Company
ESM — Engineering Solution and Machining
A Tunisian aerospace machining company founded in 2019, built from the start around an all-new machine park and an aerospace quality system.
The company
Young by design
ESM was created in December 2019 with a specific intent: to build an aerospace machining capability in Tunisia without inheriting an ageing machine park or a quality system retrofitted from general engineering.
Every CNC machining centre was purchased new. The quality system was built for EN 9100 rather than adapted to it. The ERP covers production, planning and product lifecycle rather than accounting alone. There is no legacy to work around — which is why a new part can be industrialised here without first negotiating with thirty years of habit.
The company has grown from 20 people at start-up to about 150 today, across production, engineering, quality, supply chain and support, on a single site at Ben Arous, south of Tunis. ESM holds fully-exporting company status under the Tunisian customs regime, which simplifies import and export flows for customer-owned material and finished parts.
Trajectory
How the capability was built
Company founded
ESM is created in December 2019 at Ben Arous, with 20 people and a first set of DMG MORI vertical machining centres.
ISO 9001 and the aerospace path
The quality management system is certified to ISO 9001 and the company commits to the EN 9100 programme.
5-axis and horizontal capacity
Installation of 5-axis vertical centres and horizontal machining centres with pallet changers, taking the site into genuine series capability.
EN 9100 and large-envelope machining
EN 9100 certification is obtained. Large-envelope 5-axis monoBLOCK centres are added, extending the workable part size.
Digitalisation
Deployment of the ERP across production, planning, MRP and product lifecycle management, with electronic document management under way.
Organisation
Functions, owners, authority
ESM is organised around a documented process map with a named owner for each process. The management committee reviews performance monthly against defined objectives.
The Quality Manager holds the independence and authority required by EN 9100 §5.3, including the authority to stop a delivery. Every management role is defined by a formal job description specifying responsibilities, authorities and required competences.
General management
Strategy, investment, key accounts and the direction's quality commitment.
Operations
Site management, QCD performance and coordination of the operational processes.
QHSE and improvement
Quality management system, audits, customer quality, health, safety and environment.
Production
Machining, fitting, shift organisation, OEE and shop-floor management.
Engineering and development
NPI, methods, programming, simulation, tooling and industrialisation.
Supply chain
Planning and MRP, purchasing, supplier development, stores, logistics and on-time delivery.
Human resources
Competence, authorisations, recruitment, training and social climate.
Maintenance
Preventive and corrective maintenance of production means and infrastructure.
People
Technology operated by people who understand aerospace manufacturing
A five-axis centre is a commodity; the judgement to use it well is not. ESM manages competence as a controlled item: individual authorisation records for aerospace fitting and for inspection, a versatility matrix, an annual training plan and formal evaluation of training effectiveness.
Of about 150 people, roughly 70 work in production, 20 in engineering and methods, 15 in quality across system, product, FAI, customer and supplier quality, 12 in fitting and assembly, and more than 10 in supply chain, stores and logistics. Annual staff turnover is 6 %, which for a company that has quadrupled in five years is the number that matters most — the knowledge stays.
Health, safety, environment
Stated at its real maturity
Health, safety and environmental management is deployed within the QHSE process: GEMBA walks covering safety and ergonomics are part of the internal audit programme, and findings are tracked to closure with named owners.
ISO 14001 and ISO 45001 management systems are in deployment and not certified. We present them as a roadmap, because that is what they are. Where a customer requires evidence of environmental or occupational-health performance today, we provide what exists rather than what is planned.
Come and see the site.
A supplier audit, a source inspection or a first visit — we would rather you formed your opinion on the shop floor than on a web page.
