Managing Aerospace Supply Chain: Course Details

Caltech Managing Aerospace Supply Chain (MASC)
Certificate Program 

COURSE DETAILS

Module 1: Aerospace Supply Chain Foundations

In this module, you will understand the basic concepts in managing the flow of materials through the entire chain from the initial supplier to the end-user. We introduce the basic concepts, terminology, and techniques involved in the nuanced operations management processes for both commercial and defense-related aerospace. Module 1 is a prerequisite to Module 2.

In Module 1, you will learn:

Supply Chain-Wide Concepts

• Organization Fundamentals- elements of the supply chain & organization dynamics
• Operating Environments- definitions, choices, and impacts
• Financial Fundamentals- statements, cost categories, and analysis
• Enterprise Resources Planning (ERP) 
• Lean/Just-in-Time (JIT) 
• Quality management systems 
• Theory of Constraints 
• Impacts of the environment on system design 

Demand Management

• Government-driven demand - acquisitions, the role of Materiel Command, engineering, technology and production readiness
• Market-driven-demand - customers, competition, and economic and regulatory policy
• Customer expectations & definition of value
• Customer Relationship Management (CRM)
• Demand planning – sources of independent demand and forecast management 

Transformation of Demand into Supply

• Design
• Capacity Management
• Planning - purposes, inputs and outputs
• Execution and control
• Performance measurements – strategic, tactical, and operational 

Supply

• Inventory
• Purchasing
• Physical distribution systems

Module 2: Effective Supply Chain Tactics in the Aerospace Enterprise

Through this four-part module, you will now dive into the details of strategic resource management, scheduling and planning, operational execution and control, and master planning. You will sharpen your understanding of how the broad scope of available resources throughout the enterprise must align with business and operational strategy to be effective. Orchestration of inventory, capacity, fulfillment, and suppliers is an integral part of the module, and you will build your capabilities to choreograph the movement of materials and information. Section 1 is a prerequisite to Section 2.

Strategic Management of Resources (SMR) 

The operations functions typically control a large portion of the resources of an enterprise and must manage those resources in a way that supports the implementation of the enterprise and/or business unit strategy. Managing resources to support strategy requires an understanding of the environment(s) in which the organization operates, strategy development and implementation, operations choices and systems, and risk and change management. 

In SMR, learnings include:

• Understanding the business environment
  • Globalization/Location Issues
  • Information requirements
  • Sustainability 
• Developing the operations strategy
  • Performance objectives and goals
  • Product and service design
  • Structure and infrastructure choices
  • Coordination strategy
  • Measurement
  • Logistics
  • Organizational commitment process 
• Implementing the operations strategy
  • Risk and Risk Mitigation
  • Change Management
  • Infrastructure Systems
  • Structural Deployment 

Detailed Scheduling & Planning (DSP)

The detailed scheduling and planning processes translate the product level plans and schedules into explicit priority and capacity plans. The section of the course covers processes and techniques for managing inventories, planning material, capacity planning, maintaining relationships with suppliers, and communicating requirements and schedules to suppliers. 

In DSP, learnings include:

• Planning the management of inventory
  • Types and classifications of inventory
  • Inventory policies
  • Inventory planning
  • Accuracy, handling, storage, and traceability 
• Planning material requirements to support the master schedule
  • Identifying information used in the material planning process
  • Identifying the desirable characteristics of the detailed material planning process
  • Mechanics of the detailed material planning process
  • Maintaining the validity of the material plan
  • Managing the project plan 
• Planning operations to support the priority plan
  • Identifying information used in the detailed capacity planning process
  • Recognizing the characteristics and techniques of the detailed capacity planning process
  • Using the detailed capacity planning process
• Measuring the performance of the detailed capacity planning process 
  • Planning procurement and external sources of supply:
  • Establishing relationships with suppliers
  • Techniques and concepts for supplier partnerships 

Execution & Control of Operations (ECO)

This section of the course addresses the principles and practices needed to execute, control and manage operations and those needed to participate in design decisions. 

In ECO, learnings include:

• Execution of operations
  • Principles – flow, batch, and scheduling
  • Techniques – push production, pull production, waste management, 5S methodology, and management of inventory 
• Control of operations
  • Principles – management control process, control goals, and feedback and the control process
  • Techniques – costing and process activity measures 
• Management and communication
  • Principles –individual and group
  • Techniques – basic seven tools of quality management, DMAIC, Shewhart/Deming cycle, and A3 problem solving 
• Design trade-offs
  • Principles
  • Techniques 

Master Planning of Resources (MPR)

This segment addresses supply and demand planning for mid- to long-term independent demand and distribution planning. 

In MPR, learnings include:

• Demand Management
  • General concepts and purposes – relating the processes to the environment and linkages 
  • Forecasting demand 
  • Managing the customer interface 
• Sales and Operations Planning (S&OP)
  • General concepts and purposes – relating the processes to the environment and linkages 
  • Management considerations
  • S&OP Process
  • Developing and validating the production plan 
• Master scheduling
  • General concepts and purpose
  • Linking the master scheduling process to the business environment
  • Management considerations
  • Master scheduling process
  • Advanced Planning and Scheduling (APS)
  • Measuring master scheduling performance 
• Distribution Planning
  • Distribution network planning
  • Distribution replenishment planning
  • Measuring the performance of the distribution network and planning process