MINISTRY OF DEFENCE
News Release (163/2008) issued by The Government News Network on 15
July 2008
The Ministry of
Defence has today accepted an invitation from the Society for
British Aerospace Companies (SBAC) to join its 'Twenty First
Century Supply Chains' or 'SC21' programme. The
signing ceremony, which took place at the Farnborough
International Air Show, brought the number of companies and
organisations signed-up to the SC21 programme to over 370.
SC21 was launched at the Farnborough Air Show in 2006 and was
designed to improve the performance of the UK aerospace and
defence industry in an increasingly competitive world market. It
provides a framework for improving the effectiveness of supply
chains and recognises that they need to be dynamic and flexible to
keep pace with evolving business and customer needs.
In signing the SC21 members' book, Baroness Taylor, Minister
for Defence Equipment and Support, said:
"We welcome SBAC's 21st Century Supply Chain programme,
which is an excellent response to DIS (Defence Industrial
Strategy) and aligns well with our need to promote and influence
an effective and competitive supply network. Given this alignment
of interests, and encouragement from member companies, we are
delighted to accept SBAC's invitation for MoD to become a
formal signatory to the programme.''
Russ Armitage, Chairman of SC21, said:
"SC21 has made great strides since it was first launched at
the last Farnborough International Airshow in 2006. The
participation of the Ministry of Defence is another major step in
securing the future of the UK's aerospace and defence
industry through a high performance supply chain. We have a great
deal of work still to do in order to keep our industry ahead in a
very competitive global market, including the drive that we begin
at Farnborough this week to secure the participation in SC21 of
more companies within the supply chain in this country. However, a
short celebration is in order today and we look forward to the MoD
being a major partner in our work as we take the project forward."
Ian Godden, Chief Executive of the Society of British Aerospace
Companies, said:
"Industry works closely with the Ministry of Defence to
ensure that we provide the best possible equipment for our armed
forces. This agreement is a natural extension of that
co-operation. Both the defence industry and the MoD are
continuously making greater efforts to be more efficient in what
we do and SC21 is a vital part of that process. We warmly welcome
the Ministry into the SC21 fold along with the more than 370
companies who have committed to this crucial programme so far."
Notes to Editors:
1. SC21 is a collaborative programme that presents a set of
improvement and relationship principles that have been developed
and adopted by a rapidly growing number of businesses in the UK
Aerospace and Defence sector. It provides a framework for
improving the effectiveness of supply chains with three pillars:
* accreditation;
* development and performance; and
* relationships
2. For more information please visit the website http://www.mod.uk.