A project reduces FORD's costs and distribution time
Publication date:
01/31/2003
Published in:
The pioneering V-CHAIN initiative improves the services of the Valencian plant Ford, DMR Consulting and the Polytechnic University of Valencia have launched the V CHAIN initiative. It is a pioneering interactive project that aims to improve service to the end customer, reducing costs and delivery times for vehicles in the sector. The experimental phase is being developed at the Almussafes plant. The initiative began in February 2001 and has an investment of 4.7 million euros, 3.1 million destined for the Valencian factory and the rest for the Aprilia brand. This amount is 50% subsidized by the European Commission. The pioneering V-CHAIN initiative, which began in February 2001, lasts thirty months until August 2003 and has the participation of eleven companies from five European countries (Spain, Italy, Germany, Great Britain and France).
At this time, the project has entered the last phase, after having passed a period of defining functional, technical and business requirements.
The Ford-Almussafes plant has been one of those selected to carry out these studies, which are also being developed with the Aprilia brand. Ford participates in the Valencian factory as a manufacturer; Exel as logistics operator; Dynamit Nobel, Johnson Controls and Grupo Financiero Segura as suppliers; in addition to DMR Consulting and the UPV as general coordinators and solution providers; and Vitria.
The initiative proposes various solutions for the global management of the supply chain, using the Virtual Company model. In this way, it has the most reliable information in real time in relation to internal and external operations, thus improving the response to unexpected changes or events (strikes). The objective pursued, in this case, is to reduce costs, manufacturing cycles and delivery of automobiles to their destinations.
Other purposes are to improve the decision-making process in the supply chain to select the most appropriate alternative at all times and thus reduce possible errors and increase the competitiveness, innovation and adaptability of entities, allowing them to increase their position in the market. market. The project has an investment of 4.7 million euros, two thirds (3.1 million) destined for the Valencian automobile plant, said the Industry Manager of DMF Consulting, Marc, during the presentation of this system at Ford-Almussafes. Sunrise. It is financed by public-private funds and subsidized 50 percent by the European Commission in its GROWTH plan, of the Fifth Framework Program. The rest is provided by the participating companies, as highlighted by Marc Alba.
In the coming months, a real evaluation of the results of the initiative will be carried out and its expansion will be proposed to the other suppliers of Ford Valencia, which has 508 in the world, as well as to other sectors.
Editorial Miguel Ortiz Bellver
Photography Jose Luis Bort
