The manufacturing and support teams at AIM Altitude’s Cabin Interiors division have now moved into a purpose-built facility at Bournemouth airport.
This major new investment brings all of the Cabin Interiors division under one roof, having previously been housed in six separate buildings around the estate. The new building will also serve as the headquarters of the AIM Altitude group.
Following several years of planning and an 18-month build and fit-out programme, the first production lines began the migration in August 2016. All production facilities and around 450 employees completed the move at the end of September 2016.
Mike Burke, Operations Director at AIM Altitude Cabin Interiors, said: “The new factory and associated services will be a huge boost to our operations as a whole. We now have a world-class facility, to match AIM Altitude’s world-class offering, with the addition of twenty per cent extra space for expansion.”
The state-of-the-art factory encompasses new machinery, including an additional paint-and-bake booth to bring the total to four painting booths, and a fully integrated preparation area, serving both paint and trim. The layout of the new shop floor allows process flow, with an open, flexible, main assembly area allowing product programmes to be changed quickly if required. Key production leaders, production controllers and the quality team have also been integrated into production cells.
The whole facility has been built on the LEAN principle, shortening throughput times by reducing the distance parts travel in manufacturing, improving the line-side parts storage, shortening communications between departments and improving visual management of projects.
Both timescales and quality with be improved with reduced logistics travel time between buildings, reduced wasted staff time travelling between buildings and faster resolution of quality issues.
“For our employees,” continued Mike Burke, “the area offers a clean and light environment in which to work, a modern canteen, locker and shower facilities, generating an overall pride in their workplace. We have worked hard to ensure the facilities help with meeting our corporate responsibilities and we hope that it will be to the benefit of the community as a whole.”
