Our Streamlined Aerospace Parts Manufacturing Contracts & Planning Process
We take our aerospace parts manufacturing contracts and planning process seriously and innovate to constantly improve the experience for customers. Our department works together to provide an organized yet flexible process.
Part of my mission when I joined Son-Aero, was to hone our Contracts and Planning system. Here’s a bird’s eye view of how an order travels through our system, enabling us to process orders in just 2 days and begin orders in as little as 10 days.
Purchase Order (PO) Review – Contracts team
Our Contracts team is empowered to do basic purchase order (PO) reviews for requirements such as verifying part revisions, comparing the quote to the PO for pricing, quantities, lead times, etc. If any discrepancies are found, they notify our Customer Service team.
Customer Questions & Clarification – Customer Service team
Our team then reaches out to address any questions directly with customers.
Material Requirements Planning (MRP) System – Contracts & Planning team
Once the preliminary review has passed through Contracts and Customer Service, the orders are entered within our MRP system and set to “Quote” status. This prevents production orders from being created too soon in the process.
If the order is for a Tier One customer, a PO review form is started, which replaces the QAPI process as our review is much more thorough. The order is then sent to the Contracts and Planning Manager (my department) then the Engineering and Quality teams.
Orders Review – Engineering and Quality teams
All Tier 1 orders are processed through our review process regardless of complexity. Again, if there are any issues or questions at this stage, the Customer Service team is notified, and they reach out to the customer for clarification. Once the order is approved at this stage, it is then sent to me in Contracts and Planning, for final approval.
Final Review – Contracts & Planning Manager
From here, I review, log, and process the order, changing the status to NP (New Printed) which allows our MRP system to generate production orders and material demands. Production orders are then sent Production Control and material demands are generated in MRP for our Purchasing group to process and fulfill.
Contract & Order Acknowledgement – Sales team
Contracts are then sent to the Sales team to record the PO review forms and acknowledge the orders with the customer.
Continuous Improvement
Our aim is to always put people first and proper order management is part of that paradigm. We have established a structured system that provides a smooth workflow with everyone knowing their responsibility, what is expected of them, and what to do in any scenario. By empowering our department staff with transparency and clarity, we are able to operate with agility, providing more value and better customer service to our customers.
Dave Dalton
Contracts and Planning Manager
