Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Global Hawk production team has been recognized by Aviation Week as a best practice in the area of Supply Chain/Value Chain Integration.
The best practice recognition is designed to call attention to valuable information intended to share knowledge across the aerospace and defense industry. The Global Hawk program will be recognized at the Aviation Week Aerospace and Defense (A&D) Programs Conference held at the Arizona Biltmore this week. Brad Mulder , director of Global Hawk production programs for Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems, will accept the award.
“Because the Global Hawk platform includes a large distributed supply base team, it was imperative we utilize operational processes focusing on supply base performance, quality and affordability,” said Lisa Kohl , vice president of Global Supply Chain for Northrop Grumman’s Aerospace Systems. “This recognition highlights that focus which translates into value for our customers.” Kohl is attending the event as an industry expert addressing Top Supply Chain issues of 2012.
The Global Hawk supply team was recognized for their successful consolidation of test and evaluation processes involving a large number of suppliers to the platform. It is the responsibility of the supply chain to ensure that various subsystems are received in time so products can be integrated into a single system delivery to the customer. The team faced a number of complicating factors in efficiently accomplishing this requirement. Challenges included the large number of suppliers providing products from radars and antennas to structural elements, as well as testing and evaluation being handled in many separate locations.
The program successfully transitioned from a dispersed operational model to a more consolidated process in which Global Hawk development test activities were conducted at Edwards Air Force Base, Calif., and final integration and assembly were combined and accomplished at prime contractor Northrop Grumman’s Palmdale, Calif. facility.
Northrop Grumman is a leading global security company providing innovative systems, products and solutions in aerospace, electronics, information systems, and technical services to government and commercial customers worldwide.
[mappress] Source: irconnect, October 26, 2011