Probably the two most encouraging sectors of our manufacturing base in the UK today are Defence and Aerospace.

Here it is still widely accepted that the UK is capable of being, and remaining, a world leader in terms of manufacture, research and development and design.

But to remain in this advantageous position is not a given, simply to stand still requires a huge effort, and to pull away from our competitors even more effort.

We have been active for many years in promoting what the US Department of Defense (DoD) calls "TLS" i.e. "Theory of Constraints, Lean and Six Sigma".

The DoD experience has taught us that only with the fusion of these three key techniques does real performance come, and in terms of the DoD the results have been outstanding.

The primary applications of the TOC approach to operations, project and programme management and supply chain are all critical, as is the ability to develop what we have termed "flight crews" , teams brought together to both lead and sustain the strategy and tactics of the change programme.

The "focusing" power of TOC gives both Lean and Six Sigma a substantially enhanced ability to deliver improvements not only to service levels but also financially to the bottom-line.

These approaches are all part of what we bring to the world of aerospace and defence. We have many years' experience in these industries, both as time served in the REME, in management positions in defence manufacturing businesses, and in many in-company projects in this sector over the past thirty years.

We are keen to see our leading aerospace and defence companies, both large and small, maintain their unique position in the world markets they serve, and our training and coaching programmes aim to support this.

If you would like to explore how our programmes can help you in enhancing the performance of your organisation then please explore the links to the five major components of what we provide on the right side of this page.

If any of the scenarios and questions below ring true, then follow the links in the box titles to find out how we can help you.

"We've missed yet another delivery deadline because key components were out-of-stock"
"To gain new business we're having to work to ever tighter schedules"
"Finance want me to cut costs by reducing our stock levels, but if I do that, how will we be able to meet demand?"
"The Sales forecasts we have to work to are hopelessly inaccurate"
"Even though we're using our ERP system and a raft of spreadsheets, our purchasing and production plans are all over the place"
"Concepts like "Power by the Hour" are bringing us a whole new set of 'forward location' supply chain problems"

"Our inventory levels are so high they're jamming up production"
"With lead times as long as this we'll never attract new business"
"I seem to spend all my time fire-fighting and rescheduling"
"We need to be competitive, but profit levels are falling"
"Our internal efficiencies are good - so why is our Due Date performance so dire?"
"Our last improvement project didn't work as well as we expected....maybe we focused on the wrong area?"

"How can I finish this project on time when my budget has been cut again?"
"Our project has missed yet another deadline"
"We finished the project on time, but only by drastically reducing the spec"
"We can't afford another project overrun"
"How can I keep my team focused on the right tasks?"
"If only we knew which area of the project to focus on then maybe we could stop running around like headless chickens"

"How can I inspire my staff so that they buy-in to the changes we need to make?"
"We're finding it increasingly difficult to make decisions"
"I think we've got problems nobody else has - where can I find guidance?"
"We have to improve our performance even though our budgets are under pressure"
"How can I align the different areas of my organisation so that we're all working towards the right goal?"

"These day-to-day niggles are getting in the way of our real work"
"How can I help my team members work better together - we seem to spend so much time arguing!"
"My staff agreed to these changes, but now they're resisting them. What can I do?"
"I'd like to have an effective way of sorting out internal grievances which doesn't alienate both sides."

For this aspect we cover two distinct areas, the first is that of conflict resolution itself, focusing on the tools we use that have been developed over the last twenty years to great effect. Secondly we run mediation and listening skills workshops for team leaders and managers who are often called upon to mediate and for which the ability to develop listening skills is paramount.