Constructing Excellence in Wales

Overview

Airbus has established itself as a leading European aircraft manufacturer by challenging the big American brands and by adopting a radical approach to its production processes.  Its factory at Broughton in North Wales, where it assembles the wings for its jet airliners is a great example.  So, in 2005, when Airbus Operations Ltd wanted to create a specialist factory unit for its new high tech composite wing assembly it had to be a best practice scheme.

Regarded as a pivotal project to the future of UK aircraft construction, the North Factory, needed to be an exemplar to aviation, not just the construction industry.  Not only that, but Airbus wanted the factory be built via a collaborative procurement method with an integrated team of stakeholders and delivery agents.

Logistically it is a massive scheme measuring 52,000m2 comprising of a steel frame structure in a three bay configuration requiring complex machine bases and concrete floors with around 8,000 piles.  At the peak of the project 300 people will be on the site and 15 supply chain partners involved – many from the local area. 

Process

Such a scheme required great leadership an integrated team approach to make sure every stage of the build process was properly coordinated. Airbus chose the ‘prime contracting’ model, appointing Morgan Sindall as lead contractor because of their experience with the model and commitment to best value.

The whole team adopted a “one team approach” philosophy from the outset and made certain this was driven through the project with a series of work shops and focus groups.  These helped stress the link up between the stakeholders and Airbus’ project and operational teams as well as integrating its systems and transportation suppliers; speeded up the co-location of the team onsite and most importantly helped foster common processes, techniques and behaviour.

The core team of Airbus, its suppliers, Morgan Ashurst and supplier chain partners developed a communications strategy to share information, ideas and progress throughout the project – all aided by the single location of the core team and its open plan office.  Informal meetings, briefings and focus groups all reinforced this ethos of open book working.  Organic groups formed as clusters to deal with specific issues all geared towards developing and improving design or cost methods. A newsletter was developed; a reporting wall with a traffic light code for prioritising issues was installed – and all of it supported by the entire team within a loose but formal structure.

Results

The results of this integrated team approach are not just in the delivery of a great scheme achieving Airbus’ targets, but by the project’s own SQCDP (Safety, Quality, Cost, Delivery, and People) system for monitoring and reporting against weekly key performance indicators.  Safety: with a total of 500,000 man hours worked there have been no RIDDORS.  Quality is excellent, with zero defects; monthly costs are within 10% of planned expenditure; and the delivery is on schedule. People – probably one of the most important integration measures – has seen almost no formal correspondence and consistently high morale across the ‘one team’.

This case study only summarises the North Factory project, but it does explain why the judges for the 2010 CEW Awards named Airbus as the winner of the Integration and Collaboration category.  Such a vast scheme needed a client with a clear vision and a commitment to collaborative working: which was exactly what it got.  The judges were very impressed with how Airbus became fully involved right from the beginning, had a clear strategy to pursue the Latham and Egan agenda and managed a process in which the team was completely included.  The open plan shared office illustrated the collaborative approach, backed with an open book commercial approach and the open and honest reporting wall system.  The personal commitment to build the team made all the difference; the ‘no blame’ culture the project team aspired to was totally genuine not just lip service and it was clear to the judges that the entire workforce is bought into the approach.

Airbus has succeeded in its goal to create an exemplar project to deliver the revolution needed in aircraft production.