Hi-tech aerospace manufacturer Britannia 2000 Holdings, based in Windsor, is leading a surge in operational innovation with the help of cloud-based software systems.
It specialises in helicopter mission computers, displays, airborne video recorders, video downlinks and receivers – essential devices for surveillance activities and accurate targeting. What is special about B2KH is that it is managed entirely with cloud-based software, enabling the company to efficiently use subcontractors to build its sub-assemblies. Only the final assembly and test is carried out in house, within its ISO9001:2015 compliant procedures.
Software to simplify management
When the company was founded in 2017, the Director, Ralph Jones, made the decision to have a total cloud-based strategy for managing the business. Specifically, he needed software to ensure traceability in the supply chain and to enable the company to perform quality inspections and material authorisation during the manufacturing process as well as incoming goods and subassembly inspection for quality assurance. Additionally, the software needed to have powerful BOM, inventory, and procurement management functionality.
“We have bills of materials for each individual printed circuit board and for each sub- and final assembly. One of our mission computers has a BOM of 15-20 pages,”
Ralph explains.
“And obviously, in the aerospace industry, there are strict traceability requirements that you have to conform to.”
A thousand birds with one stone
With the government regulations and the requirements stemming from complex R&D and manufacturing processes, it is essential for aerospace firms to have some basic manufacturing and inventory control systems in place. For this, an MRP/ERP system is the best foundation, even for micro companies like Britannia 2000 Holdings.
“A single software system can do a lot,”
Ralph says.
“We are using MRPeasy and it works a treat: we can build up BOMs, perform quality inspections wherever needed, track everything in our supply chain, manage purchases and shipping, all in one place.”
Software has become simple and affordable
Even though manufacturing software has traditionally been very complex, MRP/ERP these days is not rocket science. Systems such as the one B2KH uses are affordable and scalable; they don’t require specialised in-house IT support; they are readily configurable and crucially they can present information, reports and alerts in graphical and intuitive ways that are actionable even by those that aren’t necessarily well-versed in how manufacturing operations work.
“I set the whole system up by myself and it was that easy,”
Ralph states.
“But despite this apparent simplicity of the system, it has become central to the way we work. We can look at BOMs remotely, it provides POs for missing parts, sends orders via email, plus we can process Goods Inwards. We can do all the admin without needing to go to the office. We would not have been able to operate without MRPeasy during the COVID-19 pandemic,”
he adds.
MRPeasy is a simple yet powerful ERP/MRP system for small manufacturers and distributors. More information and a trial version are available at www.mrpeasy.com