Reduce your inventory levels like this large manufacturer Messier-Dowty did back in 2010.

1. Case study
Messier-Dowty implements GS1 bar codes to track critical
aircraft spare parts using PeopleVox’s stock control solution
Messier-Dowty, a world leader in the design, manufacture and support of aircraft
landing gear systems, has implemented GS1 bar codes to pick and track spare part
orders in its Gloucestershire operation. The company worked with PeopleVox, an
accredited GS1 Solution Provider, to deploy a resilient and GS1 standards compliant
stock control solution that supports the ordering and delivery processes of its spare
parts. Wireless and mobile computing solutions were upgraded and deployed ensuring
that GS1 bar codes were used in the operation to uniquely identify Messier-Dowty’s
products.
Introduction
Messier-Dowty, a Safran group company, designs, With demand increasing for its services, the company
manufactures and supports aircraft landing gear needed a more resilient asset management solution to
systems from eight operating facilities in Europe, North support the spares ordering and delivery processes.
America and Asia. The company’s Gloucestershire Messier-Dowty also wanted to ensure that all the bar
facility employs approximately 1,000 people, responsible codes used to identify its products were GS1 standards
for design, development, test, production, processing, compliant.
assembly and in-service product support for its
international customer base. The 44,000m² site is the
company’s European Centre of Excellence for landing
gear systems.

2. Buisness Challenge To ensure return on investment and allow for the potential
In 2007/08, Messier-Dowty decided to focus on reducing integration of Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) and
spare part stock at its UK facility. This needed to be Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) systems in the future,
implemented without impacting the growing demand access ports with a high data capacity network were
for its spares used to support global maintenance and utilised to ensure connection between mobile devices
manufacturing contracts. In the aircraft sector, it is vital and wireless LAN.
that spare parts are dispatched as quickly as possible to
prevent planes from being on the ground for longer than
necessary.
Messier-Dowty installed additional large vertical revolving
carousels in the warehouse used to store and pick
orders to optimise the spares that needed to be stocked
in the space available. However, the company realised
that its existing systems and wireless infrastructure were
unable to cope with increased stock management. It
also needed to be upgraded to improve the accuracy and
productivity of its operations. Messier-Dowty required a
faster and more accurate mobile and wireless solution
for picking spare parts from its carousels.
GS1 UK recommendations
In August 2008, PeopleVox was selected to carry out a full
upgrade on the existing system. Messier-Dowty’s legacy
DOS based handheld computers, used to scan and
pick spare parts on the carousel, was replaced with the
latest Motorola MC9090 gun. Warehouse staff scan the
GS1 bar codes (containing GTINs or Global Trade Item
Numbers) on spare part packaging or plastic container Conclusion
‘tubs’ to pick the products for specific consignments and
to update the company’s Oracle system for stock control,
delivery and order processing. The upgraded scanners
“It is vital that all the bar codes used in
enable quicker and more accurate product scans when
picking. This is critical to timely accurate delivery.
our operations strictly adhere to GS1
standards to ensure that the bar codes
A Microsoft CE based system for the handheld scanners and labels can be designed, printed,
was also set up to ensure users were always online with applied to our products and read by our
wireless coverage, preventing data loss of completed mobile handheld computers effectively.
product picks and scans. Bar code printers were We have been able to achieve high quality
deployed to enable Messier-Dowty staff to print their bar codes that enable us to track our
own product labels on demand at the point of activity. orders accurately and meet the growing
demand for our products and services.”
The second phase of the project involved the installation
of Motorola RFS6000 wireless switches at two separate
locations with redundancy backup to prevent mobile
Craig Coleman, project leader at Messier-
handheld computers from losing connection in an Dowty
unlikely event of a system failure caused by the primary
wireless switch. The upgraded switches ensure the
maximum performance and secure connection for the
high bandwidth mobile network, positively impacting
scan and pick productivity at the facility.
For more information on GS1 UK log on to
www.gs1uk.org or call the GS1 UK Service Team on Freefone 0808 178 8799