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Launched in 2006 the Twenty First Century Supply Chains programme (SC21) aims to boost the competitiveness of the UK aerospace and defence industries. The underlying goal of the programme is to maintain the UK as a global leader in the aerospace industry.
The approach adopted to achieve this goal is unique in that it takes into account the entire product supply chain from beginning to end. Adoption of SC21 will increase cohesion amongst companies working towards a common goal, the supply of high quality competitively priced products.
As a signatory of the SC21 programme we are committed to achieving a revised working culture that includes focusing on accreditation and quality improvement, development and performance as well as relationships, to improve efficiency, remove duplication, and lower overheads and costs in the supply chain. The main driver for change in-house is our continuous improvement plan which includes self defined targets and goals, both customer driven, and internally recognised. Since signing up to SC21 at the beginning of 2009, we have already seen significant cost saving benefits from meeting the targets on plan, cost savings which enable us to continue the level of investment required in order to provide the best possible service to all of our customers, regardless of market sector. Externally verified checks are carried out to ensure that targets and goals are met in a timely fashion. Within the next 12 months we expect to achieve Bronze award status for our commitment to the programme, doing so will add our name to a very exclusive list of the leading aerospace and defence suppliers in the UK.
If you would like further information on the SC21 programme please visit the SBAC (Society of British Aerospace Companies) website www.sbac.co.uk.
In recognition of the dependable service which we have provided to Rolls Royce, and it’s first tier suppliers, we have been awarded approval certification to their own stringent in-house quality assurance standards. Internationally recognised as one of the most difficult customer led approvals to achieve and maintain, we are proud to have our services recognised in this way.
Although we do not currently hold AS9100 accreditation, it has been defined as one of the long-term goals on our sustainable continuous improvement plan. As aerospace and defence work continues to represent a larger proportion of our annual turnover year on year, we feel it is important to demonstrate our commitment to the market sector by adopting the international recognised quality control standard for the sector.
Despite the fact that we are not currently certified to AS9100, we are nonetheless well versed in it’s requirements thanks to the years of experience we have already gained in this sector. The provision of traceable quality documentation which conforms to AS9102 standard is a service which we provide to numerous customers on a daily basis.
As with AS9100 this is not a standard which we are certified too, however we are well versed in it’s requirements thanks to our historic experience of dealing with the automotive sector, both here in the UK, and further afield into Europe. Again we have no problems in supplying traceable quality control documentation to those customers who require it, namely PPAP and SPC where requested.
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