Quality Analysis of the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution - Research Paper Example

? Quality Analysis of the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution TABLE OF CONTENTS I. ……………………………………………………………………………3 II. Introduction……………………………………………………………………….….4 III. Description of the Research setting and Quality Initiative……………………………6 IV. Analysis………………………………………………………………………………..7 i. Environmental Health and Safety at the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solutions Company………………………………………………………………………7 ii. Services that Provide Customer Support at L-3 Vertex Logistics solutions Company………………………………………………………………………9 iii. Fulfillment of Operational Requirements…………………………………..…9 V. Outlining Findings…………………………………………………………………...11 VI. Conclusion…………………………………………………………………………...11 VII. Summary and recommendations……………………………………………………..11 VIII. References……………………………………………………………………………13 Quality Analysis of the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution I. Abstract The Vertex Logistics Solutions Company is a Logistics firm that is based in Vancouver. In this sense, it offers its numerous clients with in-depth warehousing as well as distribution services. The company also provides both multinational and domestic companies with distributions services that are superior. These ones are channeled to different points in North America and beyond. It possesses other sub-branches that include the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solutions, which offers sustainable support services in relation to aerospace. This is related to the department of Defense, Government agencies in the U.S as well as foreign governments across the world that include the war zone areas of Kuwait, Afghanistan and Iraq. Its other portfolios include manufacturing materials, textiles, food products and goods used for retail purposes by consumers. In relation to maintenance of machinery, the company is involved in engineering, flight operations, repair, maintenance and overhaul as well as supply chain management. This is additionally coupled with internal project management alongside the presence of a number of consultation teams. Together with its sub-companies the vertex logistics solutions engages in a number of quality management practices. It employs the use of supply chain management, and the six sigma model. As a result of application of these practices, the vertex logistical solutions company has achieved a great deal of success in the way that it implements appropriate quality management plans. Therefore, this paper will make an analysis in relation to the quality of products from the company. It will explore and summarize the applications and benefits that have been realized by the vertex logical solutions has realized as a result of putting into practice several acts that are related to quality management standards. These are mainly related to the areas of Environmental safety and health, Services that enhance customer support, the development of products and the support of customers who are located in foreign countries. In order to ensure that their products are up to standard and meet the needs of customer, the company ensures regular checks of their quality. This has enabled them to maintain consistence during their production hence customer satisfaction at all times. As a result they have been able to maintain their profit margins. At times, this is even improved since through the quality production, the company is able to attract new customers and make more sales. It is because of this that ultimately the company has maintained its competitive position in the market for a long time (L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution, 2013). II. Introduction The vertex logistics solutions company is a logistics and supply chain company that is privately owned. It was formed in the year 2005 by a former executive of the multinational third party Logistics firm. David Travers was serving at various regions throughout North America within multiple disciplines of warehousing and distribution. The warehousing and distribution facility is located strategically with a close proximity to Ocean ports, major highways, Border crossings and the International airport. As such, the facilities encompass about 200,000 square feet that is located along the lower mainland region. They have many business alliances in areas such as Kamloops, Calgary, Edmonton and Toronto. In Toronto, there is an additional 500,000 square foot of warehouse space. It is involved in the provision of 3rd party logistics. This is done to distributors and manufactures with the aim of achieving a process that is driven and integrated together with real time solutions for different businesses. It possesses strategic business alliances that enable the company to offer both expedited international and domestic transport systems. It is in addition to brokerage services in which customers that have full visibility to the movements of their goods from one business contact to the other. Vertex logical solution contains a vast team of knowledgeable professionals who are ready to provide the client companies with alternative solutions for their current and future supply chain demand (L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution, 2013). It is the responsibility of the Quality Management Representative to ensure that a controlled electronic version of the Quality Manual for the company is maintained. This is then made available to all employees at the company through the Intranet Portal provided by the company. In the effort to manage the customer support system of the company and its services, which also encompass product management, the company has been able to attain its goal and objective of providing innovative solutions of warehouse management (L-3, 2008). With this, the company has been able to provide their partner clients with the delivery of tangible benefits that work with any size of the company in an instant manner. Besides the supply chain management and the six sigma project teams, the vertex logistics solutions also makes use of the management standards that are required by ISO 14000, the ANSI Z10, which deals with issues of environmental safety and health as well as the OHSAS 18000. In relation to the quality management system (QMS), the company