JONATHAN LLOYD BAXTER

I have over 14 years of experience in the aerospace industry, starting with a time-served apprenticeship at Shorts Brothers / Bombardier. My career has provided me with diverse expertise, including hands-on manufacturing experience as a fitter, leadership and management skills as a lead hand, and simulation modelling expertise from my time as an Industrial Engineer.

I hold a lifetime Associate Membership with the Institute of Management Services (IMS) and am a certified IMS Measurement Practitioner and Productivity Analyst. These qualifications have enhanced my ability to implement effective management practices and drive productivity improvements.

My current role involves the production of digital twins of our manufacturing facilities using Discrete Event Simulation (DES) software. These models are then used to support the on-site Operational & Manufacturing teams, by carrying out on-going support through rate readiness and capacity analysis, 'What-If' scenarios and many other tasks.

I am also one of three founding members of our Global DES Community of Practice team. This involves bi-weekly collaboration between Spirit Aerosystems DES Practitioners, sharing best practices, tips and tricks, informative training sessions as well as other general DES topics. I regularly contribute by delivering presentations designed to benefit both new and advanced users.

In addition, I oversee all DES training at Spirit Belfast. This includes providing one-on-one guidance throughout the 12-week SIMIO training program and developing internal training packages tailored to our specific build philosophy and modeling needs. My goal is to equip team members with the skills necessary to enhance their proficiency in DES applications.