A German aerospace supplier and manufacturer of thermal and acoustic insulation systems was planning to relocate part of its production to North Africa (Morocco). One of the particular challenges was that the supplier's ability to deliver to the major OEMs in the aircraft manufacturing industry (Boeing, Airbus) could not be jeopardized during the relocation. The current interim manager led the major project from 2018 to 2020 as Director Operations Insulation Systems.
Developing an agile structure for the international project
The interim manager initially put together an international project team. As a complex project process was foreseeable, he organized the project in an agile manner (SCRUM). This ensured that the project team was able to react quickly to changing customer requirements and/or unforeseeable challenges in securing the supply chain or qualifying new suppliers.
Intercultural training promotes good international collaboration
The agile organizational form also reflected the international division of labour in the project: the design and engineering of the insulation systems were based in Germany, important parts of the project management in France - and the new production in Morocco. The internationality of the project team was one of the particular challenges. To promote cooperation right from the start, the interim manager initiated intercultural training. This paid off: There were no significant conflicts over the course of the project that could have jeopardized the goal.
Framework plan for setting up production and detailed schedule developed
For the relocation of production from Germany to Morocco, there was initially only a rough plan with an end date in March 2020. Together with the project team, the interim manager developed a detailed schedule for the gradual relocation of production and an overarching production plan for both plants in Germany and Morocco. The framework plan envisaged that the new production would initially move into an existing production hall and that a new production facility would be built step by step in the meantime.
German team of experts supported in all phases of the relocation
The interim manager closely monitored the relocation of production: through weekly sprint reviews, monthly steercomm meetings and frequent trips to Morocco. On site, he supported a German start-up team of experts from various specialist areas in the SOP preparation, the subsequent ramp-up and the subsequent move to a new building.
The interim manager ensured that everything ran smoothly by, among other things, significantly advancing the construction of the new production facility, procuring new systems and relocating systems from Germany and the Moroccan transitional production step by step according to a sophisticated plan. At the same time, he was responsible for staff training and setting up the supply chain for the new site. In all phases, he succeeded in ensuring delivery capability via the main German plant. This was also the case when new suppliers in Morocco experienced delivery problems.
Relocation of production without delivery failures at lower costs
After 18 months, the interim manager was able to successfully complete the relocation project. There were no delivery failures during the migration, which significantly improved the OEM's customer satisfaction. The new production facility in Morocco is much cheaper and the costs at the German site are significantly lower. The relocation significantly increased the aerospace supplier's competitiveness.
At the end of the project, the interim manager initiated lessons-learned workshops to make the project experience usable for future projects. His "playbook for future relocations and the opening of new sites" has since become the process standard at his former employer.
