At Rockwell Collins, we have worldwide Supply Chain teams working closely with our customers and our diverse supply base. Operating under the Shared Service business model, Material and Supply is responsible for our company's entire Supply Chain value stream. This begins with the identification of components or services, and ends with the shipment of products to our customers.

The 900 employees working throughout our Supply Chain are divided into the eight functional groups indicated below.

Application Engineering - The Application Engineering organization provides technical expertise and guidance on component, material and process selection. This organization also provides enterprise-wide documentation and testing/evaluation of selected materials.

Enterprise Sourcing - The Enterprise Sourcing team is in charge of developing, implementing and managing our global sourcing strategies. This enables our company to speak in one voice to our suppliers. This group also is in charge of our category teams - or teams with the goal of aligning all global business units. The results of these efforts are proactive source selections, increased supplier relationship management, and attainment of the lowest total cost of ownership.

Subcontracts - The Subcontracts organization is in charge of managing our complex assemblies/products and software services. This includes working closely with Life Cycle Value Stream (LCVS) groups early in the pursuit stages of new business to define supply chain requirements.

Planning - The Planning group is responsible for ensuring a disciplined approach to loading requirements into the Material Requirements Planning (MRP) system is used. They also must ensure planning parameters are established so an executable plan within Supply Chain that meets or exceeds goals is available. This includes accounting for constraints and capabilities within the entire Supply Chain.

Procurement - The primary focus of our Procurement organization is to guarantee quality parts are available for our customers at the right time. Major requirements for this group include keeping the best cost of the material in mind and maintaining supplier relationships. This group is always aiming to meet or exceed goals that contribute to our company's bottom line, including inventory management, supplier performance, and material availability.

Logistics - Making sure material is delivered to the internal customers in manufacturing and engineering is one of the main focuses of our Logistics organization. Of equal importance in this division is the assurance that customers and end users receive finished products on time and in a cost effective manner.

Supply Chain Quality Assurance - This group makes sure purchased items meet performance expectations through the life cycle of our company's products. Fulfilling customer expectations, conducting inspections, and working with suppliers falling short of expectations are all activities of this group. Supply Chain Quality Assurance uses a combination of quality and Lean and Six Sigma resources to improve product quality, performance, and service from our company's suppliers.

Supply Chain Services - This team manages information flow, processes, tools, and the people of our Supply Chain organization to ensure that all functions within Material and Supply meet their technical, cost, efficiency and asset goals.

— Information compiled by Erin Harmeyer.