Dassault Systèmes hosted during the Paris Airshow round tables with keynote speakers from Airbus, Beyond Aero, UUDS, just to name a few. The panel discussions highlighted the transformative impact of digitalization, the urgent need for innovation, and the importance of collaboration across the aerospace and defense sectors. A recurring theme across these discussions was the critical role of digital transformation in addressing contemporary challenges. This transformation is not merely incremental but revolutionary, with digital technologies reshaping defense strategies, aircraft manufacturing, supply chain management, and sustainable aviation initiatives. The panels underscored the need for integrated digital infrastructure to enhance interoperability, streamline operations, and maintain sovereignty over sensitive data. The discussions also emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive and proactive approach to defense and security that leverages digital tools effectively.
Ensure Defense Sovereignty
A significant insight from the panels was the shift towards a connected and collaborative combat model, moving from a system approach to a system of systems paradigm. This shift demands interoperability, physical standardization, functional alignment, and data harmonization, with AI playing a crucial role in ensuring semantic interoperability between various systems. Virtual twins and testing environments were identified as essential for simulating interactions and avoiding integration failures, suggesting a mindset shift towards designing systems as actors in a digital collaborative architecture. The exponential growth of digitalization and the complexity it introduces were discussed, highlighting the need for new ways of working and innovative tools to manage software-driven products effectively. The role of cloud technology in facilitating data sharing among partners was emphasized, with dedicated military clouds being crucial for processing large amounts of data and accelerating decision-making processes.
Ramp Up Production
The discussions on aircraft manufacturing revealed the significant backlog of aircraft orders and the challenges in ramping up production rates to meet market demands. The complexity of modern aircraft, with more variants and intricate designs, adds to these challenges, necessitating effective synchronisation of the supply chain. The importance of vertical integration and lean principles to eliminate waste and ensure on-time delivery was stressed, along with the need for effective collaboration with customers and suppliers to manage variations and uncertainties. Digital transformation was seen as pivotal in improving manufacturing processes, with examples of how digital tools are being used to streamline operations and plan collaboratively with suppliers.
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Empower Quality And Operation Excellence
The panels also delved into the complexities and challenges of optimizing supply chain performance, particularly in the wake of disruptions caused by global events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and geopolitical shifts. Financial volatility, quality issues, and logistical challenges were discussed, along with strategies to mitigate these risks. Monitoring supplier performance, financial health, and geopolitical exposure were identified as key measures, along with government initiatives to develop local supply chains. Vertical integration and state-of-the-art technology were seen as essential for managing post-pandemic growth and streamlining manufacturing processes. Digitalization emerged as a critical theme, with platforms facilitating digital continuity and collaboration among users. Despite the benefits, challenges such as change management, legacy systems integration, and balancing on-premise versus cloud solutions were acknowledged.
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Drive Sustainable Innovation
Sustainable aviation was a focal point, with discussions on hydrogen and electric propulsion systems and the necessary infrastructure to support these innovations. The transition from conventional aviation fuels to hydrogen and battery technology was highlighted, with business aviation identified as a promising starting point for decarbonizing aviation. The importance of collaboration between startups, established OEMs, airports, and regulatory bodies to ensure successful integration of hydrogen-powered and battery-electric aircraft into the existing aviation framework was stressed. Infrastructure development, particularly the design and management of vertiports for eVTOLs and other electric aircraft, was deemed crucial for advanced air mobility. The panels underscored the need for industry-wide collaboration to develop certification standards and regulations for these new technologies.
Decarbonize Aviation
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Key takeaways
Overall, the panel discussions highlighted the ambitious goals and critical need for bold visions in the aerospace industry. The urgency of accelerating efforts in sustainable aviation to meet the challenges of climate change was emphasized, along with the need for continuous innovation and collaboration to transform the aviation sector. Achieving these goals requires not only technological advancements but also regulatory support, infrastructure development, and a united effort from all industry players. The discussions reflected a collective commitment to leveraging digital tools, fostering collaboration, and driving innovation to address contemporary challenges and shape the future of aerospace and defense.
- Digital transformation revolution
- Digitalization is reshaping defense strategies, aircraft manufacturing, supply chain management, and sustainable aviation, necessitating integrated infrastructure and proactive approaches.
- Interoperability imperative
- A shift towards a connected and collaborative combat model requires interoperability, physical standardization, functional alignment, and data harmonization, with AI ensuring semantic interoperability.
- Supply chain synchronization
- Effective synchronization of the supply chain is crucial for meeting production demands, with vertical integration and lean principles eliminating waste and ensuring on-time delivery.
- Sustainable aviation collaboration
- Industry-wide collaboration is essential for integrating hydrogen-powered and battery-electric aircraft, developing certification standards, and establishing infrastructure for advanced air mobility.
- Bold visions for innovation
- Accelerating efforts in sustainable aviation and continuous innovation are critical for addressing climate change, transforming the aviation sector, and achieving ambitious industry goals.
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