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Published in:
2017 | OriginalPaper | Chapter
Driving the Digital Enterprise in the Aerospace Industry
Authors : Helmuth Ludwig, Alastair Orchard
Published in: Supply Chain Integration Challenges in Commercial Aerospace
Publisher: Springer International Publishing
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Abstract
Digitalization is nothing less than a “question of survival” according to the German Chancellor Angela Merkel. For the aerospace industry, it is a huge opportunity, but it is also a vehicle for newer, more agile companies to leap ahead of existing market leaders, to realize their advantage and become Digital Enterprises today.
Technology is changing our lives. The way we travel, buy things, and interact with the world around us is different. Crowd sourced design, systems-driven product development, 3D printing, intelligent automation, advanced robotics and lifecycle analytics provide the technical foundation for a radical change to manufacturing industries. Some people even talk already about a fourth industrial revolution that will disrupt manufacturing as much as the digital camera did for 35 mm film.
Industries with the longest lead times and most complex products have the most to gain. History has shown that established market leaders are often the last to move and may be the most susceptible to agile competition—this is especially true in the digital world. A properly managed digital transformation should be at the top of the list for any manufacturer looking to be competitive in a highly sophisticated and demand driven world of 2020 and beyond (Fig. 1).