Preamble (this also applies to case study 3)
Traditionally the Company had treated prototypes as an Engineering driven function.
Part numbering was from a paper logbook with the next part number being taken out with minimal information and an Engineers signature.
The Company computer database was not used, therefore there was no correlation between tooling, raw materials and finished parts and none of the normal materials functionality of order placement, goods receiving, stocking and issue tracking.
The Line Buyers were responsible for prototype control and were using their own off line systems (Excel, Word etc.) to accommodate the requirements of the Project Managers. Without the normal production type daily printouts collating information for the weekly project meetings it was difficult and time consuming when also trying to maintain production and the many associated reports required by the Company.
Living in Birmingham I was asked to “transfer” from the project work that I had been active in for the past year in the East of England and to continue the work on Sites in Central and West of England.
Initially I was requested to go to the West site and to take from the Buyers two projects originating from another Western Government.
Review the working practices and improve the projects materials flow.
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On arrival (this also applies to case study 3)
I established my links with the Project Manager and the Line Buyers and started to collate information for the weekly meetings.
This took two months before I was happy with the handover and that the stability of parts supply had been achieved.
Follow on
Over the next 10 months I worked to analyse and develop the project system as a total entity not just the materials requirement.
I published a presentation paper on Project and Prototype Purchasing that incorporated all aspects from concept to customer delivery.
(This study takes from concept to parts delivery, study 3 goes from parts booking to stores issue).
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... The following is a shortened version of activities that took place over the initial 12 months consultancy resulting in a part numbering protocol and order/sample reporting/goods receiving procedure that brought the project process in parallel andwith all the functionality to the production system.
Established that
• Prototype parts were not visible to the company, as they were not registered on the mainframe database parts master file.
• Purchase orders were raised as none production.
• Goods received only found by checking order status
• No formal inspection reporting system
• No separate stores location
• Internally manufactured parts had no order or cost centre
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... Following the period of parts stability I then began to visit project and production departments for discussions
Project Managers
• Purchase interface and problems arising
• Current and future requirements
• How I would interface and information required
Buyers
• Current process
• Workload
• Handover timing
• Engineering
• How the current part numbering system worked
• Part engineering changes (at what point is purchasing informed)
• Parts requisitioning
• Data processing
• How are parts numbered?
The production process
• How projects could be integrated into the mainstream processing
• Information Technology
• Current reports
• Additional reports
• Programme changes
• Goods receiving
• Current production process
• Current none production process
• Transfers to stores
• Inspection
• What is inspected?
• Level of inspection
• Inspection paperwork required
• Stores control
• Stocking area
• Stocking policy
• Parts picking
• Production
• How orders were received
• Internal paperwork
• Project workshop
• How instructions were received
• How parts were picked
• What provision was made in ordering test components?
• From all these discussions the following was completed
Engineering
• Part numbering
• Changed from logbook to using production part numbers with an “X” before to denote prototype and an A for issue level
• X1000/A prototype
• 1000/1 production
• Other prefixes were also used to denote materials and tooling
• PCX1000/A is the pattern for the casting to make X
This now gave a database controlled project part from prototype to production and eventual closure if the part was deleted i.e. from cradle to grave
• Purchasing
• Ordering
• Now live using standard procedures
• Inspection
• New paperwork process (report issued with order)
• New bright yellow inspection labels to arrive with goods
• Data processing
• Project Bill of Materials
• Information Technology
• Changes / additions to programmes to accommodate projects
..................................................................................................................................................................................................................................... These changes and introductions covered two of the original problems.
This was accepted by the company and implemented during my first year.
The successful implementation of the report resulted in the Company creating a Project Purchasing section with myself and two other Buyers that continued through to my leaving 18 months later.
The third problem of parts being lost is dealt with in study 3. |
