Andrew Harrison, Engineering Associate Fellow in Life Cycle Engineering at Rolls Royce has been awarded this prestigious honour in recognition of his extensive contribution to the engine manufacturer’s globally-leading practice of engineering for service.
Rolls Royce is a leading example of a manufacturing business that competes through advanced services; a combination of product and services designed to enable the customer to operate their business processes with greatest efficiency. It introduced a ‘Power by the Hour’ offering over fifty years ago, whereby a complete engine and accessory replacement service was offered on a fixed-cost-per-flying-hour basis. Rolls Royce consistently generates over 50% of its annual revenue from such services.
Andrew has been a leading figure for 15 years in Rolls Royce’s ongoing development of such offerings. He is an expert in how services requirements and principles should inform the design and engineering of aircraft engines in order to both optimise the service delivery to customers and also make the provision of services profitable and sustainable for the manufacturer.
Professor Tim Baines, Director of the Advanced Services Group, said of Andy’s appointment, ‘I am thrilled that Andy has been made an Honorary Professor at Aston. His expertise in designing products to enable a manufacturer to compete through advanced services is second to none. In appointing Andy to this position we wanted to recognise his contribution to manufacturing, but also to make it possible for other manufacturers who are not yet competing through services to benefit from his knowledge as a specialist advisor. I have known Andy for many years and am really looking forward to working more closely with him to help manufacturers to adopt advanced services.’
Professor Harrison will work closely with the group’s Advanced Services Partnership, an exclusive network that provides research, tools and events to likeminded business executives in the early stages of implementing services in a manufacturing business.
Aston is UK leader in the dissemination of research into advanced services – also known as ‘servitization’ – and has generated millions in additional revenue for manufacturers across the Midlands and beyond. Next year managers and specialists looking to understand advanced services are invited to attend a one-day course looking at the steps involved in servitizing a manufacturing business.
To find out more about the programme, visit www.advancedservicesgroup.co.uk/skills-for-servitization
ENDS
Notes to the editor
For more information, call Ben Kennedy, Press & PR Officer, on 0121 204 4592 or email b.p.kennedy@aston.ac.uk
