Reduce lead times and launch business opportunities in aerospace and defense

Long lead times, deep BOMs and product complexity are standard operating procedure in aerospace and defense supply chains. However, with the challenges of the last year, organizations are under even more stress and re-evaluating longstanding and inefficient processes. That, coupled with an uneven recovery across segments of the industry, means it could be a while before organizations can find smooth air.

One aerospace and defense leader who was able to soar in the past year is Bell. After 85 years in business, Bell was dealing with outdated systems and manual processes that could not give it the runway it needed in a rapidly changing global landscape. Bell needed to find a solution that would help it put together a good plan and iterate quickly to respond to changes in market. That would allow it to run complete scenarios and work through a wealth of data to ensure the most accuracy and address complexity. Bell found that partner in Kinaxis.

"Since implementing Kinaxis and RapidResponse®, we have streamlined our planning processes, gained deeper insight into our supply chain, and improved the agility of our business," said Michael Loeffler, Vice President, Materials Management, Bell. "With powerful planning tools and richer information, we have improved the pace and quality of our decision-making."

Bell moved its S&OP process into RapidResponse, which has allowed it to simplify its data aggregation process and collaborate on scenario analysis. This newfound speed has allowed Bell to shift from a bi-annual S&OP process to a monthly cadence. This more frequent cadence has decreased latency in planning, increased forecast accuracy, decreased lead times and given the organization more agility overall.

Bell was named to Supply and Demand Chain Executive’s Top Supply Chain Projects of 2021 as a result of this project. Watch our webinar to hear Loeffler discuss Bell’s digital transformation journey and how Bell's partnership with Kinaxis has empowered its teams to make better, and more timely, business decisions.