ARVINMERITOR� ILLUSTRATES THE POSSIBILITIES

ArvinMeritor� is a Michigan-based U.S. manufacturer and distributor of automotive
and truck parts and components. Bauer worked with this firm as it
followed the five-step collaborative process, to achieve notable results, working
with some of its key suppliers, with a focus on the automotive market. The
corporation had a defined product development process and supply chain management
process. It was also migrating from legacy ERP systems to a new
system. Three business units and several joint ventures were involved, with 150
plants and 30 engineering facilities. The product lines included light vehicle,
commercial vehicle, and aftermarket products. Among the issues faced were
several design and supply chain systems, incompatible change management
systems, a variety of bill of material techniques, and a rapidly proliferating parts
list. The goal established for the change team was to create a collaborative
platform that enables the stakeholders to plan, design, source, make, and deliver
the products anywhere. The project approach was intended to establish the
collaborative platform and implement a common product cost and change request
system using the five-step approach.
As shown in, the firm began by agreeing on the principles of
collaboration. In this tripart model, suppliers were linked into a supplier management
system, which further linked into operations and its ERP system.
Product data management (PDM) databases were used to link engineering as
well, and the loop was completed through the strategic sourcing data warehouse
(SSDW). The illustrated topics were considered areas where knowledge could
be exchanged, and the group agreed on how the data processes worked, who
had ownership, and how the data would be shared. with linkage to the corporate
engineering committee and a supplier advisory group. The engineering directors,
in this case, were given responsibility for driving the effort toward a
common process and setting the performance improvement goals
All current processes were reviewed and critiqued
so agreement could be reached on practicality, opportunity for automation,
piloting, and then readiness for implementation.
The five blocks on top of the collaborative platform were deemed
to be the keys to success. Beneath each heading are the elements involved in
the redesign and transformation process. The goal was to develop an integrated
intra- and inter-enterprise platform, which would be accepted as a continuous
improvement process and not just an event.
Access
to the details contained in these files was given to appropriate individuals, and
all changes were handled electronically.