Jetstream
The new Jetstream sports car will be unveiled in mid 2007, an exciting new rear engine sports car similar in size to the Lotus Elise. The Jetstream will start at £27,000 for the 200hp version, ranging up to £35,000 for the 300hp model.
This will be the fruition of several years of planning and design by Jetstream Sports Cars Ltd Managing Director Malcolm Faiers and partner John Donnelly.
The company moved to Cornwall in 2005 having previously being based in the United States and then Gloucestershire.
Malcolm says ‘We have been thrilled with the level of business support we have found in Cornwall and in particular the help we have received through actnow’.
The business has been approved for a grant of £19,800 to help pay for its website, computers, servers and sophisticated online manufacturing management system.
Jetstream Sports Cars Ltd makes the most of the latest technology at every stage of its operations.
Malcolm says ‘I come from a background with BMW and Mitsibushi, which are highly computer controlled and we are replicating this in our own company.
‘We use an online Manufacturing Management System (MMS). This is a time and resource management tool that is used by everyone involved – the dealers, the managers, the welders and the workers on the assembly line.
The whole sales side is controlled by the system, so when a dealer takes an order, this goes in to the online system, all the parts are automatically ordered online and the build begins.
The individuals involved in the assembly of the car are also managed through the online system. When they arrive at work, they log into their individual page and it tells them what specific tasks they need to carry out today. Along the top of the page is a time bar and as time elapses, this will show how the worker is performing in relation to the time available.
For managers, the online MMS is a real benefit. It can be used to show at a glance exactly what every part costs, what stage the build of each car is at and all other vital management information.’
This focus on technology on the production and management side is complemented by a fully integrated eCommerce website, due to be launched in February 2007.
Malcolm says ‘The customer will be able to specify the precise build of his own car, if he wants, or he can choose to go through a dealer instead. When an order is made, the parts required are ordered from the suppliers, directly through the online system. The savings this system makes in terms of time efficiencies are immense.’
The company plans to make still further use of broadband technology. ‘We are going to use videoconferencing to communicate with our dealers. The sales people out on the road will all work flexibly. It makes sense to keep our demonstration model in Rugby in the Midlands, so it is central for us to be able to transport it to events. So the whole business will be geographically spread out and we will use broadband technology and a virtual private network to keep us all working as closely together as if we were all in the same office.’
Malcolm concludes ‘The Jetstream is a revolutionary sports car that we expect to take the market by storm. We could not achieve this if it were not for the revolutionary and transformational impact of broadband on the way we are running the business.’
