How Your Operation Can Relate To A 5 Star Restaurant

In the not so distant past I was enjoying a delicious meal at a 5 star restaurant. It was melt in your mouth fantastic but this isn't what drew my attention. My attention was immediately fixed on the service.

Would you like water sir? Yes, please. Boom, the water appeared immediately.

Are you enjoying your meal sir? It's fantastic but could I trouble you for some extra sauce? Boom, done immediately.

Is there anything else I can do? I would enjoy a nice cigar. Sir we don’t carry cigars but I’ll have someone run to the shop next door to get you one.

You see, the meal was great but the service was even better. And even better than the service was the distribution strategy of the services and products.

The server was acting as the liaison to my personal needs while the cooks, runners and everyone else made sure I got exactly what I needed. They were streamlined and even when I made an odd demand they were organized enough to figure it out.

The 5 star restaurant provided me a service where everything was immediately available and immediately consumed by me.

They were like ducks, calm on the surface but fiercely paddling under the water.

All I had to worry about was relaxing and enjoying my surroundings.

Now you’re wondering how in the world this relates to you aren't you?

Why you should be waited on

Imagine if you could be me in the scenario above.

You sit back ready to consume what's provided to you, while your supplier is paddling like a duck to get you the services you require.

All you have to do is focus on consumption and your profit generating activities.

There will be no chaotic scrambling because you have a team of cooks, runners and servers to help with your distribution requirements. Whether it be repairs, outright purchases, aircraft maintenance checks, exchanges or all the above.

Don’t keep putting yourself through stressful events.

Since you’re operating in the aviation environment you should be like a patron at a 5 star restaurant. Consume what's needed while your trusted partners provide you with a streamlined distribution strategy.

Just like the folks at the fine dining restaurant, they actually cared about my experience. If you look for that in a partner, consider yourself reprieved from 99% of all the stress you experience now.

From restaurant to Just In Time inventory for aircraft maintenance

Most people, including you and I eat out often. It’s fun and relaxing.

What we typically don’t notice is that restaurants provide us with a Just In Time inventory strategy. We eat our meals when were ready to consume it. This is what makes the whole experience relaxing. Am I right?

Otherwise we have to go to the grocery, stock food for a couple weeks, of which 30% of it will spoil. Ahh…

Right now your maintenance strategy is probably like going to the grocery. You overbuy or you get material not yet needed costing you time and money.

Once you begin to act as I did at the fine dining restaurant, you’ll begin to relax.

This is why Just In Time inventory may be a decision to consider.

If you would like to learn more about how a Just In Time inventory program can help you, click here

And The Best Solution For A Stress Free You Is...

I'm sure you're running around right now, stressed out, frustrated because nothing seems streamlined. You feel like a chaotic mess and each day seems the same. This is far too common and just recently I experienced this as well.

We procured 2 indicators for a project we were finishing. The lead time was "supposed" to be 3 days, but 3 days turned in to 7. Our supplier then shipped one indicator saying the other unit was "BER."

They sent a replacement unit to the shop but 2 days turned into 4. During the repair of the second unit they began to screen our calls, ignore our emails and avoid responding back to our update requests.

Is this any way to do business?

I think not, which is why Skylink has created a streamlined distribution strategy to limit these encounters.

Why limiting stress should be important to you

The side effects of you running around stressed might not be so apparent, but it impacts you greatly.

If you're constantly stressed your sleep will suffer, your health will deteriorate and your rational thinking will begin to decline.

Now, I may not have to explain this in great detail but these side effects can be impacting your bottom line.

You become less productive which results in more time doing the same tasks, decreasing efficiency. Your rational thinking then declines so you may choose an unapproved vendor to procure from. This then leads to quality assurance issues and / or  canceled orders, losing time and money.

You see, creating ways to limit your stress level will help you become more productive. It will also allow you to work with reliable people since they tend to not put so much stress on you.

A few of our tricks that kick stress to the curb

There are 2 major ways to limits your stress. The first way is to focus on small daily wins. The second is to push your stress onto your supplier and Just In Time inventory for aircraft maintenance planning will do just that.

