Aerospace & DefenseMay 17, 2021

Streamlining the A&D supply chain

To remain competitive, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their suppliers need to…
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Avatar David Ziegler

To remain competitive, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and their suppliers need to collaborate seamlessly. As demand soars for fuel-efficient aircraft, replete with the latest materials and technologies, every link of the complex, global supply chain is under pressure to work faster, increase agility and drive costs down.

Supporting Aerospace & Defense demand

For OEMs, in that time new technologies, regulations and customer strategies can emerge to complicate the project, cause delays and dent profitability. In the meantime, agile startups and regional OEMs, enabled by the latest technologies, are entering core markets and adding competitive pressure. To stay competitive, OEMs need to manage increasingly complex systems while driving innovation and meeting challenging budget and delivery targets. And they’re looking to lower-tier suppliers of components and subsystems to share more of the risk and responsibility.

Suppliers are feeling the pressure too. To maintain strong relationships with their OEM customers, they need to design and deliver increasingly complex components, faster and at lower cost. At the same time, they must make sure they can expand their footprint into new markets around the world, keeping pace with OEMs as they seek new opportunities and supply chain efficiencies. There’s only one way to achieve that: find leaner, more agile and more connected ways to work with OEMs.

Improving collaborative innovation and visibility

Integrating data from across the supply chain in a single platform can help organizations at every level resolve those issues. By applying AI, advanced analytics, optimized planning and 3D simulation capabilities to integrated data, OEMs can achieve a connected view that supports collaboration and efficiency throughout the supply chain. Suppliers can collaborate on innovation and planning without the cost or risk of building and testing physical prototypes.

, for instance, achieved instant project visibility with real-time dashboards and data traceability that helps ensure compliance, as well as linking its PLM and ERP processes.

Embraer uses a digital platform to connect the dots between engineering and manufacturing planning stakeholders, providing real-time product and build information. This has accelerated development time and improved quality and design innovation.

uses a centralized platform to ensure quality and consistency across all internal and external stakeholders worldwide, enabling it to meet challenging production ramp-up targets and customer commitments.

As these examples illustrate, data integration is the key to enabling organizations across the supply chain to innovate and grow together. Once that door is open, they are ready to fly.


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