the fitters and contain two bags – an "in use" bag and a "reserve" one. They are all clearly labelled, so that a member of the AGS staff can go round with a hand-held scanner and, if the reserve bag is open, can scan the appropriate barcodes printed on the labels.

This information is then fed back into the main system, and this triggers the supply of a replacement bag from the main store – the size of which is determined through analysis of past usage and the build programme. When the stock of any particular fastener in the AGS falls below a predetermined level, the supplier arranges for more stock to be despatched.

Waerlinx claims a number of other benefits over more conventional supply chain management systems:

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  Because they have access to the complete range of data, including the stock situation of each part number, the usage rate and therefore the quantity required at any one time, it is the suppliers that manage the supply of parts rather than the user's procurement department.

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  This is thought to be a far more efficient way of controlling supply, with the suppliers benefiting from being able to plan production much more efficiently, with very positive cost implications.

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  As it is a direct line-feed system, it allows for the consignment of stock to the point of use. For a company using hundreds of thousands of parts per month like Airbus, this is considered a huge cost saving over having to order and pay for the product as it comes into stock.

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  The system is totally accessible by all parties. Everything is therefore transparent – except for contract and pricing details that are stored separately. As a result, the customer/supplier relationship tends to be more honest and more productive, and time can be spent problem solving rather than arguing over whether the supply, stocking, or production data are accurate or not.

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  The ultimate benefit is to the bottom line in terms of reduced costs to the customer. Exact amounts vary from project to project, but Waer Systems is happy to confirm that, on average, the cost of installing Waerlinx can be recouped in well under six months. According to Waer it is expected that, at Filton, the figures will eventually represent a one-time saving of £3 million, plus ongoing savings of about £200,000 per year.

"The supply of components in high volumes is a crucial area", says Will Scott, Waer Systems' managing director, "especially when it involves the handling of millions of parts per year. It's not unheard of for per-unit supply costs to be greater than the value of the part itself, and the fierce competition that's a feature of modern business doesn't allow world-class companies to ignore it. Waer Systems Limited is confident that it can transform any manufacturer's supply chain. Our track record with Airbus UK confirms this".

Details available from: Waer Systems Limited, Tel: +44 (0) 1273 234670; Fax: +44 (0) 1273 234675; E-mail: info@waersystems.com Website: www.waersystems.com (USA); Tel: +1 630 357 6567; Fax: +1 630 357 7550.