Improving the efficiency of aircraft production

Aircraft builder implements ERP solution to help it drive new efficiencies in manufacture and provide immediate access to data throughout the production supply chain.

Baan - the leading enterprise application provider for industrial enterprises and part of Invensys plc - and The Boeing Company today announced the successful implementation of Baan's enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution, version 5.1a, in the production of the Boeing 757 commercial airliner.

Boeing's iBaan Enterprise implementation is an enterprise resource planning solution supporting heavy manufacturing industries and includes the iBaan modules for Purchase and Sales Schedules and Assembly Line Control.

This implementation also adds iBaan technologies that deploy best of breed ERP capabilities.

With this addition, Boeing is now ready to incorporate into its plans the implementation of iBaan OpenWorld, which provides XML-based integration capabilities so that users have increased flexibility to connect a variety of applications with their ERP systems back and forth in real-time.

"By implementing a comprehensive iBaan solution for all of our 757 production IT, we now have immediate access to full production line and supply chain data from start to finish," said Michele Martin, Boeing Information Systems Director for ERP and Supply Chain Systems.

"This gives us powerful new manufacturing capabilities that are leading to significant increases in our efficiency, along with lower costs - two critically important factors in today's increasingly competitive marketplace." "We at Baan are very pleased by the confidence Boeing has shown in us with its decision to implement iBaan Enterprise at the 757 facility," said Susan Heystee, Baan's executive vice president of Worldwide Solution Sales and Delivery.

"We're confident that these industry-leading products, and the excellent support services that we have provided to Boeing for many years, will help Boeing maintain and expand its leadership in the commercial airplane industry." Ernie Eichenbaum, vice president, global marketing, Baan, said: "The Boeing-Baan relationship is a collaboration in the truest sense, with both companies working together to create value for each other.

We are focused on providing the tools that help accelerate Boeing's processes, saving both time and money." Implementation of the iBaan Enterprise system at the 757 facility began in November 2001 and was completed in July 2002.

Baan's support for Boeing spans eight years - Baan's relationship with Boeing began in 1994.

Baan Enterprise is used extensively as the ERP technology at facilities in Boeing's commercial business.

In addition, iBaan for Aerospace and Defence solutions are used by Boeing for two projects within its defence business.

Baan also provides onsite support services for business, functional and technical areas at numerous Boeing locations.

The Boeing 757 family includes the 200-passenger 757-200, the 243-passenger 757-300 and the 757-200 freighter.

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