keeps a proper documentation of the designed and implemented QMS. These are meant to fulfill the ANSI/ISO/ASQQ9001 that is concerned with aircraft operation, AS9100 as well as the AS9110 requirements. In this system, a clear framework that defines how materials are controlled, their processes, the activities that constitute their validation and verification is created to provide the customers with confidence that the services and products are well developed, produced and delivered. It also gives them the assurance that the environment from which they come is well defined and controlled. III. Description of the Research Setting and Quality Initiative The incorporation of quality management practices within the operations of the company has been driven by the team dedication experienced at the company. It is done in the effort to streamline the supply chains of clients, provide superior services to the customers, and provide updates on a timely manner. With the use of the Six Sigma project team management and model at the vertex logical solutions company a fundamental concept that is concerned with the roles of team members is highlighted. It majorly involves the ranking of team members which is determined with individual levels of training. These formal levels of training begin at the different vertex training solution centers. A number of these are located at the King of Prussia, San Diego, and San Francisca in California. In the recent years, the vertex logistics solution only employs individuals who have undergone training at their different centers. These have brought about the exceptional relations between employees, training and development where they obtain the DDI certificate. According to the executive director at the vertex logistics solutions company, a number of changes had to be put into place to make sure that the company was able to maintain a leading edge within the global market. These transformations that had to be made included radical changes. It is in this relation that the transformational leadership team at the vertex logistics solutions company was developed. After a short while, the company started the implementation of management techniques that were based on the Six Sigma management model. However, the Six Sigma model was designed to meet specific needs of the company to meet its customers’ requirements. With this kind of modification, the company was able to come up with a mission where it explained the six Sigma Model which ensures that the customers came first. With this philosophy, all of their activities have subsequently revolved around this principle. As such the Six Sigma Model applied by the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution is a highly disciplined process that is formulated in a data driven manner to eliminate waste, make as little variation as possible and drive growth in different sectors throughout the company. Although a lot of efforts are put into ensuring that high quality is delivered by employees from all departments in the organization, there is still much that needs to be done in the same regard. It has been realized that at vertex logistics solutions, there is still a great problem that is related to the inability to meet deadlines promptly and thus deliver high quality results at all times. In relation to this, there has also been a major problem with regard to the inability of the company to provide services that deal with hazardous or perishable goods. With this, there is a great limit in relation to the goods and products that can be offered to the clients. IV. Analysis The main management is the one that is responsible for the implementation and compliance with the laid down policies and procedures. The Supply Chain management strategies include the implementation of contracts that are operated and maintained by the base supply, extension of the supplier and vendor base and in-house repair of components. i.Environmental Health and Safety at the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solutions Company Most of the activities and functions at the L-3 Vertex logistics Solution Company are concerned with the fast paced manufacturing environment. They are all conducted at the Mississippi offices This is in relation to the vision statement found at the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solutions that states that the company is highly committed to the overall wellbeing of its employees, contractors and the members of the community. In this relation, the company makes a lot of effort to ensure that they champion practices that are sound in the environmental perspective. This is through their engagement in safe behavior. In order to achieve this, there is an establis2hed target of continuously improving their processes, requiring accountability from all individuals and reinforcing these through the demonstration of proper leadership. With this, the company is able to eliminate serious negative environmental impacts and attain zero levels of injuries and illnesses at the workplace. Consequently, the company positively contributes within the communities in which they operate. In this relation the L-3 Vertex Logistics Solutions company uses the rate of workplace related illnesses and injury as their metric. It is based on the standards of the company to fulfill the requirements of the ISO 14000 in which the overall idea is to bring about an organized and systematic approach that reduces the impact of adverse environmental impacts that can be controlled by the company. In order to achieve their aims and objectives through this, the company has established an environmental system that can be used to measure implementation. This process of improvement makes use of the Deming cycle and bears parallel operations to the ISO 14001, ANSI Z10 and the OHSAS 18001 quality management systems. As is indicated in the reports posted by the L-3 vertex logistics solutions company, these steps have enabled them to achieve a significance reduction in the total rate of injury and illnesses associated with the workplace since the year 2000. It has been estimated to be 65% of the initial occurrences of the same. It is for this reason that the company has consequently managed to reduce the time lost due to such injuries by 51%. With the goals of attaining zero injury and illnesses related to the workplace