Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd
The Client
Aston Martin Lagonda Ltd is one of the most successful and globally known premium manufacturers of sports cars remaining in the UK. After 15 years of Ford ownership it has recently been sold to a consortium headed by David Richards. Aston Martin's primary goal is to continue to custom build quality sports cars:
That ethos goes right back to 1914 and the very beginnings of our company. Our founders, Lionel Martin and Robert Bamford believed that a sports car should have a distinctive and individual character. They felt it should be built to the highest standards and be exhilarating to drive and own.
Many things have changed over the ensuing 93 years, but those goals are still very relevant to us today.”
The company has been making sports cars in low volumes for many years, but is now growing with the addition of new products and upgrades to the existing vehicle line up. The business has been assisted by Ford in many areas including Product Development Process, and IT systems.
The Challenge
As Aston Martin is moving out of the Ford Corporate organization, it is required to sever the links with many of the Ford IT systems and processes. Pcubed was engaged to develop a version of the Ford Product Development process, based on the latest Global Product Development System (GPDS) documents, but aligned to suit the Aston Martin business. This required the process to be compressed and the level of documentation reduced to provide a manageable process for the business going forward. Pcubed were able to leverage existing knowledge within the organization, and expertise from other industries, to provide an effective solution.
The deliverables comprised four key elements:
- Program Definition and Setup : the establishment of current processes and the definition of how to achieve the necessary outcomes
- Project Delivery : detailed descriptions of the end deliverables to be presented at gateways, and ensure completion of each process
- Process Improvements : in-process metric; standardized, common formats for measureables to be tracked between gateways, such that each project is managed in a common way, with a low level of administration
- Process Improvements : gateway checklists : simple documents for the senior managers to use to check off the requirements at gateways and ensure adherence to the process through time
The business came under new ownership in 2007 giving it significant flexibility particularly in relation to its IT systems and processes which had previously been mandated by its parent company. Due to the aggressive time constraints that were agreed for the separation, many of the fixes that were implemented to maintain business continuity were not optimised. Coupled with a historical lack of investment within IT many issues were beginning to surface, exposing the business to risk.
Under new internal management a complete review of the department's Strategic direction, spending plans, internal capability and its ability to support the business was required.
The Pcubed Solution
The task was to blend the knowledge of Aston Martin capability with a robust understanding of the GPDS process, in order to define and document a process for the business. The final product was a simplified and streamlined version of the original, and was produced in a standardised document format. The final product, the Aston Martin Product Creation System (AM PCS), indicates that the process will cover all aspects of the development and delivery process, and not just the engineering portion.
Also at inception of the project, a review of stakeholder views was undertaken to understand the internal expectations and requirements for the new Process. This helped to guide the format and structure of the solution to best suit the company needs.
The Benefits
Pcubed was able to provide the expertise of the process requirements, understand Aston Martin's business fundamentals, and project manage the delivery to meet the internal time line requirements on schedule.
Pcubed provided access to the wider network of Pcubed consultants who were able to supplement the knowledge base and added to the quality of the information and documentations delivered.
The Results
- Standardization of the Product Development process will better allow engineers to know what they are required to do on each program or project
- Quality improvements at vehicle launch
- Enhancing customer satisfaction by reducing the amount of change late on in programs
- Removal of duplication of effort, as each engineer will understand how different lines are organized
As the business grows, it will be less able to fix problems late on, so increasing the robustness of the design and performing more 'right first time' engineering is crucial to the on going success of the Aston Martin. The delivery of AM PCS, will be instrumental in driving this discipline.
Business and Planning Director, Aston Martin