Taking the pulse of major aerospace manufacturers at the Farnborough Air Show last week, supply chain disruptions and firefighting are in virtually every conversation. Procurement has become different from what it was a few years ago, and there is a consensus that it will take a few years for the entire global system to adjust.
There is a common feeling that the new challenges ahead cry out for new solutions. One example is the urgent need for a small amount of material. Until now, this was solved with a few phone calls or e-mails to another company in the industry. Now, the volume of assortments (and therefore enquiries) has made this process very time-consuming, distracting buyers and planners from their core tasks. A drain on resources that pushes the management of excess inventory into the background.
So this is where crowd-inventory comes in. Having each aerospace manufacturer’s excess inventory available in one place, so that buyers can quickly access and purchase that last need for a small quantity. This is a successful approach in other markets, so it is great news that Firius is taking off in European aerospace commodity sourcing.
Firius is a fast-growing mass inventory community where available items are synchronised unattended, and buyers can search and buy in seconds from a vast database of many other users, from standard parts to alloys of any shape and composite materials.
Use of Firius is restricted to aerospace manufacturers, technology centres and universities via firius.com. Registration, search and inventory synchronisation are free of charge.
