ANNnews – Redacción
16 October 2023
After the start of the Digital Transformation project of the Aernnova Group almost a year ago, we wanted to talk to Javier Herrero to get to know a firsthand view of the progress of this project.
ANNnews: What is the current status of the Zero Latency project?
Javier Herrero: After the launch in January 2023 of the first Wave of the project, which included the launch of Infor LN for 6 companies, a new HR management system, the change of the payroll system for the Spanish companies and the launch of other systems such as Captio and Workforce Management, the project team has focused 100% on what we call “Wave 2”, which is the launch of Infor LN in all the companies that are running BaanIV as ERP today.
Wave 2 was scheduled to start in January 2024. However, the planning of the project has been delayed for two main reasons: the delay in the development of the key functionalities for Composites manufacturing, where the product manufacturer (Infor) has incurred several consecutive delays, and several data consistency issues in codes unification that we have encountered during the consolidation of the information in the initial data uploads for the test environment.
All this has led us to rethink the go-live timetable and to postpone the go-live by 3 months to 1 April 2024.
ANNnews: Why April?
Javier Herrero: The project now has great momentum derived from the collective efforts and progress made in the several workstreams of the project that we need to build on. We believe that the delay in the activities mentioned above, although it put the original go-live date at risk, will be resolved in 2 months, so we have moved the pending activities to the next available start-up slot, which coincides with the beginning of the second quarter (which is important for economic and financial reasons).
In addition, the simultaneous go-live of the 12 planned sites will force a one-week shutdown of production at these plants, and given that this year the end of March coincides with Easter, it is a good opportunity to carry out this shutdown with less impact on production capacity.
ANNnews: How should we prepare for the next five months?
Javier Herrero: The next few months are crucial for Zero Latency, and the involvement of everyone at Aernnova is paramount to its success. Here’s how each of you can contribute and prepare:
Get actively involved: Attend all training and information sessions related to Zero Latency. Understanding and familiarity with the new system is vital for a smooth transition.
Be proactive: Don’t wait for the team sessions organised by CMIT. Log into the system, prepare your use cases, and coordinate with the other Key Users in your site to test and raise concerns or ask questions. Get in touch with your departmental managers or Key Users of your role in other plants to clarify doubts and understand how your role may change or be affected.
Support your team: Collaboration is key. Make sure you support your team members by sharing knowledge and working together to define and document systematic ways of working in all processes that affect you.
Data accuracy: Ensure that all data and processes for which you are responsible are accurate and up to date. The tests we have done indicate that we need to be very vigilant about data cleanliness and homogenisation.
Adaptability: Be prepared to adapt to new workflows and processes. Your flexibility and willingness to embrace change will significantly influence the successful adoption of the new system.
Communicate: Keep the lines of communication open. Share your feedback, challenges and successes with the project team to help us continuously improve and adapt our implementation strategy. Use Teams actively.
Be an advocate: Become an advocate for change within your department. Encourage and help your colleagues navigate new systems and processes.
Comply with security standards: Get used to the new systems security processes and ensure that you comply with them to safeguard our data and operations.
Your participation, feedback and adaptability are not only welcome, but essential.
Zero Latency is not just a technological change; it is a transformation of the way we operate, innovate and deliver business value. Together, we will get through this crucial period and emerge more efficient and capable of dealing with the new scenario that these new technological capabilities present us with.
ANNnews: How do you see the future after the start of this phase?
Javier Herrero: Digitalisation is a strategic pillar for Aernnova, and as such is intrinsically aligned with our strategic objectives of global expansion, operational excellence and customer satisfaction. By centralising our data and applications in the cloud, we will be better positioned to make data-driven decisions, innovate and deliver superior services to our customers around the world, with improved security of our data.
The availability of real-time data (“Zero Latency”) and the improved analytical capabilities that we will have in later phases once Wave 2 is launched, will allow us to optimise our production and logistics processes, and the improved data exchange between departments will allow us to increase efficiency and accuracy in decision making based on optimal and up-to-date information.
We are facing a unique opportunity for our proactive attitude in favour of the use of technology in the management of our processes to make Aernnova a leading Group in the aeronautical structures sector.
It is possibly one of the few non-disruptive tools in our hands to make a qualitative leap that reduces management costs and allows us to compete with the new players that threaten us from low-cost countries.
We ask and encourage you to be protagonists of this historic opportunity that the company has given us on a plate.