Small ways to limit stress:

• Get up every 50 minutes.
• Stand-up while discussing an issue over the phone.
• Take deep breaths.
• Get good sleep.

The best solution to limit stress is to use Just In Time inventory for aircraft maintenance planning.

This strategy reduces unreliable suppliers which can be a major factor in your stress level. You get to work with people who actually care about you and your operation.

They will take on the stress you had to worry about and you can focus on profit generating activities. Plus this is what your supplier is supposed to do. They deal with this day in and day out and should be able to leverage economies of scale.

You'll experience less stress because there will be:

• No more logistical headaches.
• No more following up and not getting anywhere.
• An increase in time.
• An increase in communication with supplier.
• No more you being pulled in 100 directions.

I know from experience that stress is a daily occurrence for you. I experience it as well.

However, by adopting certain strategies and relying on trustworthy people, your stress can nearly be eliminated.

By using the small strategies discussed and Just In Time inventory for aircraft maintenance planning you'll be on the right track.

Focus on you and you'll see your bottom line begin to expand.

P.S. Ask about our chaotic distribution diagram by clicking here. You'll see the difference between your operation and a streamlined distribution strategy.

Have you experienced a stressful encounter today? Tell me about it below.

The Shocking Truth About Your Time And How To Save It

Have you ever sat in your office and thought about curling up under your desk and hiding? If you say no, you're not kidding anyone.

I think I can count 20 times that I've wanted to do this.

You may want to curl up under the desk out of fear. Stress has overcome you and you feel that most of your time is resting on the moon, out of your reach.

Is there such a thing as enough time?

No, especially when it comes to aircraft maintenance. You have a thousand things to do and a thousand and one people to communicate with.

Think of this:

We all know the quickest way to get from point A to point B is through a straight line. So why create a mess in the middle?

From multiple vendor shipments to hundreds of MROs to follow up with, the straight line gets out of control very quickly.

Just thinking of this makes me want to curl up under my desk right now.

The good news is this doesn't always have to be the case.

Make Your Supplier Stress and Sweat (Not Literally)

The best solution to regain your time is to surround yourself with good reliable people. If you can't rely on other people then you'll never regain control of your time.

By putting some of the burden onto your supplier, you can free up 25% of your time by creating a Just In Time agreement. You tell them what you need and when you need it on a 12 month forecast and the material arrives at your door, as needed.

What a relief!

But this takes planning and trust.

Mutual understanding will streamline your network and create an efficient supply chain. No need to feel all over the place.

Being efficient

By utilizing a Just In Time agreement with your supplier you will undoubtedly become more efficient.

Give the stress and responsibility to your supplier and give yourself more freedom to work on other important areas that you now only give 50% of your attention to.

You will have time for better focus and better results.

By creating ways to regain your time, you unknowingly increase your efficiency. Don't let your supplier sit there stress free and let you do all the work. Utilize them, partner with them and create solutions so you can make your aircraft maintenance as efficient as possible.

A relationship supported by a Just In Time agreement can only help by saving  your sanity and streamlining your logistics.

P.S. If you want to know more about our JIT program and our relationship based operation, click here.

Tell me about your experiences with not having enough time in the day. Comment below.

Why A Last Minute Delivery System Can Save You Thousands

Have you ever heard of the dust thief? This thief is born in your warehouse and waits for the right time to attack. He attacks slowly, without notice. He waits for you to turn away and strikes without notice.

When you first purchase expendables for your aircraft maintenance needs, the thief is born. Maybe something changed where you no longer need the material you procured. After several months the thief gets older and begins to steal the cash value of your inventory.

The longer your inventory sits on the shelf, the more money you spend having to maintain it.

Nobody want's this dust thief in their warehouse, me included.

The less you spend on items that could be stowed away for years the more you'll have to fund your operations.

Now who wouldn't want more of that?

JIT Inventory, The Money Saver

Now imagine getting rid of all your unwanted, unused surplus material. You would free up inventory space for the components that matter most, free up staff having to maintain the unused surplus and reduce your holding costs.

