Industry Forum

Category: Aerospace

The 2025 Midlands Aerospace Alliance annual conference held at RAF Cosford was a fantastic opportunity to hear the insights of the diverse Aerospace manufacturing supply chain from OEMs to lower Tiers and even tool manufacturers. It provided key insights into the industry’s current challenges and opportunities.

This article will discuss the main takeaways from the event, focusing on supply chain resilience, zero-defect manufacturing, and strategies for scaling production in a volatile global landscape.

The aerospace industry is undergoing a critical phase of ramp-up, with demand for commercial and defence aircraft surging. Airbus and Boeing’s backlog by the end of 2024 was 14,253 (ADS, 2024). One of the sectors biggest challenges is trying to navigate the current geopolitical landscape, rising demand and therefore the increased emphasis on the need for risk resilience in the supply chain.

Supply Chain Risk Resilience: A Pressing Concern

Aerospace supply chains are complex and globally interconnected, making them vulnerable to disruptions. The industry is still grappling with the lingering effects of pandemic-induced shortages, geopolitical tensions such as the introduction of US tariffs, and logistical constraints. Lead times for certain essential dependant components remain extended, acting as a bottleneck to the product development process. Additionally, the limited availability of raw materials has placed further strain on production schedules.
Manufacturers are increasingly adopting risk-mitigation strategies such as reshoring, dual-sourcing, and digital supply chain monitoring to enhance resilience. The integration of AI-driven predictive analytics is also helping firms anticipate disruptions and adjust procurement strategies in real time. Yet, despite these advancements, the industry continues to experience delays, impacting aircraft delivery schedules and customer commitments.
Airbus spoke at the conference on the need for Industrial Maturity. They proposed that in order to have a resilient supply chain there must be zero tolerance on non-quality and safety, innovation and an ongoing drive to remove waste in manufacturing in order to be competitive.
An Aerospace Supply Chain Resilience Report (Roland Berger, 2024) was presented which highlighted key challenges in ramping up production. Many companies face difficulties in scaling, due to the discussed reasons. Supply chain disruptions have worsened, with Tier-1 suppliers hit hardest. To address this, firms are restructuring supply chains, focusing on regionalisation and improved resilience. Recommendations from the report include tackling bottlenecks, enhancing long-term stability, and fostering collaboration to ensure consistent, high-quality production.

The Importance of Zero-Defect Tools for Ramp-Up

As production rates accelerate, ensuring product integrity is paramount. Aerospace components must meet stringent quality and safety standards (such as AS13100, if within the Aero-Engine supply chain), with defects posing severe risks to both operational performance, in-flight safety and regulatory compliance. To mitigate these risks, manufacturers are leveraging zero-defe ct frameworks, such as Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP).
Adopting the Zero Defect tool kit will enable manufacturers to produce high-precision components with minimal waste, reducing the likelihood of defects that could cause costly rework or aircraft grounding. But it will also help with ramp-up.
APQP streamlines aerospace ramp-up by ensuring quality and consistency. It identifies risks early, standardises processes, and aligns suppliers. The Reference Manual RM13145 which is aligned to AS13100 discusses supply chain risk management and how risk factors relating to organisations and products can be mitigated (AESQ, 2024). Ultimately, the framework, when adopted effectively enhances supply chain resilience, reduces defects, and accelerates production scaling.

Striking the Balance Between Speed and Accuracy

While ramping up production is necessary to meet growing demand, the aerospace sector must strike a delicate balance between speed and precision. Supply chain fragility and quality concerns must be addressed through proactive risk management, investment in advanced manufacturing tools, and closer collaboration across the supply network.
By prioritising resilience and Zero Defect methodologies, aerospace manufacturers can navigate the challenges of supply chain uncertainty while ensuring that every aircraft component meets the highest standards of reliability and performance.

SMMT Industry Forum supports aerospace manufacturers and has training endorsed by AESQ member companies that provide expert support in these key areas where skill gaps exist: APQP, PPAP, Lean Manufacturing and Supply Chain Management.

If you would like to discuss how we could support helping with enhancing your organisations quality, reducing defects, and efficiently scaling production to meet rising demand, then please feel free to get in touch:

Joseph Dodd MSc CMgr MCMI Aerospace Quality Management Consultant

Email: [email protected] https://calendly.com/joseph-dodd-industryforum

tel: +44 (0)121 717 6600 | mob: +44 (0)7809522182 | web: www.industryforum.co.uk

What is the industry adopted ‘Zero Defects’ buzz and how does it benefit your business?

Adopting a zero defects mentality and approach is essential for the long-term survival of the civil aerospace sector.

The ‘Zero defects’ approach is a mindset that is underpinned by tools and techniques employed throughout the Design and Manufacture of Aerospace product.

When considering creating a structured process to support Zero Defects then Aerospace Standard AS9145 defines Aerospace requirements for Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval (PPAP). This standard provides a more comprehensive approach for planning for product quality with the benefit that it embeds the key elements of the Zero defects approach.

