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Managing multiple standards at Raytheon
The Client :Raytheon Systems Background :
Raytheon Company is a global technology leader in defence, government and commercial electronics, space, information technology, technical services, business aviation and special mission aircraft.
Raytheon Systems Limited (RSL) is the UK subsidiary of Raytheon Company, employing around 1,800 people. The company is a prime contractor and major supplier to the UK Ministry of Defence, and designs, develops and manufactures a range of high-technology defence and commercial electronics at its sites in Broughton, Glenrothes and Harlow. |
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The Challenge The Broughton site is being developed to become one of the UK’s prime systems integration centres. Its first major project, for the Ministry of Defence ASTOR (Airborne Stand-Off Radar) Programme, involves the modification, integration and test flying of Bombardier Global Express aircraft, and the fitting out of the associated ground stations. Additionally Broughton operates an Electrical Sub Assembly function, manufacturing products for the civil aviation industry.
RSL needed to implement a new quality system for the aircraft side of the business whilst maintaining and integrating the existing quality system, based on the Civil Aviation Authority requirements. Says Peter Gidlow, quality assurance and inspection manager, “The new system needed to cover our increased scope – embracing both aircraft and ground station requirements – and in addition, support our goals of migrating from ISO 1994 standard to ISO 9001:2000 and acquisition of AVP 67, the MoD’s Engineering Flight Orders approval.”
RSL needed a quality management system that did not require integration to other packages in order to function. Adds Gidlow, “It was important to us that the selected system be highly user-friendly as we were expecting it to be widely used across the business, by all levels of personnel.” It was also vital that the new system offered tight, tamper-proof control of documentation, as well as control of equipment calibration, auditing, supply management and non-conformances.
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The Solution Current solutions used within the group could not satisfy the scope of work activity requirements for RSL, Broughton. A member of Gidlow’s team recommended Achiever Plus, based on her previous experience with the system. After a review, the decision was made to purchase. Says Gidlow “Achiever Plus enabled us to meet all of our business and regulatory objectives with a single package.”
The system was implemented over two months. Configuration had to be carefully managed to meet the demands of MoD, ISO and CAA requirements. Achiever assisted with training and configuration of each database within the quality suite.
Today all modules of Achiever Plus are in wide use across the site, with key personnel having levels of access dependent on need. A web interface, developed in-house, provides shopfloor personnel with read-only access to the documentation system and other vital information.
Achiever Plus is designed to help organisations achieve consistency in the management of information, leading to more efficient use of resources and application of systems, and the opportunity to introduce accountability, to ensure that any issues that arise are resolved and do not reoccur.
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The Benefits
The initial project encompassed several areas – provision of paper-based quality monitoring systems to cover the requirements of each regulatory body, maintenance of the current Civil Aviation Authority requirements, transitioning from the requirements of ISO 1994 to ISO 9001:2001, and gaining MoD approval.
Originally expected to take 12 months to achieve, these important approvals have been gained in just eight months.
There have been further benefits. Diverse systems have been integrated into a single business management system, reducing the administration overhead. The process of managing document revisions, involving raising of changes, management of approvals and distribution of the amendments, has been reduced from at least a week to just 5 minutes if necessary.
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At Broughton, a number of databases are used to manage information and corrective procedures. A document control database supports the ‘Business Management System’, controlled by the QA department and used by all personnel, while the ‘Technical Library’ contains documents such as Aircraft Manuals, CAA publications and regulatory standards.
The audit team use the audit and corrective actions database to schedule audits and record corrective actions. The issues management database is used to capture ad hoc non-conformances and a further database is also used by team leaders for logging engineering queries to the planning engineers. The equipment database is managed by the QA inspector to control all equipment and tooling.
Finally, the contact management database allows RSL, Broughton to keep records of all contacts and communications and is used to manage suppliers and the approved vendor list.
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The Future
RSL, Broughton is delighted with its implementation of Achiever Plus. As a result of its success, Raytheon Systems’ head office is considering rolling they system out across the group.
Gidlow concludes, “Users at Broughton are very pleased with the capabilities and performance of the system, without which the jobs normally associated with the retrieval of documentation, procedures and logging and control of ongoing business issues would be the most laborious of tasks.” |
Achiever Plus enabled us to meet all our business and regulatory objectives with a single package
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