In last March’s edition of about, we announced the launch of a new project called “Integrators” in the Rivalta Rotating Components CoE (Centre of Excellence). This was launched with the goal of simplifying and speeding up the distribution of cutting tools and indirect auxiliary materials, thanks to the installation of automatic dispensers on the work floor.
A few months further down the line, the plants in Brindisi and Pomigliano have received their first dispensers, installed respectively in the Frames and Combustors Centers of Excellence.
The implementation of this project in record time called for an immense organizational effort, made possible by the work of an interfunctional team involving people from the three sites.
The Brindisi plant has received 3 new badge-accessible distributor units.
Each dispenser contains roughly 400 part numbers, accessible to operators 24/24. The annual flow through these PNs will represent roughly 90% of the total materials movements in the Frames CoE.
This solution will generate stock reduction savings of some €300,000 a year, and a reduction in tool costs of circa 4%.
In the initial phase, the Dispensers have contained tools purchased by Avio Aero, but the aim is to inaugurate a consignment stock system by the end of September.
Marco Tramacere, Materials Planning & Execution Specialist, explains: “I was enthusiastic about taking part in this project. With my first-hand experience of the CoE, firstly as an operator and then in materials planning, I know full well the importance of the contribution which this initiative can make to productivity. The positive feedback on the dispenser received from the factory since day one has been extremely satisfying for all of us. We are aware that the introduction of the first automatic distributors in Brindisi represents a major technological upgrade for the Frame CoE, crucial to confronting the challenges ahead.”
Special thanks to the colleagues involved in achieving this success, Giacomo Visaggio and Raffaele Scotto who, in collaboration with personnel from other Plants, have made the dispenser installations in Brindisi possible.
At the moment the distributors are installed in the Frames CoE, but the intention is to extend their presence to the rest of the Plant, including DPI dispensers.
In Pomigliano, on the other hand, 9 dispenser units have been installed in the Combustors CoE, each holding circa 350 part numbers: a situation which will generate savings of €300,000 on stock, exactly as in Brindisi.
In particular, Antonio Frosina and Marco Russo from the Technologies Team, Silvana Schiavina and Carmine Alfano from the Materials Planning Team, and Giovanni Almerazzo from the Warehouse & Logistics Team, have contributed immensely to the implementation of the project in the time targeted.
“The project’s outstanding feature is undeniably its sheer operational simplicity”, explains Carmine Alfano, Senior Materials Management Staff Manager. “We are collaborating with the Technologies and Manufacturing teams in order to monitor the planning results and also to provide support for the cultural changes underway. The Combustors CoE involves the majority of the personnel in Pomigliano, with an especially large amount of part numbers. For this reason, the road towards to involvement of the Turbines CoE in this project should be particularly trouble-free.”
Although the implementation of the “Project Integrators” is still in its early days, and the start-up phase is still underway, our colleagues in the Supply Chain department can already see various important improvements in terms of integration, speed and simplification.
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