having been attained as well as the reduction of adverse environmental impacts, the company has been able to improve the quality of its management systems. As a result, the L-3 vertex logistics solutions company together with its subsidiary companies have attained most of their goals and objectives and subsequently benefitted both its internal and external stakeholders (L-3 Vertex Logistics Solution, 2013). ii. Services that Provide Customer Support at L-3 Vertex Logistics solutions Company The L-3 vertex which is a subsidiary company of the vertex logistics company uses the Sic Sigma model tools to create a wide network of customer support services. At this company, it is believed that customer support and satisfaction cannot merely be achieved and concluded upon the deal made during the sales process, which also includes the delivery of the aircraft. Instead, it is the entire process that is involved in the life of each helicopter throughout its manufacture, processing, sale and delivery. As such, a support engineering department has been set up to effect this idea. It is mainly aimed at the provision of one-on-one support and technical help to the customer through phone communication. This service is available even hours after the products have been sold out. This department also takes responsibility in providing technical publications that involve different product models. In this relation, it creates, develops, manuals that deal with the maintenance and repair of products, manuals related to flight, illustrated parts catalogues, service and technical bulletins as well as the safety notices of operations. The company additionally has strategically placed customer care representatives all over the world to provide support for their products. iii. Fulfillment of Operational Requirements For over 30 years, the L-3 vertex logistics Solutions Company that is based in Madison in Mississippi has consistently met the operational requirements of their customers. As a portfolio company of L-3communications, it has come up with approaches that have been proven to resolve reliability, logistics support, and maintenance and obsolescence issues. At the company, there is a quality policy that includes quality objectives that are defined by the president of the company are established in the effort to direct and make the company employees focus on quality. With this, they determine the desired results of the organization in addition to helping the organization in applying its resources in order to achieve the desired results. In addition, the company has a document in the form of procedures and policies included in the Quality Management System at the company. These systems have been shown to be compliant with the customer, contract and regulation as well as the other quality standards at L-3 vertex. In this case, therefore, it identifies the elements in the systems that are associated with effective business practices and subsequently assigns the appropriate responsibilities for each of the elements. The ISO-M-002 document also states the general quality standards expected by the company. It is provided in the way that it defines and describes the quality management system and bears additional policies that relate to the main activities of that system. At the L-3 vertex logistics solutions, there is a company-wide policy and procedures in the form of a document that gives instructions and provides a general statement of the way activities are supposed to be run. This is in relation to the multiple functional areas of the company. The procedures, which define the numerous systems give instructions and assign responsibilities and authority of the way these processes are to be carried out within the company. These also encompass the operational procedure, departmental procedure and work instructions. V. Outlining Findings From the analysis, it is evident that most staff at the vertex logistics solutions are highly concerned about the quality of products and services that they offer to their customers. It is evidenced by the way that the document concerned with the quality management system and control is applied to all locations and facilities in the company. It is only done differently in case there is a need to alternate the procedures that are defined within the specific contractual agreement. In the event that there is need to perform an alternative procedure, then any deviations from the presented policies and procedures are documented in directives that are specific to the procedure (Hoovers, 2013). VI. Conclusions For a company to be able to ensure that the appropriate quality is maintained for its products and services, it is necessary to make sure that all the employees in each department is provided with a copy of the manual. With this, the company will be able to ensure that there is unity and cooperation directed towards the achievement of company goals. The L-3 vertex logistics solutions company has because of this, been able to achieve great success together with its subsidiary companies (L-3, 2008). These have been contributed by the practice of quality management systems through their adoption to meet the needs of the company. With this, the organization has been able to reduce costs, enhance business relationships and increase their market share (Hoovers, 2013). VII. Summary and Recommendations In order to provide efficient services in relation to full maintenance and logistics spectrum of vehicles, aircraft and ground support machines the L-3 Vertex logistics solutions company is mandated to do more research and establish the needs of their customers. In addition, they should also develop more collaboration with other companies so as to compare their product development in the effort to maintain their competitive position in the market. References Hoovers. (2013). L-3 Communications Vertex Aerospace LLC Company Information. Retrieved 7 Dec. 2013 from http://www.hoovers.com/company-information/cs/company-profile.L 3_Communications_Vertex_Aerospace_LLC.fd85c2b22c7d868b.html L-3 Vertex Logistics Solutions (2013). L-3 Systems Field Support. Retrieved 7 Dec. 2013 from http://www.l-3vertex.com/ L-3. (2008). Press Release: L-3 Awarded $36 Million Contract by U.S. Army. Retrieved 7 Dec. 2013 from http://www.l-3com.com/media-center/press releases.html?pr_id=1123011&year=2008 Read More