Airbus UK Supply Chain Excellence Award presented

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Dec 19, 2001

Icore International has won a coveted Bronze Award in the Supply Chain Excellence Award program operated by Airbus UK after assessments of business excellence and manufacturing excellence

Specialist supplier of electrical interconnect and fluid transfer systems Icore International has received the accolade of winning the coveted Bronze Award in the Supply Chain Excellence Award programme operated by the UK's leading aerospace company, Airbus UK.

The award, which recognises Icore International's achievements in the fields of business and manufacturing excellence, was presented to Mark Stuttard, Managing Director of Icore Europe, by David Winter, Vendor Controller for Airbus UK, on 11th December 2001.

The presentation ceremony was held at Icore International's principal UK manufacturing centre in Slough.

"Since the Supply Chain Excellence programme is designed to drive up standards, we have deliberately set high levels of achievement as an essential requirement for winning the awards," said Neil Kennedy, of Airbus UK's Supplier Development Team.

"I am delighted that Icore International has risen to the challenge of reaching the required level, and I am equally delighted to recognise the company's efforts with the Bronze Award." "We greatly appreciate the interest which Airbus UK, one of our most valued customers, takes in our business," said Icore's Mark Stuttard.

"The support of the Airbus team has been crucial to our achievements, and we unreservedly recognise that the guidance which the team provided has helped us to improve our standards in many areas, with the result that we are now a stronger, more competitive organisation.

Improvement is a continuous process, so we naturally have our sights set on achieving the Silver Award.

I am confident that, with Airbus UK's valuable further support and assistance, we will be successful." Icore International received the Airbus Award after undergoing a rigorous assessment, lasting a full week, which was carried out by a team of five specialist assessors.

The assessment was divided into two sections, the first based on EFQM guidelines, looks closely at business excellence.

The second part concentrates on manufacturing excellence, with particular emphasis on lean manufacturing practices and cultural implementation.

The Bronze award is granted on the basis of exceeding a score of 250 in both sections, and in achieving a minimum level of 95% in quality and 90% in delivery over 12 months.

Quarterly continuous improvement plan reviews must also take place.

Both Airbus UK and the management of Icore International recognise that, while winning the award was a team effort, two members of Icore's staff played key roles in the process.

Christine Parkes provided the drive and structured approach which underpinned the company's efforts in the business excellence section, while the anything-is-possible attitude consistently shown by Jason Holmes was a crucial benefit in the manufacturing excellence section.

Part of the Smiths Group, Icore International is a leading innovator in the development and manufacture of electrical interconnect and fluid transfer products.

The company has unrivalled expertise in designing and supplying products for use in safety-critical applications and extreme operating environments, and focuses strongly on addressing the special needs of the aerospace and defence sectors.