Aerospace and Defense Review : News

The aerospace and military sectors can benefit significantly from the decentralised trust, data security and integrity, traceability, transparency, visibility, and audibility that blockchain can offer in various applications. FREMONT, CA:  Blockchain significantly reduces the burden of paper, resulting in digital traceability. Paper records are constantly created, processed, managed, and stored in the A&D industry. Many of these documents are duplicated relentlessly and continuously as they move across organisational boundaries, much of it to satisfy regulatory compliance, which is critical for aircraft safety and IP protection. Also, due to the overwhelming amount of paperwork, companies save years of part records in warehouses, outside locations, and even newly purchased shipping containers. It is no surprise that several aerospace businesses are considering digitising much of the paper that they currently handle when they manufacture, interact with, and integrate parts into finished goods, or carry out maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) tasks. The reasons for this are apparent: paper records often take a long time to compile, are prone to mistakes, are challenging to find, and are even more challenging to extract useful information from. New records are created and old records are consumed as supply chain partners interact with parts. There is no part-centric perspective that offers a view from the component's side and provides insight into how that part performs throughout its lifecycle, whether in the supply chain or while functioning. Instead, each party creates and saves its view from the perspective of the component. There hasn't been a facility to quickly add to the part's historical record until lately. However, for many years, the industry has struggled to understand where parts are and how they are flowing through the supply chain. For safety, compliance with airworthiness standards, and other reasons, it is crucial to have traceability and visibility into the origin of parts and the end objects they have been placed on. Players in the sector seem to have a great chance to make better use of this important information stream. Blockchain improves collaboration with supply chain partners, resulting in more accurate forecasting. The use of traditional MRP and other forecasting approaches will continue to expand outside the confines of the organisation. Using the digital parts platform, additional ecosystem trading partners may obtain access, resulting in the creation of an ecosystem MRP where the accuracy of ordering, fulfilling, forecasting, and carrying out supply chain planning will considerably improve. The majority of supply chain partners today give inventory and lead-time data that isn't entirely correct to comply with service level agreements and other contractual performance metrics. Lead times are significantly increased across the supply chain as a result. Supply chain and economic performance can be significantly enhanced while simultaneously lowering obsolescence, stock-outs, AOGs, and overstocking of incorrect parts by applying MRP and other algorithms to a larger and more accurate dataset, one in which all parties are motivated to provide this data. ...Read more

The second edition of DEFEA - Defence Exhibition Athens will be held on May 9-11 2023. It will take place at Metropolitan Expo, the most modern exhibition centre in Greece which is located at Athens International Airport “Eleftherios Venizelos”. This dynamic event is organised under the auspices of the Ministry of National Defence (General Directorate of Defence Investments and Procurement), the Ministry of Shipping and the Ministry of Citizen Protection. DEFEA is organised by Rota SA in close cooperation with SEKPY (Hellenic Manufacturers of Defence Material Association). So far more than 350 enterprises from 26 countries have confirmed their participation, while the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence has issued more than 55 official invitations to counterparts as well as to high level Military Delegations. After the successful first edition, in 2021, which marked the comeback of Greece after the pandemic, DEFEA looks forward to become the meeting point for defence industry and officials, facilitating interstate contacts, technical and geostrategic briefings and international co-operation. Strategically located in Greece, one of the oldest member states of NATO and the EU, DEFEA offers ideal access to the Eastern Mediterranean, the Middle East, Asia and Africa, as well as Europe and USA. It should be noted that while DEFEA Exhibition is taking place, Greece is implementing a new defence procurement programme, which was outlined by the Government. Already contracts for frigates and fighter aircraft have been signed, while negotiations for a large number of other programmes are under way. Decision makers from Greece and allied countries will be present in DEFEA 2023 and, according to a plan proved successful during the 2021 Exhibition, will have the opportunity to arrange direct meetings with companies and get the information they need to outline their future procurement programmes. ...Read more

Data life cycle management for Aerospace and Defense includes tracking the design process, the digital supply chain, and the health of systems when in use. There is a growing trend in smart manufacturing, and for a good reason. Manufacturing companies can expect to adapt more quickly to changes in demand, supply chains, and other value chains with this technology. Here is how aerospace manufacturing can be changed for better using network effect.   The Data Life Cycle Provides an Opportunity for Growth Data life cycle management for A&D includes tracking the design process, the digital supply chain, and the health of systems when in use. Manufacturers and OEMs of A&D products have access to a wealth of data, but they sometimes struggle to make the most of it. Using data gathered throughout the manufacturing process to improve design, fabrication, and performance throughout the entire manufacturing life cycle is possible because of digital supply chains, smart factories, connected aircraft systems, and aftermarkets. Digital threads are used to describe this process. As a result of the democratization of data, ecosystem partners are able to improve their own processes by using information from throughout the data life cycle. Which Technology Offers the Most Value? It is possible for businesses to realize greater benefits by investing in advanced technology. One report from MAPI-Deloitte found a correlation between investments in smart factories, with those implementing the most use cases improving their labor productivity twice as much. In comparison to those still on their way, they gained many gains in labor productivity. According to the A&D executives interviewed, their investments were made with a clear focus on reducing costs, improving operations, and serving their customers better. What are the best investments in technology? When it comes to assessing what's hype and what's a real promise, what's already in use today, what's truly ready to deliver, and how broad the impact of these investments can be across the full value chain, it can be challenging. Across the industry, five notable technologies are gaining traction. ...Read more