Managing Ricardo's engine assembly supply chain: Q&A with Andrew Warwick

Ricardo’s engine assembly operations at our Shoreham Technical Centre, is carried out by a multi-disciplined team of expert engineers, technicians and specialists all working seamlessly together to manage the assembly multiple variants of engine across McLaren’s high performance product range.

With approximately 160 unique components going into a single engine, effective management of such a complex supply chain is an essential role which falls to Andrew Warwick, Head of Supply Chain and Commercial. He gives us an insight into what his role entails.

Q: Tell us more about your background?

I started my career in sales, having completed a business and economics degree at Loughborough University. However, after finding it difficult to engage with this type of work, I decided to move into procurement and supply chain operations.

I held a couple of junior procurement roles before I joined McLaren about nine years ago. When I was younger, I dreamt of working in the automotive industry and with sports cars, so I’m fortunate to have been able to achieve this ambition.

Eventually I moved to Ricardo to support the P16 engine assembly program for the McLaren Artura. I followed the model through from development into series production and eventually became a Supply Chain Manager for the programme.

More recently, my role has incorporated more of a commercial aspect, taking on elements of customer account management as well as my supply chain management responsibilities.

Q: How did you find the transition from customer to working at Ricardo?

There are different challenges. As Ricardo is a tier one supplier, we have a responsibility to our client to make sure that the programme continues to deliver on time and within the defined budget. Managing the supply chain plays a big role in that.

It has definitely been beneficial to draw on my knowledge of some of our client’s internal mechanisms because it means that I’ve been able to align Ricardo’s processes with theirs to give the customer the best experience.

Learn about Ricardo's Engine Assembly capability

Q: Can you explain more about your role and key responsibilities?

There are two aspects to my role. As Head of Supply Chain, me and my team are responsible for managing a network of around 120 suppliers. We make sure that parts are ordered in the right quantities at the right time, and that our inventories are managed efficiently so that production can run smoothly.

I also have a commercial responsibility to build and maintain a strong relationship with our client, making sure that they are getting the best possible value out of their programme and helping them to solve any challenges that might arise.

Q: What would you say were some of the biggest challenges around supply chain optimisation?

One of our biggest challenges is in the complexity of the parts that we deal with. Because of this complexity, unexpected supply chain challenges can have a major impact on production. Off the shelf purchasing isn’t an option for the components that go into the delivery of this programme.

Having a strong relationship with our customer means we’re able to talk honestly and openly when challenges arise and work collaboratively to resolve them.

Our people also have strong relationships with our supply chain. Each member of the team has their own set of suppliers that they are responsible for so if challenges arise, they can work closely with them to resolve the problem.

Q: How do you think supply chain processes will evolve?

The way that we manage data is always evolving, and it’s helping us to improve our supply chain processes. At Ricardo, we’re always looking at ways to be more efficient and understand how data can be used to our advantage.

Our entire engine assembly process is driven by data, from just-in-time inventory to line-side component tracking. All this information helps us to identify efficiencies that we can pass on to our client. AI is also playing a role in improving our supply chain processes, helping us to identify and solve potential issues before they impact production.

Q: What kind of systems and processes do we have in place to ensure quality and delivery?

We track metrics, such as OTIF performance, as part of a wider supplier scorecard which helps us to monitor performance.

If there are concerns, then we can draw upon the supplier quality assurance (SQA) team to support with an audit to understand what improvements can be made. Our SQA teams are exceptional at what they do, and because of the way that our team is structured, it is easy for us to get input from across the department to solve any challenges as efficiently as possible.

Q: What’s the best thing about working at Ricardo and what are your ambitions for the future?

I’m fortunate in that every business I’ve worked for has had a people first culture, and Ricardo is no exception. But the way that we are able to collaborate with each other is the real game changer.

The siloed mentality where everyone is concentrating on their own roles and responsibilities doesn’t exist at Ricardo. If a challenge arises then everyone rolls up their sleeves and works towards a solution as a team. Our team is made up of people with exceptional talent in their field, and this cross-functional approach to problem solving really helps us to drive value for our client.

It’s this collaborative culture that makes me want to continue to develop my career at Ricardo. We work in a very high-pressure environment, and every day brings something new, but we have fun and enjoy our time at work together.

Read more like this: Inside engine assembly excellence at Ricardo: Q&A with Adam Bold

If you would like to learn more about Ricardo’s engine assembly capability, reach out to one of our experts to arrange an appointment.

Book a meeting