Understanding what’s happening at Icon Aircraft today demands a quick look at continuous quality improvement, a culture-driven process widely used in automobile manufacturing to help companies manage an unwieldy production process often caused by rising costs, poor planning or a lack of innovation. But continuous improvement isn’t simply about cost cutting. It’s also about refining the quality of the finished product. In order to succeed, however, a good CI system requires the buy-in of every company employee. Toyota created one of the most well-known versions, which they called TPS for Toyota Production System.
Icon Aircraft: Behind the Scenes
Key Takeaways:
- Under COO Thomas Wieners, Icon Aircraft implemented a comprehensive continuous quality improvement system to overcome significant manufacturing inefficiencies and quality issues with its A5 light-sport aircraft.
- This transformation involved establishing an advanced in-house carbon-fiber production facility in Tijuana, Mexico, coupled with substantial investment in employee training, process standardization, and supply chain optimization.
- The strategic shift led to a dramatic improvement in manufacturing efficiency, a reduction in labor hours and defects, and ultimately allowed Icon to decrease the A5's price and better align its business for sustainable production volumes.
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