FEDEX EXPRESS<\/p>\n
Typically known for delivering mail and packages, FedEx Express is also committed to the maintenance of aircraft ships.<\/p>\n
FedEx Express has around 170 facilities worldwide, about 100 of those in the USA dedicated to this service. Aircraft maintenance is a huge operation and responsibility that takes a lot of money, space, man hours and financial resources.<\/p>\n
One of the major services provided to aircrafts is known as the \u201cC-check.\u201d Although the precise definition of this term varies, it can be used to refer to the relative maintenance of the aircraft.<\/p>\n
FedEx Express turned to lean management as a response to the global economic depression in 2008, in hopes of saving money during critical times. Since then, this operational approach has greatly benefited the company\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
FEDEX\u2019S PROBLEMS AND SOLUTIONS<\/p>\n
Of the many locations, let\u2019s focus on the FedEx Express facility in Los Angeles International Airport (LAX). Before they implemented the lean management approach, the crew could complete 14 C-checks per year.<\/p>\n
After following lean management principles, the crew reached a point where they could complete 30 C-checks per year.<\/p>\n
Before implementing lean management strategies, it took the FedEx Express LAX crew 32,715 hours to complete a C-check on an aircraft. That number is steadily decreasing. At one point, the crew needed only 21,535 man-hours to preform the exact same C-check.<\/p>\n
One example of how the operations changed to reap such large benefits and improvements involved creating milestones. The team got together to identify 68 milestones that are integral to the C-check while defining each segment using 4-hour increments.<\/p>\n
Identifying milestones enabled smoother workflow which amounts to less time wasted. Eliminating wasted time is a huge money saver, especially in anadvanced industry such as aircraft maintenance where it is quite expensive to pay specialised mechanics, technicians and staff.<\/p>\n