Wincanton was awarded a historic contract to support the Aircraft Carrier Alliance (ACA) with the nine-year build of its Queen Elizabeth-class carrier. This groundbreaking project was the UK defence sector’s largest, most complex and highest value single build ever, with £1.2 billion worth of contracts and over 100 suppliers.
Wincanton - responsible for the transportation and storage of parts ranging from 40 tonne propeller shafts to 10mm washers - completed its contract with stock accuracy of 99.94% and build material availability of over 95%. The project generated £200,000 in yearly savings through consolidating supplier deliveries. From 2014 to the project’s end in 2019, the Wincanton team achieved Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) Gold accreditation in recognition of its dedication to health and safety, and continuous improvement in this area.
Managing more than 100 suppliers
The ACA required a partner that could effectively coordinate suppliers and manage stock; while providing the agility to react to urgent needs and issues to make sure this vast project stayed on track.
One key challenge the ACA faced was supplier conformity. Prior to Wincanton’s involvement, disjointed processes often delayed required materials from reaching their intended location. This led to downtime and increased costs.
Delivering at the right time and location
As the vessel was a block build, Wincanton’s solution was to work in partnership with the respective shipyards across the UK to transport and control all materials through a central off-site warehouse. This facility utilised the Manhattan WMS.
In order to allow the project to work efficiently, the ACA required a partner that could ensure the required materials and parts were available at the right time in the right location. Wincanton successfully improved supplier conformity from 20%, to in excess of 90%, allowing the project to run more smoothly.
What the customer says
ACA spokesperson, said:
“Wincanton was an excellent partner that drove significant change throughout the project, which ultimately delivered benefits far in excess of our original expectations.
“The project was the largest of its kind in the UK & brought regular challenges which the Wincanton team overcame at every hurdle. It was a pleasure working with such a professional and customer-focussed organisation.”
30m
items handled
99.94%
stock accuracy
100
suppliers+ coordinated with contracts valued over £1.2bn
0
RIDDORs or LTAs
5
years of RoSPA Gold accreditation
