Project Management

R E Thompson is a tier one supplier to many systems integration companies and tier two to several aircraft manufacturers. To achieve the high standards of customer service, R.E.T. operate a comprehensive production management system to meet agreed delivery dates by scheduling works orders to available capacity.

Integrated Software Control

R E Thompson use an integrated suite of software which provides a real-time view of the company's performance by financials, sales order processing, purchasing and production and inventory control. With a fully networked facility, machine operators sign off each manufacturing stage, production engineers are able to determine material availability and real time delivery forecasts are made. The paperless production control means that precise, real-time status of production progress is made and work-loads reassessed as required.

JIT & Lean Manufacturing

With ever increasing demand for cost reduction, Just In Time and Lean Manufacturing systems have become essential for a streamlined production line. R E Thompson has provided JIT and line side supply to several companies including; G.E., Tyco Electronics and Mitutoyo.

Onsite Liaison

R E Thompson pay particular attention to customer support and regularly make site visits to liaise with customers regarding the delivery and quality of their goods as supplied by R E Thompson and determine ways to improve performance, reduce cost and provide a better service where applicable. As a strategic sourcing partner, we aim to detect any issues regarding quality as early as possible and by maintaining a close relationship, we are able to aid our customers in better utilising our skills and services.

Advanced Capacity Planning

Advanced capacity planning is integral to all levels from the scheduling and recruiting of staff through to long term capital investment in machinery to meet customer requirements. For large, long-term contracts we are willing to invest in plant or even commission our own equipment, a recent example of which is our robotic 'Form-In-Place' gasket extruder which was commissioned as a special purpose machine for the precision placement of silicone gasket material on air cooling systems for a particular client in the aerospace industry.

Human Resources

As a caring and long established company, R E Thompson can rely on a dedicated and motivated workforce. With manpower resources one of the most critical assets of any production program you can rely on R E Thompson to meet their obligations. Many of our time served staff have been with the company for over 10 years and all of staff have sound engineering backgrounds.

Lean Manufacturing

To best serve our customers we operate with the principles of Lean Manufacturing.

The Six Pillars of a Lean Production System are:

Customer value
Value stream mapping
Pull
Continuous improvement
Continuous flow
Sustaining results

Practical examples includes; eliminating interfaces in operational functions wherever possible, tuning our in-house inspection procedures, working closely with our customers at the design stage and promoting project ownership. Preventative maintenance of machine-tools and tool management and working closely with our customers to reduce cost by Design For Manufacture, please ask us for more information.

5S

5S is the first preparation for lean manufacturing, which stands for Sort, Set In Order, Shine, Standardise and Sustain. It is utilised to help coordinate visual order across the factory and the correct use of it helps to improve profitability, efficiency, service and safety. We have invested considerable time and money in training staff and allocating ownership for every part of the building. The 5S programme is invaluable in motivating staff and promoting their ownership for part of the business, which culminates in benefits for our customers through reduced costs, increased quality and a slicker service.

Business Process Improvement

We are continuously analysing our business operations with Business Process Improvements (BPI), mainly through the application of IT systems. We were pioneers in the use of solid models and paperless manufacture and continue to modify our business operations through rationalisation and restructuring to suit the immediate and long term business objectives of the time

Key Performance Indicators

We set and review key performance indicators aimed at helping to achieve improvements in our operation which are then passed on to our customers as improvements in service and quality. Typical examples include overall equipment effectiveness (O.E.E.), waste reduction, delivery on time, in-house scrap, sales orders and sales invoiced and demonstrating cost savings in the procurement of raw materials and services

Statistical Process Control

R E Thompson use Statistical Process Control (S.P.C.) on all large production runs and conduct preventative maintenance where required. For example, this may involve rebuilding of a tool head before signs of wear are noticeable on the work piece, timely machine calibration and monitor the replenishment and concentration of cutting fluidssiness objectives of the time