The message from Rolls-Royce seems to be clear. They are enjoying the benefits of Zero defects gained by implementing Advanced Product Quality Planning and they are promoting its use by the supply chain. APQP benefits the supply chain, it benefits Rolls-Royce, and it benefits the customers of Rolls-Royce.

“Zero Defects” is a quality management philosophy that was embraced by Rolls-Royce to ensure the highest level of precision and quality in its products, particularly in the manufacturing of aircraft engines. The concept originates from the idea of striving for perfection by minimising errors and defects to the point of complete elimination.

In the context of Rolls-Royce, “Zero Defects” means:

  1. Aiming for perfection: Every part, process, and product must meet the most stringent standards, with no tolerance for defects, whether in design, manufacturing, or assembly.

  2. Continuous improvement: The philosophy encourages a culture of continuous improvement where employees are empowered to suggest improvements and are involved in identifying and solving problems to prevent defects.

  3. Prevention over inspection: Instead of relying solely on inspection to catch defects after they occur, Rolls-Royce emphasises designing processes and systems that prevent defects from happening in the first place.

  4. Customer satisfaction: Zero defects translates to delivering products with no flaws, thus ensuring customer satisfaction and safety, which is critical in the aviation industry, where even the smallest error can have serious consequences.

By adopting this mindset, Rolls-Royce aims to maintain its reputation for producing high-quality, reliable, and safe engines that meet the exacting standards of the aerospace industry.

Industry Forum can support your organisations drive towards Zero defects with training courses covering Design/Process FMEA & Control Plan, MSA, Process Control and Problem Solving. We also offer training and consultancy for AS9145.

Industry Forum were privileged to have the opportunity of attending a recent event at Rolls-Royce Derby arranged by the Midlands Aerospace Alliance. The event was well organised and there was no doubting the efforts taken by the Midlands Aerospace Alliance to make this event a success, with members of the Rolls-Royce senior management team being very generous with their time and approachability.

It was a pleasure to rub shoulders with likeminded individuals who share a passion for the growth and success of the Aerospace sector in the Midlands.

Attendees were given insights into strategic initiatives being taken at Rolls-Royce and treated to a plant tour.

It was interesting to hear from Craig Askew – Manufacturing Operations. Craig shared his pride and passion for the Rolls-Royce production system.

It was also interesting to hear from James Partington – Procurement.

James shared the key procurement priorities for Rolls-Royce

Having had the opportunity digest the activities and events of the day it is evident that there are several common themes running through Rolls-Royce with an expectation that the Rolls-Royce supply chain will follow suite.

One of these themes is the drive towards Zero defects.

Adopting a zero defects mentality and approach is essential for the long-term survival of the civil aerospace sector.

The Zero defects approach is a mindset that is underpinned by tools and techniques employed throughout the Design and Manufacture of Aerospace product.

In its simplest form it can be described by the diagram below:

When considering creating a structured process to support Zero Defects then Aerospace Standard AS9145 defines Aerospace requirements for Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) and Production Part Approval (PPAP). This standard provides a more comprehensive approach for planning for product quality with the benefit that it embeds the key elements of the Zero defects approach.

The message from Rolls-Royce seems to be clear. They are enjoying the benefits of Zero defects gained by implementing Advanced Product Quality Planning and they are promoting its use by the supply chain. APQP benefits the supply chain, it benefits Rolls-Royce, and it benefits the customers of Rolls-Royce.

Industry Forum can support your organisations drive towards Zero defects with training courses covering Design/Process FMEA & Control Plan, MSA, Process Control and Problem Solving. We also offer training and consultancy for AS9145.

This article was written by our Senior Aerospace Consultant Richard Hammond, to get in touch with Richard, please email [email protected]

 

NEWS – AESQ and RM13145 Updates (APQP & PPAP):

The Aerospace Engine Supplier Quality (AESQ) strategy group created RM13145 supplemental material to offer guidance and good practise on the application of Advanced Product Quality Planning (APQP) & Production Part Approval Process (PPAP) in-line with the requirements of AS9145 and AS13100.

RM13145 aligns the general APQP and PPAP methodologies to the specific needs of aero-engine manufacturers, focusing on early risk mitigation and robustness of the introduction of change in the product development process, striving for Zero Defects.

RM13145 has recently been updated in August 2024. In addition to this supplemental material on the AESQ website, they have also added in October 2024, the PPAP Approval Form template, which supports RM13145 and is essential for confirming that suppliers meet the requirements of PPAP (AS13100). It serves to confirm that they have submitted the sufficient evidence based on the planned scope of the PPAP (submission level). The form also provides detail supporting the reason for the PPAP submission (supplied by the PPAP Co-ordinator) and also the disposition decision (supplied by the Customer Authorised Representative (CARe)).

This template has been standardised to promote consistency across the aero-engine supply chain, facilitating reduced complexity in the PPAP submission process.

The template includes the following sections:

  • Supplier Information: Details of the company submitting the PPAP, including supplier code and contact information.
  • Part Information: The specific part number, description, and revision level being approved.
  • Submission Level: Defines the level of PPAP submission required (ranging from Level 1 to Level 5) and the reason for submission
  • PPAP Submission Checklist and associated element acceptance (from customer).
  • Corrective Actions: Section for planned, dated and owned actions.
  • Signatures: From both the PPAP Co-ordinator and CARe, confirming that the PPAP has been reviewed and disposition.

