Lean manufacturing helps Aqualectra stay ahead of the competition
With a turnover of about 17 million euro and a staff of 145 employees, Aqualectra is one of the largest panel builders in the Benelux and probably in Europe.
Aqualectra has a clear vision about the collaboration with its suppliers. The company only selects A-suppliers and has at least two for every product group. This is mainly with a view to spreading the risk. Aqualectra started working with Omron as soon as that company became active on the Dutch market. Stringer finds the quality exceptional and Aqualectra has a significant quantity of Omron components in stock. “It might seem contradictory that we hold stock ourselves given our interest in lean manufacturing. That often goes hand in hand with just-in-time supply, but we simply can’t risk jeopardising the process flow by not having components in stock.
Moreover, you don’t need much space for storing electrotechnical components. Another advantage is that we can bundle orders and deliveries. In combination with EDI, link-ups with suppliers’ online order systems and electronic invoicing, the handling and the administrative work can be reduced considerably.” Says Tom Stringer, general director of Aqualectra.
