Hone-All Precision’s commitment to the SC21 supply chain initiative
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In December 2009 Hone-All Precision signed up as a 'self-starter' to SC21, the collaborative programme designed to accelerate improvements in the competitiveness of the UK's aerospace and defence industry by raising the performance of its supply chain.
To help meet this challenge Hone-All Precision looked to TEC Concepts, a specialist research, development, training and implementation organisation focused on business development. As a founding member of the SC21 Task Force, TEC has been actively involved in the design and development of the SC21 campaign, including the development of a bespoke SC21 three-phase improvement programme.
The Leighton Buzzard subcontracting company submitted its SC21 application within four months of beginning the actual process, having exceeded the Bronze level performance requirements of 90 to 95 per cent on-time deliveries and 98 to 99.5 per cent quality performance.
Hone-All Precision has restructured its entire manufacturing operation following a relocation in 2008 to a fully-refurbished 20,000 ft² factory. The doubling of floorspace available, that resulted from the refurbishment project, enabled additional investments to be made in machine tools and related equipment. This has been a vital part of the company's lean manufacturing strategy, which has shortened delivery times and minimised the movement of heavy materials through the factory.
"Now, hopefully, the reward for the team will be to receive our Bronze Award at the ultimate of venues, the Farnborough Aerospace show," says Andrea Rodney, co-director of Hone-All Precision. "After that, our focus is on meeting the SC21 Silver level criteria of 99.5 to 99.9 per cent quality performance, a demanding requirement that to date has only been achieved by four SC21 participant companies."
