The Business Systems People

Client

A major aerospace manufacturing organisation.

Results at a glance

• Approximately £750,000 in savings confirmed within two months
• Raw-material waste significantly reduced
• Reusable material recovered instead of discarded
• Cutting accuracy improved
• Process steps simplified
• Preventive maintenance strengthened

The challenge

One department had developed a reputation for producing the highest level of scrap within the organisation.

The problem had become accepted as part of normal operation. Material was being wasted at several stages, processes had evolved without being challenged, and longstanding equipment issues were contributing to poor accuracy.

Management asked us to help identify why so much value was being lost.

Our approach

Rather than treating “high scrap” as a single problem, we examined the individual processes contributing to it.

We went to the workplace, observed how materials were handled and spoke with the people performing the work.

This revealed several distinct opportunities.

What we changed

Reduced material overlap from two metres to 25 millimetres

On one machine, a new roll of raw material was attached to the previous roll to pull it through the equipment.

The standard overlap was approximately two metres.

By examining what was genuinely necessary, the overlap was reduced to approximately 25 millimetres, dramatically reducing the amount of material wasted every time a roll was changed.

Resequenced work to reduce cutting waste

Another machine cut material at angles ranging from approximately 2 to 75 degrees.

Jobs were processed in the order shown on the daily job cards. This caused repeated changes in cutting angle and unnecessary loss of material.

We resequenced the work so that jobs progressed from the lowest angle to the highest on one day, then from the highest to the lowest on the following day.

This simple scheduling change improved material utilisation without requiring additional capital investment.

Recovered reusable material

Large quantities of unused material were being discarded.

We worked with the laboratory team to determine whether any of it could safely be reused elsewhere in the manufacturing process.

Testing confirmed that approximately 50% of the discarded material could be recovered and reused.

Simplified the cutting process

A two-metre-wide roll was first cut to approximately 200 millimetres and then cut again to the required width of 25 millimetres.

The receiving department regularly complained that the final width was insufficiently accurate.

We brought the relevant teams together and challenged the need for the intermediate cutting stage.

After discussion and agreement, the machine was configured to cut directly to the required 25-millimetre width.

Found the hidden equipment problem

The revised setup initially produced inconsistent results.

Instead of abandoning the change, we investigated the machine itself.

The examination identified worn springs that had reportedly not been replaced for more than 30 years.

Once the springs were replaced, cutting accuracy improved significantly. The process became quicker, quality improved, and scrap was reduced.

Introduced preventive maintenance

The discovery highlighted a wider risk.

If one machine had been operating with ageing components for decades, similar problems could exist elsewhere.

A preventive maintenance programme was introduced across the department to improve machine condition, reliability and process performance.

The outcome

The Finance Director confirmed that the combined changes generated approximately £750,000 in savings within two months.

The savings did not come from one large investment.

They came from observing the work, challenging established assumptions, improving cooperation between departments and addressing maintenance issues that had been hidden within the process.

Why it mattered

The department’s poor performance had not been caused by one careless person or one defective machine.

It was the accumulated result of accepted practices, unnecessary process steps, poor sequencing, missed recycling opportunities and inadequate maintenance.

Once those conditions were challenged systematically, substantial value was recovered very quickly.

Key learning

Large financial losses are often hidden inside small, repeated process decisions.

The question is not only, “How much scrap did we produce?”

It is also, “Why does the system make that scrap appear normal?”

Losing margin through scrap, rework or poor flow?

We help aerospace and manufacturing organisations identify where value is being lost and build practical solutions that prevent the loss from returning.

“The practical way John supported the business to solve problems and put robust solutions in place was as good as anyone I have worked with in my 40-year career.” Stephen Draper