At SMMT Industry Forum, our AESQ-endorsed 3-day PPAP Co-ordinator & CARe course fully covers the syllabus and qualification requirements for PPAP Co-ordinators or CARe’s as defined by AESQ Reference Manual RM13145. The training reflects the latest revision of RM13145 (August 2024) and contains the latest templates, including the PPAP Approval Form (October 2024). The course draws from AS13100 sections B and C and follows the APQP/PPAP model as defined within AS9145 and AESQ RM13145. This course is available virtually in different timezones and also may be flexibly delivered over 4-slightly shorter days to accommodate these timezone differences.

In this course, we cover in detail:

  • Essentials of PPAP Process Management
  • Explain the fundamentals of APQP
  • Evaluating the PPAP File
  • Preparing and evaluating the PPAP Submission
  • Disposition of the PPAP Submission and Approval Form

If you are interested in finding out more on this course, then please follow this link: https://industryforum.co.uk/courses/14-as13100-aligned-rm13145-ppap-co-ordinator-and-care-training-course/

By Joseph Dodd – Aerospace Quality Management Consultant SMMT Industry Forum

Introduction

Measurement is determining the extent, quality or value of something. So what is a measurement system?

A Measurement System is the overall combination of input factors that influence the output of that measurement, such as: people, equipment, measurand, methods and the environment.

Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) is a statistical tool used to ensure we understand the sources of variation inherent in our measurement systems used to determine product quality and conformance.

 

Purpose of MSA in Aerospace

The primary purpose of MSA in the aerospace sector is to assess the capability and consistency of measurement systems. This analysis identifies the sources of variation such as that caused by appraiser’s, equipment and part variation, allowing Engineers to assess the systems overall gauge repeatability and reproducibility (GR&R) amongst other factors (e.g. NDC) against industry standard criteria. By doing so, aerospace companies can take action to ensure that their measurements are accurate, leading to better quality control, reduced waste, and increased safety in their products.

Key objectives of MSA include:

  • Evaluating Measurement Accuracy: Ensuring that measurement tools and systems provide true values without significant deviation. (E.g., Bias, Linearity, Stability).
  • Assessing Precision: Determining the repeatability and reproducibility of measurement systems (GR&R).
  • Identifying Sources of Variation: Pinpointing where variations occur in the measurement process to mitigate them effectively (ANOVA method).

 

Benefits of Applying MSA

A robust Measurement Systems Analysis (MSA) process can ensure that production data being collected is accurate and precise, and that the methods used for data collection are suitable for the process. Accurate, reliable data can save time, labour, and materials in manufacturing.

  • Increased reliability in measurement data
  • Allows organisations to make better, data-driven decisions in production
  • Helps reduce rework and scrap
  • Gives confidence to customers in measurement capabilities and therefore product control
  • Enables organisations to understand sources of variation

 

Challenges in the Aerospace Industry

Despite its importance, the implementation of MSA in the aerospace industry faces several challenges:

  1. Resource: The aerospace industry is highly regulated, with stringent standards such as AS13100 and supplemental material such as RM13003 that dictate quality management and MSA requirements. Compliance with these standards requires rigorous MSA processes, which can be resource-intensive.
  2. Supply Chain: Ensuring that all suppliers adhere to the same measurement standards and practices can be difficult. Variations in measurement practices across the supply chain can lead to discrepancies and quality issues. AS13100 aims to harmonise requirements for Aero Engine Suppliers & Customer Specific Requirements should be considered when conducting APQP/PPAP.
  3. Skills: There are global skill gaps within the Aerospace Industry in certain areas such as supplier development and APQP/PPAP. Alignment of quality management systems to Industry Standards (AS9145 & AS13100) requires cross-functional, competent teams. This gap is particularly evident in emerging markets and smaller suppliers.

 

Conclusion

Measurement Systems Analysis is an essential practice in the aerospace industry, critical for ensuring the accuracy and reliability of measurement systems that underpin product quality and safety. Despite the challenges, the benefits of MSA in terms of improved quality, safety, and cost savings are undeniable. Addressing the skill gaps and ensuring robust MSA processes can significantly enhance the overall performance and reliability of aerospace products, fostering a Zero Defect culture.

He joins us from his previous role working at an aerospace systems provider as a Principal Manufacturing Quality Engineer where he delivered training in APQP and PAPP, and the associated core tools, followed by in-house consultancy to assist in the implementation of such techniques, including the development of internal standards and procedures.

Before that role, Joseph was a metrologist at an automotive OEM, conducting

measurements to support the manufacturing process. He then moved to support the NPI phase of the business, before working as the metrology laboratory supervisor, including supporting warranty investigations and one-off specialist measurements.

Joseph participates in the National Metrology Skills Alliance, where he performs a voluntary role in the special interest group to offer manufacturing metrology expertise.

Welcome to the team Joseph.