GE Aviation receives Airbus Performance award

GE Aviation recently received the Airbus Best Performer award in Supply Chain & Quality Improvement. Toulouse-based Airbus recognized a "sustained performance, strong continuous improvement and a customer-oriented approach" from the GE Aviation Avionics team for 2019 performance.

"We have a strong collaborative relationship with Airbus that demands high standards in shipping quality product on time and consistently," said Alan Caslavka, president of Avionics for GE Aviation. "This award recognizes the entire team for maintaining a customer-focused approach, while acting quickly to resolve any issues."

The award relates to supplying Airbus with the datalink control and display unit (DCDU) which is fitted to the Airbus A320 and A330 aircraft. Produced in high volumes at GE Aviation's Cheltenham facility, the site has supplied Airbus with more than 12,000 DCDUs since 1996.

Embracing a transparent customer approach, a shared portal between Airbus and GE Aviation is a valuable collaboration tool that ensures both parties are always in the picture and simultaneously looking at the same data. Real-time data shared on the portal shows status for on-time delivery, shipments, quality, invoicing and returns, and the metrics shown in the portal are continually being expanded.

Caslavka continued, "A further building block to an open relationship is a robust business improvement plan that is shared with Airbus who can see that we invest in their product line as well as in people and processes to continuously improve delivery and quality."

A GE Lean Laboratory approach stripped both the product and process back to basics and took a fresh look at both, in pursuit of a better, more streamlined and lean approach. The risk section of the plan results in early identification of external factors such as Brexit, over which neither party has any control, but that could result in supply chain issues. This offers the chance to make collaborative plans to mitigate external factors before they become significant.