The triumph of 'Simplistics over Logistics'!

ESP provides a ‘Spares and Repairs’ service covering British Airways kiosks across sixteen locations on the European mainland. On-site field engineering support is also provided in ESP-manned countries.

When ESP took on the contract the level of spares movements required to service the kiosk base was in excess of 30 per month with a high number of ‘dead on arrival’ incidents.

ESP, using the experience built from servicing a number of time critical contracts across the UK came up with an innovative ‘simplistic’ approach to bring the levels of failures down to an acceptable level. The following elements were introduced:-

• A comprehensive audit was carried out to ensure that the exact location and volume of all the spares was captured into a Kiosk Assets Database specifically produced for the contract.
• ESP was supplied with a ‘Buffer Stock’ of key spares by BA for use in replenishment activities.
• ESP invested in a number of customised flight cases designed around the key component types to minimise in-transit damage which was believed to be the root cause of a number of the DOA incidents.
• The local engineering staff at the locations were provided with a new procedure for handling faulty equipment:-
• When an un-resolvable fault occurs with a piece of Kiosk equipment, the failing unit is replaced with from the on-site spares.
• ESP immediately despatch a replacement unit from the Buffer Stock held in Reading for overnight delivery to site anywhere in Europe. Within the flight case is also a return Airway Bill to expedite the despatch of the failed unit back to ESP.
• On receipt by the local engineer the good spare is removed and stored against the next failure and the failing unit is placed in the flight case.
• The engineer calls the courier company using the Airway Bill provided and the unit is despatched back to Reading.
• In ESP’s central workshop the faulty unit is not only repaired but is also deep cleaned and has any wearing parts replaced to maximise the time between in service failures. The unit then becomes part of the Buffer Stock.
• As part of the service ESP also provide Weekly and Monthly usage and movement reports to SITA/BA

The dramatic effect of this ‘simplistic’ approach has seen not only a huge reduction in the number of spare part movements required but also to virtually eradicate DOA situations.

“I should like to take this opportunity to thank you for the excellent service being provided by ESP to British Airways regarding the logistics and repair of the IER printers we use in our self-service kiosks,” writes Barry Woolnough – British Airways Team Leader SSK Support Team.  “When ESP took over the repair and servicing of the kiosks the level of fault calls was of the order of 25 a month and within a very few months this had been reduced to 5 or 6.  The number of failures being experienced on the IER printers was also significantly reduced.  This is due in no small measure to the pro-active approach of ESP to the repair of printers returned to the workshop and the quality of your staff.  From the weekly meetings we hold with SITA it would appear that ESP also consistently achieves the SLA of a 24 hour turn-around on the logistics front.”