Original Date: 10/27/2003
Revision Date: 01/18/2007

Located in Dayton, Ohio, Auto-Valve, Inc. (AVI) was founded in 1947 by A. C. Bacus to manufacture quality valves and components for fuel systems used by aircraft manufacturers. The earlier valves were used primarily to drain water condensation from fuel tanks. The company has since grown to approximately $5M in annual sales and is presently qualified to manufacture more than 5,000 different valves. Currently, AVI continues to manufacture fuel system valves, but the company’s expertise and product lines have expanded over the years to include oil, hydraulic, water, and air system valves and assemblies.

Customer satisfaction is key to AVI’s success. The company boasts on-time delivery of more than 99%, and a product return rate from its customers of less than 1%. All valve assemblies undergo a stringent 100% functional testing and certification process. The company’s philosophy is that product safety and performance are most important in satisfying customers’ needs.

The valve systems designed and manufactured by AVI are used in more than 75% of all commercial aircraft manufactured in the United States and in more than 98% of all military aircraft. Many of AVI’s products are used in foreign-built aircraft. AVI is ISO 9001 and AS 9100 certified, and plans to submit an application for the Malcolm Baldridge Award in 2004. AVI’s facilities include a complete machining, assembly, testing, engineering, and research and development center. AVI utilizes its unique Manufacturing Resource Planning system to its fullest capabilities. The system enables the company to carry a complete stock of components used in final assemblies while not maintaining on-hand inventory of finished goods. All of AVI’s on-hand parts are sold prior to manufacture. Because many of the parts are used on various assemblies, AVI can have more than 3,000 different part numbers on-hand at any given time, and the quantity of these part numbers can be more than two million pieces. The scheduling module of the Manufacturing Resource Planning system allows AVI to perform detailed part scheduling based on sold material on-hand and next need date for more piece parts. By having control of on-hand materials, AVI eliminated the need for yearly inventory counts and reconciliation.

The company maintains a philosophy of continuous improvement, and with the innovation and dedication of all employees, has succeeded in eliminating waste in daily activities. AVI’s employees have a stake in the future success of the company and constantly strive to improve their areas of impact. AVI’s development and implementation of its Product Improvement Team, Supplier Review Program, Electronic Data Management, and Employee Training Program have enabled the company to quickly respond to changing aerospace demands. The BMP survey team considers the practices in this report to be among the best in industry and government.

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The following acronyms were used in this report:

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