How Manufacturing Process Management is Transforming Aerospace Manufacturing
The aerospace industry is experiencing unprecedented growth, fueled by strong demand drivers in each major sector. Commercial air transport passenger traffic increased 12% in 2024 alone, driving an expected 5-7% compound annual growth rate (CAGR) in aircraft manufacturing through 2030. Commercial space launch services are expected to grow between 14% and 16% (CAGR) for the same period. Global defense industrial spending is forecast to grow between 3.5% and 6% (CAGR) through 2030. While growth in each of these global sectors presents significant opportunity, it also introduces considerable challenges for manufacturers and their suppliers.
Rising production demands are intensifying the pressure on manufacturing processes, making it crucial for aerospace leaders to adapt.
Why Aerospace Manufacturing Requires Customized Approaches
Aerospace engineering and manufacturing differs significantly from other industries because of its highly specialized nature. Unlike high-volume, low product configuration industries, like MedTech, and consumer products, Aerospace programs can take decades in development, require specialized materials needing precision machining of surfaces, and typically are produced in low volumes and highly customized configurations.
Quality issues, equipment failures and regulatory updates also require manufacturers to maintain a closed-loop feedback system, linking maintenance events to root cause resolutions. This approach ensures ongoing improvement and compliance. Therefore, they require customized approaches to managing product definition data and their underlying business processes.
Beyond managing change across product definition data (CAD, Parts, BOMs and Documents), coordinating and synchronizing the exchange of this vital IP across cross-functional domain stakeholders is critical. In this context, the exchange and transfer of information between Engineering and Manufacturing groups has historically been manual, inefficient and error prone. The application of digital solutions provides the underpinnings to automate and synchronize the exchange of this business-critical IP leveraging quality driven, closed loop change management.
For operations and manufacturing executives, engineering teams and aftermarket/service leadership, the solution may lie in Manufacturing Process Management (MPM). MPM technology offers an innovative approach to tackling the unique complexities of aerospace manufacturing, ensuring efficiency, quality and compliance in a rapidly evolving landscape.
Solving Challenges Facing Aerospace Manufacturing
MPM provides a cohesive framework for addressing complex challenges by integrating engineering and manufacturing workflows, automating outdated processes and improving cross-functional visibility.
This solution digitizes and automates traditionally paper-based processes, eliminating manual interventions prone to errors and inconsistencies. Let’s dive into specific challenges aerospace manufacturers typically face and how MPM can help solve them.
Silos Between Engineering and Manufacturing
One of the most significant barriers to efficiency in aerospace manufacturing is the persistent division between engineering and manufacturing functions. This disconnect often hampers collaboration and disrupts workflows, a problem exacerbated by the need to scale production to meet soaring demand.
For many organizations, these silos lead to inefficiencies in translating design changes into transactional Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) platforms, and associated manufacturing processes, work instructions and work centers, causing delays and rework.
How MPM Can Help:
Synchronization of aerospace engineering changes ensure seamless alignment between design updates and manufacturing execution, reducing delays.
The MPM solution provides manufacturing resources with enhanced visibility into real-time design data, even for teams with limited technical expertise. With the seamless, automated transformation of an EBOM into an MBOM, MPM fosters live collaboration between aerospace engineering, manufacturing, and maintenance teams, enabling better decision-making and cross-departmental alignment on corporate directives. With visibility into the latest product definition data from engineering, downstream departments including manufacturing, process definition, and maintenance will remain synchronized with product development.
Capacity Constraints
Tier 1 and Tier 2 suppliers are grappling with capacity limitations, particularly as new aircraft configurations become more complex. These constraints slow the adoption of engineering updates and create bottlenecks in production. The inability to rapidly scale processes further highlights the need for streamlined manufacturing process and data management. As noted in Forbes article, “Tier 1 Growth is Transforming Aerospace & Defense”, these suppliers are developing “initiatives to better leverage our scale and breadth and to enable operational excellence and a best-in-class cost structure.”
How MPM Can Help:
Automation of processes reduces reliance on human intervention, minimizing errors and improving overall process reliability. For example, many production firms rely on a manufacturing engineer to move part numbers and quantities from an EBOM to an MBOM, which is at risk for typos and errors. When MPM automates this translation process, human error is no longer a risk, and resources' time can be focused on more urgent responsibilities.
The reusability of engineering content also facilitates the integration of design data into manufacturing work instructions and viewable formats, enhancing efficiency.
Sub-Optimal Systems
Due to budget constraints and high market demand, many aerospace companies have not yet digitized their critical management systems. These systems introduce inefficiencies into critical areas like Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES) and ERP, resulting in errors and wasted resources. Without modernized tools, aerospace manufacturers struggle to achieve the agility required in today’s competitive market.
How MPM Can Help:
Strategic implementation of MPM integrates information from PLM, ERP, and MES, eliminating the manual steps required translate data from PLM to manufacturing and planning tools.
This not only makes accurate information available in real time but also eradicates the opportunity for human error in translating data, such as typos. System integration is no longer dependent on human resources and is far more robust.
Regulatory and Quality Pressures
Compliance with stringent regulations from the Department of Defense (DoD) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is a constant challenge. Directives like DoD Instruction 5000.97 and DODI 5000.88 demand rigorous traceability, process documentation and quality assurance. Ensuring accurate alignment between design, manufacturing, and in-service configurations is critical to meeting these requirements and avoiding costly penalties.
How MPM Can Help:
Through robust traceability and revision control, MPM ensures compliance with stringent aerospace industry regulations. It also supports root cause analysis and the implementation of corrective actions, bolstering quality assurance and operational resilience.
Realizing the Potential of MPM
Digital tools, such as those used successfully in MedTech, provide valuable insights into their applicability for aerospace. Customizing these solutions to meet the unique demands of the Federal, Aerospace, & Defense industry (FA&D) ensures maximum impact.
From Tier 2 suppliers to OEMs and maintenance teams, MPM drives efficiency and fosters alignment across the value chain. By eliminating barriers between departments, it ensures smoother transitions from design to production to maintenance.
Benefits
- Improved operational efficiency
- Automated data synchronization
- Reduced downtime
- Enhanced compliance
- Ability to respond rapidly to market and aerospace industry regulations changes/updates
These benefits translate into both immediate ROI and long-term resilience.
Getting Started
For aerospace leaders, the time to embrace Manufacturing Process Management (MPM) is now. Investing in systems that bridge the gap between aerospace engineering and manufacturing is essential to staying competitive in an era of rapid growth and transformation. Consider partnering with MPM providers to align your strategies with industry needs and explore solutions that enhance visibility, collaboration and efficiency.
MPM accelerates design-to-production cycles without compromising quality. By seamlessly integrating engineering updates into manufacturing workflows, organizations can meet tight deadlines and maintain high standards.
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