Did you know we have experience with working with a number of aerospace clients?
If you’ve been following us for a while, you know we love a good series of blogs tackling different subjects. With this in mind, over the next few months, we are going to spend more time looking at the benefits of SyteLine and CloudSuite Industrial for all of you who are part of the aerospace industry.
What makes the aerospace industry so special?
The UK aerospace industry is part of the very fabric of the UK manufacturing industry, which has been around for over 100 years. As a nation, we have a long history of being at the forefront of the manufacturing and technology that makes up this sector’s bones and, indeed, its future.
The latest stats from ADS, which is one of the trade associations for the UK’s aerospace, defence and security sectors, are pretty impressive. With an £82bn turnover, it’s a great sector to work in. Aerospace alone provides over thirty percent of that turnover, and space just over twenty. We have the 2nd largest aerospace industry in the world after the US, which is also impressive when you consider the size of the UK!
What are the main considerations for an aerospace supplier?
The supply chain around our aerospace industry is mature, with many players in the sector for a long time. It can make it feel harder for newer companies trying to engage with Tier 1 and Tier 2 aerospace businesses. However, there are things you can do.
The main thing to remember is that regulation is everything in this sector. Traceability is a huge factor for anyone who is looking to enter this supply chain. Your product must be of a repeatable standard, no matter the quantities involved. Not only that, you need to be able to prove this!
There are specific standards unique to the aerospace sector; the leading standard for aerospace is AS9100; these ensure that the quality standards are being met consistently and, more importantly, the final product remains safe. However, ISO9001 is successfully operated by many businesses in this sector.
There are numerous articles that have been written about standards, so we’re not about to launch into writing about that here. One of the places to check out information about this is the BSI website.
It’s also worth remembering that no matter where you sit in the supply chain, even if you’re supplying bolts to a Tier 3 business, you’ll need to prove your product is of sufficient quality, which means adhering to AS9100.
Whilst this sounds like doom and gloom, it actually is a massive benefit. By following the standards required, there are knock-on effects to your business. It can lead to increased efficiencies and greater transparency within the supply chain, but it also can help with sustainability.
Whilst we’re talking about that, there are a lot of conversations happening right now about how the industry can get to Net Zero by 2050 (Jet Zero). This is leading to more research around things like Hybrid Air Vehicles to help reduce carbon emissions, etc.
Watch this space for future blogs on sustainability and ESG, which may be useful for not only aerospace manufacturing but any discrete manufacturer.
What SyteLine modules will be helpful?
First and foremost, quality is the biggest thing you need to be considering. In SyteLine, the Quality Management module is your best friend. We’ve written about QCS before. However, the salient points you need to know are that you can manage your product testing, C of C’s, serialisation and inspection processes, and even customer returns all in one module.
The next module we’d encourage you to look at is Advanced Planning & Scheduling, APS. This is, again, something we’ve written about many times before! By using APS, you are much more likely to keep to your delivery times and can ensure you don’t become a bottleneck in the supply chain!
Finally, another good choice would be something like Infor Document Management, IDM, which can help you keep on top of all the mountains of paperwork likely to be involved when you become part of the aerospace supply chain!
These three modules are only scratching the surface of what can be accomplished with SyteLine.
This was a quick tour of some of what you may need to consider. However, we appreciate there is much more to this than just one blog will allow. So, over the next few months, we’ll be taking some time out to talk more about the unique challenges aerospace suppliers face.
In the meantime, if you want to extend your functionality, upgrade, or discuss how SyteLine can help you, please feel free to get in touch or call us today.