Success Story

ASTON MARTIN: A MATTER OF TIMING

Aston Martin Lagonda Limited is one of the best known names in the motor industry. Since its formation in 1914, the company has gained an enviable worldwide reputation for the high quality of its hand built, individually produced sports cars.

To support its products, Aston Martin runs a busy service workshop at its Newport Pagnell base. This has a productive team of 57 employees who are involved in a variety of trades. The areas of work they cover include mechanical repair; trim; paint; panel; body; and the special build area. One of the key problems faced by the workshop is the need to keep a tight control over the allocation of different tasks and the time that is allotted to each one.

For the last few years, the company has therefore used a proprietary workshop management software package. However, this had several drawbacks. For instance, it is based on an obsolete computer and uses a source code written many years ago in the US. As such, it would soon have become unusable, due to problems associated with the Millennium Bug.

In addition, it was the only software package that was not fully integrated with Aston Martin's central computer system. There was therefore an element of unnecessary duplication of data entries.

John Janes, Aston Martin's Workshop Manager, explains: "We needed a more sophisticated system which could manage our unique mix of work. This can vary from detailed car servicing through to special one-off vehicles or re-builds ordered by customers anywhere in the world." He continues: "Virtually every car has its own unique service requirements, some of which require different skills. We needed a system which could match the specific expertise of each technician to the tasks in hand. It also needed to integrate seamlessly with our central database."

One important aspect of the new system was the use of barcode scanners to speed up and improve the accuracy of data entry.

Steve Barratt comments: "The company needed scanners that would be robust, accurate and reliable. We found Welch Allyn SCANTEAM 3400s to be the best solution. These units are very rugged - an essential requirement in a workshop environment - and could be easily tailored to integrate with the transaction handling program to be installed on the central UNIX computer."

Consequently, seven Welch Allyn scanners were purchased six months ago with a subsequent smooth installation. The SCANTEAM™ 3400's are special purpose hand-held CCD (charge coupled device) units, which are available in both long range or high density versions. The scanners are part of the Welch Allyn network system, which spans more than one building.

The new scanners basically control the workshop operations. At the start of each day, a technician logs onto the scanner using his identity card, and will then use it to read a number on a job card, and the first task that needs to be carried out. The scanner also reads the designated start and finish time for each task. It effectively starts the mechanic on the job and records the time spent on each task.

The Welch Allyn units can also be used to sign off a job once it is finished, so that it is then removed from the list of outstanding items. When the technician finishes for the day, he logs off from the system.

Each of the scanners communicates directly with the central UNIX database, which can be accessed at any time so that management can always know exactly what each employee is doing, and the status and location of any particular car or job. However, the system is not used for monitoring time and attendance, as the workshop employees are salaried.

John Janes says: "The new system enables us to control the time spent on each job more tightly, and to record any related events accurately. The Welch Allyn scanners are very effective tools which operate in real time. In contrast, the old system had to be updated overnight, with details punched in by hand. Information was therefore often 24 hours old.

"The scanners enable us to have instant, up-to-date information - which gives us total control over each job. At the same time, they have improved the accuracy of the data we use, and have eliminated the need for double entries."

He concludes: "We have been delighted with the level of support we have received from Welch Allyn: they have been very helpful and have responded rapidly to any queries. In the future, we will be exploring the use of their mobile scanners in our Parts Department. This would enable us to record details the moment a part is booked out, rather than having to punch the data in by hand later in the day. This would obviously make the whole operation easier, faster and smoother - just like the new workshop system."

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