Leonardo, a manufacturer of helicopters for both civil and military applications, has partnered with supply chain performance improvement company Unipart in a new three-year contract.
The contract will see Unipart be ‘responsible for warehousing and logistics services, contributing to Leonardo’s support of the UK and Irish fleet of commercial and public service helicopters’.
Unipart will reportedly ‘integrate with the build-up in delivery of key activities concerning the fulfilment routine and aircraft on ground (AoG) requirements, including inbound management, inventory management and order fulfilment at the Leonardo facility at London Elstree Aerodrome’.
Darren Leigh, CEO of Unipart, commented: “Partnering [with] Leonardo is another great opportunity for Unipart to demonstrate our wide range of capabilities in the aerospace market.
“In an industry facing a number of challenges, ranging from production demands to sustainability targets, it’s crucial for Unipart to provide best-in-class supply chain performance improvement solutions that deliver sustainable growth.”
He concluded: “We look forward to building on this exciting partnership over the next three years.”
Mike Bristow, managing director of UK Logistics at Unipart, added: “We are proud to be partnering with a leading global original equipment manufacturer (OEM) such as Leonardo. This exciting new partnership is testament to Unipart’s strong track record of managing complex supply chains in the aerospace sector.
“By leveraging our experience and expertise in production logistics we will provide a seamlessly efficient, resilient and sustainable supply chain for Leonardo to optimise its operations at Elstree and ensure excellence for its customers.”
Meanwhile, Francesco Bellardi, Leonardo Helicopters’ vice president of customer support and services, said: “This partnership, managed through our subsidiary company Leonardo Belgium, is an important milestone in our strategic path towards customer proximity enhancement.
“From Elstree Aerodrome we will have the ability to serve all customers in the region from a central location just within hours from the request of logistic support, also in view of the readiness of our new maintenance facility, currently under construction on the north side of the aerodrome, maximising efficiency and ultimately customer’s satisfaction.”
