02 Hovertec Case Study SV Groups 
First Case Study – HOVERTEC Functional Role playing
Floating on air: the importance of teamwork at Hovertec1
Background information
Hovertec pIc is a large public company which has been manufacturing civilian and military helicopters for nearly 50 years. The company is very successful in its field and recently achieved annual sales of over £280 million. Profits before taxation exceeded £16.5 million. Hovertec pIc employs over 6,000 people, most of whom work in three manufacturing plants which are situated in south-west England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The manufacture of a helicopter
The manufacture of a helicopter can be divided into five interconnected processes:
1. The superstructure or 'shell', which encases the helicopter;
2. The power unit, either a turbine or piston engine, depending on application;
3. The main rotor blades and tail rotor;
4. The cockpit and passenger/crew compartment;
5. Hydraulic systems to operate the various controls;
6. The wiring loom, which is an inter-woven collection of between 1,200 and 2,000 electrical cables, connecting components, systems and controls.
Although the latest technology is used in these production and assembly processes, the manufacture of a complete helicopter is a relatively slow process, taking three weeks for a civilian unit and four weeks for the larger, more sophisticated military helicopter. One 'bottleneck' in the process is the long time taken to assemble the wiring loom.
Assembling a wiring loom
Because of the complexity of the task and the high risk of error, the assembly of each loom is normally carried out by one technician who takes up to ten working days to assemble a complete loom. Production output is maintained by a team of 24 loom technicians who work in two shifts of 12 technicians per shift. The loom technicians are all qualified maintenance fitters who have received extensive training from the company. They are the highest-paid section of the workforce after the supervisors and
Floating on air: the importance of teamwork at Hovertec1
Background information
Hovertec pIc is a large public company which has been manufacturing civilian and military helicopters for nearly 50 years. The company is very successful in its field and recently achieved annual sales of over £280 million. Profits before taxation exceeded £16.5 million. Hovertec pIc employs over 6,000 people, most of whom work in three manufacturing plants which are situated in south-west England, Scotland and Northern Ireland.
The manufacture of a helicopter
The manufacture of a helicopter can be divided into five interconnected processes:
1. The superstructure or 'shell', which encases the helicopter;
2. The power unit, either a turbine or piston engine, depending on application;
3. The main rotor blades and tail rotor;
4. The cockpit and passenger/crew compartment;
5. Hydraulic systems to operate the various controls;
6. The wiring loom, which is an inter-woven collection of between 1,200 and 2,000 electrical cables, connecting components, systems and controls.
Although the latest technology is used in these production and assembly processes, the manufacture of a complete helicopter is a relatively slow process, taking three weeks for a civilian unit and four weeks for the larger, more sophisticated military helicopter. One 'bottleneck' in the process is the long time taken to assemble the wiring loom.
Assembling a wiring loom
Because of the complexity of the task and the high risk of error, the assembly of each loom is normally carried out by one technician who takes up to ten working days to assemble a complete loom. Production output is maintained by a team of 24 loom technicians who work in two shifts of 12 technicians per shift. The loom technicians are all qualified maintenance fitters who have received extensive training from the company. They are the highest-paid section of the workforce after the supervisors and