Relocation of London Terminal Control Client

SELEX Systems Integration, working in partnership with NATS, successfully completed the replication and transfer of the London Terminal Control and London Military Area Radar Service facility previously located at West Drayton, to the Swanwick ATC centre.

Challenge

The London Terminal Control service ensures the safe separation and expeditious flow of all air traffic into Heathrow, Gatwick, Stansted, Luton and London City airports. It is one of the busiest and most complex Air Traffic Control (ATC) environments in Europe.

 

NATS required the replication and transfer of the London Terminal Control and London Military Area Radar Service facility, which was previously located at West Drayton, to the Swanwick ATC centre.

 

During the relocation to a new control centre, continuity and safety of the London Terminal Control Air Traffic Service had to be maintained, with a key requirement being to build, equip and test the new centre without any interference to existing systems.

The project needed completing within an exceptionally demanding timescale that was critical to the success of the client’s business.

 

In particular, this major change programme required the following key capabilities:

 

  • Strong relationship management and partnering skills
  • Strong project management and business change management skills
  • Replication of legacy systems requiring an innovative approach to managing design and obsolescence issues to maximise reuse and minimise risk
  • Buying power of a large commercial organisation to secure best equipment discounts which were gain shared with the client
  • Responsiveness and flexibility to changes in customer priorities
  • Effective management of stakeholders
  • Efficient and effective deployment of skills throughout the life cycle of the project - ie. making sure the right people were available at the right time
  • An open book approach

 

How SELEX Systems Integration helped

As prime contractor, SELEX Systems Integration, rapidly mobilised a 25-strong project management and systems engineering specialist team to complement the NATS team to understand, manage and prioritise the critical activities.

 

The heart of the SELEX Systems Integration approach was ‘lean engineering’ – streamlining procurement, installation and acceptance. In particular, the late detection of defects is both the principal driver of contingency provision (and hence cost) and the principal risk to schedule adherence. Zero defects are achieved by revealing and solving problems at their source and dealing with them immediately they occur.

 

SELEX Systems Integration was responsible for the provision and deployment of the major systems at Swanwick, and the training and contingency facilities at NATS Corporate and Technical Centre, with contracts totalling £20m.

 

Value delivered

It was the first major NATS project to receive a “Green Light” project rating and to achieve all the Board Level milestones ahead of schedule and within tight budgetary constraints. As a result, SELEX Systems Integration was contracted to carry out a similar exercise at the Prestwick ATC Centre – another story of successful implementation.

 

SELEX Systems Integration and NATS finished second in a prestigious national award for the work undertaken together on this project. The NATS Director, Engineering and Commercial Services also said the relocation of the Terminal Control was the "perfect project".