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Suppliers' Voice
March 2001
Volume 2, No. 2
Air Shows — Suppliers Going Beyond the Glitter at Expositions
By Bill Lewandowski, AIA Vice President, Supplier Management
The glitter of the international air shows at Paris and Farnborough is always breathtaking — flying demonstrations, static aircraft displays, high-technology product booths, high-power marketeers selling to high-power marketeers, and mega deals being made everywhere.
You would expect that with acquisitions, consolidations, and downsizing of the aerospace industry there would be a decline in air show attendance and activity. But just the opposite is happening. Since the end of the Cold War, attendance and participation records are broken each year at Paris and Farnborough.
More and more smaller, smarter suppliers are participating in air shows, leveraging the glitter and activity to their own objectives. Where else can a supplier touch so many U.S. and offshore customers in one place at one time? Also, smart suppliers are using air shows to evaluate their competition as well as scout new ideas. Shows are also places where peers and suppliers meet to forge alliances and increase capabilities to gain the next level of new business.
AIA has developed a program to make it easy for its Supplier Management Council (SMC) members to participate in international air shows. It’s inexpensive, provides exhibitor privileges unique to AIA, and allows a company representative to operate effectively with AIA staff support.
At Paris in 1999, AIA supported three SMC members. At Farnborough in 2000, the association supported nine. This coming June at Paris, AIA will support 20 SMC members and has a waiting list for space.
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Bill-Jay Expansion Continues
Bill-Jay Machine Tool Corporation has become a recognized aerospace leader in manufacturing complex airframe parts, detailed components, and subassemblies.
Located in Ronkonkoma, N.Y., Bill-Jay was formed in 1979 with three employees working in a facility of 1,500 square feet providing products to other suppliers.
More than two decades later, Bill-Jay has a team of 50 people in 25,000 square feet, producing components and assemblies for customers that include Vought, Sikorsky, Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and the Aerostructures Corporation.
Always on the leading edge of technology, Bill-Jay was one of the first companies to have CATIA CAD/CAM and today operates a Palletech system that allows true "just in time" shipments and no setup charges. The company focuses on being a service-oriented, on-time manufacturer of quality precision parts.
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Aerojet, Air Force Eye Initiatives
Aerojet, a division of AIA member GenCorp, is in the first year of a multi-year manufacturing technology (ManTech) program with the U.S. Air Force to help develop techniques to instill "lean" management and manufacturing principles into the supply base.
The project aims to develop a supply chain management system for the defense industrial base under a continuous improvement culture.
Objectives include:
- Document a business case for supplier development.
- Validate and document improvements in product development, manufacturing cycle times, and work-in-process inventories at selected suppliers.
- Improve supply chain management.
- Share results with the Air Force and aerospace companies.
The program is part of Aerojet’s Operational Excellence initiative.
Scheduled through 2004, the program has started with two suppliers — R.E. Darling, Co., Inc., in Tuscon, Ariz., and Martinez & Turek in Rialto, Calif.
For more information, contact Joe Clavell at 916/355-4011.
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Supplier Management Council Meeting
An Evening with AIA’s Executive Committee
July 11, 2001
Washington, D.C.
The summer meeting of the Supplier Management Council (SMC) will take place in conjunction with the AIA Executive Committee meeting.
At a reception and dinner on July 11, 2001, SMC members will have the opportunity to socialize and discuss industry issues with corporate leaders, including the following:
Michael R. Brown, Litton Industries
Daniel P. Burnham, Raytheon
Nicholas D. Chabraja, General Dynamics
Vance D. Coffman, Lockheed Martin
John W. Douglass, AIA
Robert D. Johnson, Honeywell
Karl J. Krapek, United Technologies
Marshall O. Larsen, BFGoodrich
Mark H. Ronald, BAE SYSTEMS
Harry C. Stonecipher, Boeing
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Flexfab Spans 40 Years in Aerospace
Flexfab, a leading designer and manufacturer of elastomeric hose, ducts, connectors, and assemblies for aerospace, is enjoying its 40th anniversary this year.
A member of the AIA Supplier Management Council, Flexfab’s heritage in developing elastomeric solutions is complemented by its expertise in precision molding of ultra-light weight rigid material with and without reinforcement.
The company also features a self-fusing, inseparable, cohesive, insulative barrier resistant to moisture, oxygen, ozone, and corona over a wide range of temperatures. Known by the brand name MOX-Tape, it provides superior electrical insulation capabilities with high dielectric strength.
Headquartered in Hastings, Mich., Flexfab has facilities in Michigan, Indiana, Wisconsin, the United Kingdom, and South America.
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Woodward Expands Web Initiatives
Woodward Aircraft Engine Systems (WAES), a business of AIA member Woodward Governor Company, is expanding its e-Services initiatives.
A recently-launched pilot phase of a "Customer Care Web" will gather customer profiles and enable customers to sort and choose information and customize access to the site.
Currently, the secure Supplier e-Services site offers company suppliers around-the-clock access to delivery schedules, future demands, drawings, technical specifications, performance data, and contacts.
The goals of the Supplier e-Services site, which has been operational for over a year, are to create seamless communication with key suppliers and minimize administrative delays. "This forms a critical component of our strategy for meeting our supplier quality, cost, and on-time delivery objectives. In addition, we have successfully eliminated purchased material configuration errors since the introduction of e-Services," said Colin Walker, WAES quality manager.
Woodward Governor Company designs, manufactures, and services energy control systems and components for aircraft and industrial engines and turbines used in power generation, process industries, transportation, and aerospace markets.
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AMI Metals Expands Equipment
AMI Metals, Inc., has added a premier corrective leveler and cut-to-length line to support aluminum and stainless steel flat rolled product requirements for aerospace customers.
Located in its Ft. Worth, Tex., plant, the Iowa Precision Line and Herr-Voss Leveler can level coil product 60 inches wide and automatically stack material 240 inches and longer.
AMI Metals Inc., a subsidiary of Reliance Steel and Aluminum Corp., is known for providing value-added services to the aerospace metals industry and specializes in aircraft quality aluminum and stainless rod, bar, and flat rolled products.
The company is headquartered in Brentwood, Tenn.
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Aerospace Sales Marks 10 Years
Supplier Management Council member Aerospace Sales Industries, Inc., is celebrating its 10th year as a supplier to the aerospace industry.
The woman-owned small business located in Westminster, Md., specializes in wire, cable, connectors, backshells, and related accessories. Dealing primarily with military and prime contractors, Aerospace also provides wire re-spooling, bar coding, and just-in-time delivery and locates obsolete and hard-to-find items.
The company recently added an inventory of Scapa tapes, a world leader in the development of specialty adhesive films and tapes for electronics assembly, fabrication, and aerospace industry applications.
Among the company’s valued customers are ARINC Incorporated, BAE SYSTEMS, Boeing, Lockheed Martin, Raytheon, and SAIC.
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