The Just In Time inventory concept allows you to receive expendables as you need them. Since you'll be consuming the material immediately, you'll save thousands on unwarranted spending. Here are the 3 major ways you save:

1. Frees Up Your Inventory - If you have unwanted material taking up space then you'll either have to find additional space for new material or get rid of the excess. If you didn't have excess material taking up space you could down size your warehouse and save thousands on lease payments, mortgages and / or building maintenance costs.

2. Minimize Holding Cost - When you really sit down and think about it, how much does your unused material cost you? Think of the rent for the required space; equipment, materials, and labor to operate the space; insurance; security; interest on money invested in the inventory and space, and other direct expenses. Holding cost adds up doesn't it?

3. Eliminate waste - Now this can be the most troubling because the dust thief takes your expendables and literally throws them in the trash. Once your life limited expendables and consumables reach their expiration point, they're done. Wasted. The same goes for obsolete components. Once the manufacture comes out with an upgrade, the component is no longer of value to you, even on your shelf.

Managing inventory consumption is a strategy that can save you thousands if done right. Stock the important stuff and take in the expendables and consumables as you need them. The best way to do this is to utilize a JIT inventory system backed by the support of your competent suppliers.

P.S. Would you like to discuss the JIT solution we have ready for you? Click here

Why Just In Time Inventory Is Right For You

In a world of torque wrenches and bolts the relationship between aircraft maintenance planning and suppliers is becoming more important by the day.

In the not so distant past we were managing a client's heavy check. In the middle of the project we were requested to supply the expendables for the entire project. This was in addition to the rotables we were already managing. Now, as you know, nothing ever goes entirely as planned. We scrambled, stressed and got the job done but situations like this make the planning process paramount to successful aircraft maintenance check projects.

Last minute procurement and poor forecasting can be costly. It costs more money and time, both being scarce.

The solution to this madness is the Just In Time (JIT) inventory concept.

JIT is a production strategy where you can improve your organization's bottom line by minimizing in-process inventory and carrying costs.

Have you ever thought about the total cost of waste on your shelves because you bought too much material or they're now obsolete or expired?

Just In Time inventory for your expendable needs

Raw materials, such as expendables and consumables, are an integral part of your maintenance processes but they can be costly sitting on the shelf at undesired times. Or even worse, you don't have enough spares available for your maintenance needs. You then have to procure your expendable needs on an AOG basis, increasing cost, stress and the time you spend on the project. Both scenarios are bad.

Just In Time inventory is a strategy you may want to consider to have the raw material available only when you need it. The material arrives and is immediately consumed by your maintenance needs. Reducing inventory and processing time.

Benefits of a JIT system

A buffer of inventory can be extremely comforting but it's also very costly. Once you start holding excess expendables in inventory you begin locking away cash needlessly. These items can be lost, damaged or become obsolete over years of unnecessary storage. They occupy valuable space that you could further use towards your operation.

One of the greatest benefits of the JIT system is it allows you to carry low inventory. You receive the material as you need it, just in time. There's no need to write off large inventories. You consume it when you need it, skipping the inventory process.

Another benefit of a JIT system is the reduction of waste. If material goes beyond its expiration date, corrodes or becomes unusable the cost of material rises. By eliminating waste you control cost.

A third key benefit to the JIT process is high quality production. Since you'll only be dealing with suppliers whom you trust, they will understand your needs and make sure quality is of utmost importance. This will eliminate rejected parts through your quality control process and quicker consumption rates for your aircraft maintenance planning.

JIT, stakeholder relationships and aircraft maintenance planning

The Just In Time inventory strategy is useless without a strong relationship with your supply chain. Providing your suppliers with material consumption forecasts and what you expect from them is crucial to a successful JIT relationship. By tapping into your suppliers to fulfill needs that could cost you millions is an ideal scenario.

This entire process is an evolution of change. As you begin to work with suppliers through you JIT strategy improvements will be made and cooperation will become tighter.

Aircraft maintenance planning can be costly but unnecessary spending is avoidable. With excess inventory comes excess cost, so why not receive goods just in time for consumption? By tapping into strong relationships with your supplier you'll know what parts are needed, when they're needed and receive them as needed.

If you have out of control raw material costs, a JIT strategy may be exactly what's needed for your aircraft maintenance planning needs.

P.S. If you would like to discuss our Just In Time Inventory program, contact sales today.