Optimizing the RG31 production line at British Aerospace Land Systems SA

Abstract

The expansion of a plant can lead to many difficulties. This had been the case at BAE Land Systems SA. The company is a division of BAE Land Systems and is experiencing rapid expansion due to large contracts received. More production lines need to be established, more vehicles need to be built in the same time as in the past, more staff needs to be contracted and more systems need to be implemented. This project will focus on exploiting problems in the production line and the supply system of the consumables that are needed on the production line in order to achieve the needed expansion in production. Using a top-bottom approach helped to identify the need to produce more vehicles per day. Two big problems stand out. Firstly, that the production line should be fitted to a schedule and, secondly, that the production line encounters production standstills because of insufficient supplies at stations, thus resulting in a slow production ratio. These problems are addressed separately, but with established communication between the two production systems. The production line is placed on an hourly schedule to ensure constant output. To achieve this, production is balanced between the production line stations. In addition, bottle necks at station six are fixed by way of redesigning the tools which are used at the assembling points of valves. The supply chain has been redesigned with the help of tuggers and trolleys, which ensure that the supplies arrives just-in-time to eliminate the problem of production standstills. In addition, the inventory on the line has been reduced. It is critically important to run the production line as smooth as possible and to keep the production rate high, in order that the production demands are met and that BAE can continue to grow its business.