Joe Burton

I have worked as a Quality Controller for 3+ years at the Samlesbury site of BAE Systems. During this time I have gained experience in many buildings across multiple platforms.

This includes work on minor and major assemblies, machining, metallic treatments and composite manufacture.

Currently I am working within the 610 Machining building for F35. This involves machining of Titanium and Aluminium components, with minor Bush and Bearing assemblies.

As a Quality Controller there are a number of weekly mandatory and general responsibilities within 610:

• Weekly process confirmations and checks to the building's PPP (People Product Process) question set. This includes checks into product preservation, FOD controls and machine go-to-go checks. This helps ensure continued compliance to certification requirements of AS9100.
• Control and management of Operator and Inspector audits. This includes ensuring the business adheres to the audit schedule, that evidence is present for competency levels and performing practical audits of Operator and Inspector activities.
• Control of Operator and Inspector Skill Codes and Delegation. Ensuring that each stamp holder within the business has the correct Skill Codes and Delegation as per training records and those required for work content.
• Management of Approvals and Stamps. Ensuring that Operators and Inspectors have the correct approvals and stamps are issued and controlled appropriately.
• Review and countersigning of Operator and Inspector SOPs and EOPs. This includes review and concurrence of SOPs within 610, this often involves performing Inspection role specific SOPs and EOPs.
• Management and control of business manufacturing non-conformances and concessions. This includes support of daily NCR reviews, investigations into prevention activities, review and countersigning of dispositions. Concessions also require QC review to ensure content and information is accurate and correct for design review. This is to ensure adherence to non-conformance process and control of said product within the business.
• Support to the Engineering and MRB teams for defect reduction and a target for zero defects.
• Working with customers (both internal to BAE and external) for complaints and quality escapes. This is through the uses of QFRs and QARs. Along with this, there have been customer liaison activities and support to better improve manufacturing.
• Working with the supplier quality team to identify and manage non-conforming material and product that enters the business. Again through the use of QFRs.
• Management of creation of First Article (FAI) packs to support the process confirmation of new and updated manufacturing activities and products. This includes control of a local FAI plan and adherence to the involved processes (e.g. AS9102).
• Support and management of Shop Floor Manager to ensure electronic build records and non-conformances have full traceability for the product and aircraft.
• Review and countersigning of manufacturing certificates of conformances (CofCs) as required. This has previously been performed for offloading of work to subcontractors.
• Support with internal and external Quality audits to ensure adherence to various certifications and customer requirements.
• Support and weekly process confirmations for calibrated and controlled assets within the business.
• Monthly checks and control of Quarantined parts and assets within the business, including escalation for long standing quarantined items.
• Control and dissemination of housekeeping and FOD standards within the manufacturing area/s. This includes weekly process confirmations, scores of operator housekeeping reporting sheets and escalation of identified issues.
• Support and running of weekly and monthly business Quality reviews. Reporting Quality performance of the business, actions identified and support for upcoming audits.
• Ensuring records retention is adhered to.

I spent 6+ years working at Kaman in roles relating to the support of complex composite manufacture for the Aerospace industry. In this time, I have acquired both hands on and support experience relating to all aspects of composite manufacture varying from lay-up and curing all the way to final processes such as paint and inspection. Included in this is also experience relating to the testing and validation of composite manufacture such as non-destructive testing, faro-arm CMM inspection and destructive testing of process control panels

I was last employed by Kaman Composites UK as a Quality Engineer responsible for two major programs to 1st/2nd tier Aerospace companies, as well as supporting other internal Quality needs such as audits and continuous improvement activities.

One of my key responsibilities was the management of internal non-conformance, this included the review and disposition of non-conforming manufacture as well as risk management and prevention, as to have minimal to no impact on delivery targets whilst ensuring that only conforming product is released to customer/s. There are many tools that I used to assist myself with these activities and responsibilities; mainly the use of PFMEAs & 8Ds to highlight internal risks, reduce the likelihood of risks occurring and prevent repeated non-conformance. I also liaised with the company’s continuous improvement manager to further reduce the likelihood of internal risk resulting in non-conformance.

Another key responsibility was validating NPI through the use of FAIRs and PPAPs to multiple customers. This includes providing the evidence to validate internal processes, materials used and manufacture of a product that conforms to customer drawings and specifications. Once FAIR or PPAP is complete and accepted by customer; SPC, Cp and Cpk data analysis is then performed to prove manufacturing repeatability and highlight any potential areas for improvement.

In addition to this, I also dealt with customer concerns relating to the release of poor-quality product or their audits. I work with customers and SQEs so that non-conforming product is released then we can mitigate the impact to customer, control and manage the location of the product and ensure that it is contained. 8Ds and other activities will then be performed to ensure that such non-conformance doesn’t happen again.

My role also involved the management and control of the Kaman internal Quality Management System. This includes the control and internal release of documents such as Company Procedures and Inspection Plans. I also managed internal employee competence validation through the use of skills matrixes and stamp control.

Throughout my 6 years at Kaman, working in an Aerospace environment, I have been given multiple different responsibilities including my combined 4+ years as an apprentice and junior manufacturing engineer. Including what is detailed above, I have performed the below listed actions and activities:

• New part introduction and first part qualification.
• First article inspection reports (FAIRS) and delta FAIRS.
• The creation, control and management of manufacturing process schedules through the use of documentation and an ERP system (Epicor).
• Part creation, management and revision control through ERP.
• Configuration management and updating of control documentation.
• Creation and management of bills of material.
• Creation and updating of internal Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs), Work Instruction Sheets (WIS/WICs) and inspection Processes (IPS).
• The creation of customer approved repair processes.
• Root cause analysis and corrective actions of non-conformances; with the aim to reduce the risk/probability of non-conformance and scrap.
• Defect material and non-conformance reporting, with the use of material review boards.
• The review and interpretation of various pieces of data for non0conformance disposition (e.g. autoclave cure data, mechanical destructive testing results, non-destructive testing results, material specifications).
• Creation and understanding of material TATS requirements and management (Time and temperature Sensitive material).
• Continuous improvement and lean manufacturing techniques/processes.
• Engineering drawing creation and interpretation – experience with AutoCAD.
• 3D model creation and interpretation – experience with Enovia and Solidworks.
• Metallic and composite tooling design, specifications, trails and life management.
• The definition and methodology of customer approved tool preparation.
• The introduction of supplier material “Kits” for reduction in costs and complexity/size of BOM (i.e. using the same approved supplier to provide a kit of BOM items, removing the need to order and manage each line item separately).
• The creation, modification and trials of composite ply data (ply shapes).
• The introduction and improvement of ply nestings; this includes the use of “Ply Stacking” to improve efficiency and reduce waste material.
• Investigations and actions into reducing direct labour and materials costs at a part-to-part level.
• Business critical activities relating to the improvement of Gross Margins.
• Capacity analysis; both at a company and department level.
• Performing internal audits to ensure compliance to various customer and institutional standards (e.g. NADCAP, AS9100, ITAR Regulations, etc.).
• Customer concessions.
• The understanding and following of ITAR and EAR regulations and controls.
• The continuous compliance to ISO 9001 & AS9100.
• The creation and continuous updating of an internal Quality Management System and document portal.