Faced with exchange rate fluctuations and the threat of overseas competition, the UK’s aerospace and defence industry is pulling together. In a bid to maintain the competitiveness of one of the UK’s last remaining oases of manufacturing success, a consolidated supply chain improvement programme is seen as critical to the industry’s long term future.
Overseen by the Society of British Aerospace Companies’ (SBAC) Enterprise Excellence Board and continuing the work of the Aerospace Innovation and Growth Team (AeIGT), a change management programme called 21st Century Supply Chains – or SC21 – is flying to the rescue with the aim of boosting the competitiveness of the UK aerospace and defence industry. With international competition increasing, participation of companies of all sizes throughout the UK supply chain is crucial to delivering real results from this modernisation programme.
Three strands underpin SC21: accreditation; development and performance; and relationships. Each strand provides the UK’s 7000 aerospace suppliers with methods of improving efficiency, performance, and building better relationships through collaboration. It also ensures alignment with the Defence Industrial Strategy (DIS), which gives a strategic view of defence capability requirements, particularly around technology exploitation, innovation, partnerships and delivering value for money.
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