WH Kemp’s main GSE (Ground Support Equipment) customer was growing quickly, having built their Cable Harnesses and Control Panels internally with help from a small Wiring Harness firm. Over the years, specifications had been updated by the customer’s engineers, but these changes weren’t always reflected on the drawings.
New directors joined the business, and reducing build time while meeting lead time commitments became a key priority. They identified that the root cause of their delays was a combination of quality issues and late deliveries from their Cable Harness and Control Box supplier, with electrical faults consistently arising on first fitting. As a result, the company had built many hours of “tinker time” into their GSE build plan, just to correct electrical quality issues caused by faulty harnesses and control boxes.
The new directors needed a supplier with a history of delivering quality products on time, at a price commensurate with their existing costs. The challenge was made harder still when WH Kemp discovered that many of the Cable Harness drawings didn’t include the latest specifications.
Reconciling the Drawings
WH Kemp’s team worked through the many Cable Harness drawings, noting the engineering changes that had accumulated over time. Differences between the golden samples and the drawings were identified and reconciled, and our team worked proactively with the customer to clarify product specifications and ensure every change was correctly incorporated into the latest drawings.
WH Kemp then supplied complete Cable Harness kits, ready to fit to each tractor, delivered on time.
Taking on the Control Panel Build
The customer had initially assigned the Control Panel builds to a specialist aerospace contract electrical manufacturer. After repeated failed attempts to achieve the required quality, WH Kemp was asked to take over the Control Panel builds too. Our Control Panels functioned perfectly from the outset, and the customer’s tinker time was eliminated, with build times reduced accordingly.
The Result
With everything in place, the customer received Cable Harness and Control Panel products delivered on time and of perfect quality, shaving over 12 hours off their vehicle build time. WH Kemp continues working alongside the customer’s engineers to keep drawings and specifications consistently up to date.
Challenge
Supplier quality issues and outdated drawings causing electrical faults on first fitting, requiring hours of tinker time per vehicle to correct.
Solution
WH Kemp reconciled all Cable Harness drawings against golden samples, then took over both Cable Harness and Control Panel manufacture after a specialist aerospace supplier failed to meet the required quality.
Outcome
Over 12 hours removed from vehicle build time, with Cable Harnesses and Control Panels now delivered on time and of perfect quality.
