Technical Change Associates, Inc. To Assist With Columbia
Production Acceleration
The Lancair Company has
appointed respected manufacturing consulting firm Technical Change
Associates, Inc. (TCA) to assist it in streamlining its
manufacturing processes and accelerating production of its Columbia
line of certified aircraft.
"We'll soon be building two separate aircraft models on our line
and that adds another layer of complexity to what we're doing,"
said Lancair Vice President Ron Wright. "TCA is working with us to
enhance our overall manufacturing efficiency and that will let us
increase our production rate while maintaining and in some cases
improving our already excellent quality levels."
Today, The Lancair Company turns out a new certified Columbia
every two days. With the efficiencies already being implemented
through this program, the company expects to increase that rate to
one aircraft per business day by 2005.
According to Wright, advances made possible through its work
with TCA and a capital improvement program have already yielded
significant reductions in materials handling times that are the
foundation of the aircraft production process.
"TCA is an extremely capable and professional organization,"
Wright said. "Already, we've reduced our parts handling in support
of composite production and assembly by 65% and other advances are
developing every day." In addition to the changes happening through
refining manufacturing processes, The Lancair Company is in the
process of adding another 20,000 square feet to its already 141,000
square foot plant in Bend, Oregon. The $2.5 million project will
also include additional tooling that will help the company build
aircraft more rapidly while maintaining quality levels that are
already highly regarded in the industry.
"Increasing production rate is vitally important to Lancair,"
said TCA President David Dixon. "But we are most impressed by the
Lancair culture of aggressive attention to the highest quality
levels in general aviation production. We won't consider any steps
to increase production unless they maintain or increase quality
levels. The Lancair team combines an impressive mix of skill,
knowledge and determination. Our consultants are proud to be hard
at work assisting Lancair in meeting its quality and production
standards."
TCA, based in Ogden, Utah, is a leading industrial consulting
firm helping clients implement Lean Manufacturing Technologies, Six
Sigma Quality Improvement Programs and other
manufacturingexcellence-related initiatives. TCA serves clients in
fields including high tech, outdoor recreation equipment, heavy
equipment and advanced metals manufacturing.
"The enhancements we're making now will enable us to build
Columbia 350s and 400s faster and more cost effectively. They will
also open the door to possibly add additional models in the
future," Wright said. Founded in 1995, The Lancair Company
manufactures the Columbia line of all-composite, high performance
certified aircraft including the Columbia 350 and the turbocharged
Columbia 400.