Italy-UK PARTNERSHIP

PARTNERSHIP | Spring 2019 22 The NorthWest Aerospace Alliance A window of opportunities for the aerospace business sector T he North West is one of nine administrative regions of England, the third most populous in the country and in terms of national product. It has a long tradition in chemicals, textiles, shipping and engineering and, for the past 40 years, the region has been diversifying into modern high technology sectors including pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, ICT and aerospace.  The aerospace cluster in the area is one of the largest and most efficient in the world, taking over 25,000 highly skilled workers and producing more than £8bn in turnover. The sector drives the UK’s aerospace economy and generates substantial overseas income. This is one of the reasons why the North West Aerospace Alliance (NWAA) is identified as the key industry organisation in the region, with more than 220-member companies. Formed in 1994 with the aim of supporting the aerospace industry in the area, the NWAA has a proven track record of supporting its members across a range of business processes. The Alliance organises networking events and exhibitions during the major airshows, promotes each of the member companies and their products or services, and represents them at national and international level.  Many of the programmes are addressed to supporting businesses with the aim of understanding how companies can develop their strengths and opportunities in the sector. Supply chain improvement programmes such as Aerospace Supply Chain Excellence (ASCE), Growing Autonomous Mission Management Applications (GAMMA) and the National Aerospace Technology Programme (NATEP) were made possible due to over £20m investments. THE BENCHMARKING ASSESSMENT The Benchmarking process is an essential part of understanding where the aerospace companies need to work to improve their business performance. This critical process includes a structured step- by-step development through which the organisation gives an interactive and complete feedback to the companies about their business capabilities. The benchmarking process is carried on by NWAA representatives who assess the companies against a 5-step diagnostic model. The model has been produced to define where companies sit between the following phases: ‘Learner’, ‘Developer’, ‘Performer’, ‘Contender’ and ‘World Class’ in eleven different business areas (Leadership, Strategic Business Planning, Project & Risk Management, Lean, Make vs. Buy, Skills Development & Planning, E-Business skills, Innovation Management, Sales & Operations Planning and Infrastructure & Facilities Management).  Once the aerospace companies have passed through the benchmarking assessment, the NWAA starts working with them, identifying the key training