Aerospace online

Rapidly developing Internet-based technologies are profoundly changing the engineering/design process, revolutionizing the way OEMs and suppliers do business, and speeding industry's time-to-market.

These are volatile times in the aerospace industry, but the forces of change are not enough to stop the onset of e-business. E-business, also known as e-commerce, refers to the online buying and selling of goods and services and incorporates Internet actions that force companies to work in collective, virtual environments. Unlike other industries, aerospace has a history that is steeped in collaboration; its top companies are often forced to work together on government contracts and other significant jobs. Therefore, the issues that sell e-business, such as cost reduction, reduced time-to-market, and risk sharing, find the aviation world an easy sell.

The evolution of Internet technology is supplying many of these tangibles to those companies who are willing and able to implement an e-business plan. New tools allow supply chain managers to coordinate design, sourcing, production, and delivery functions across complex networks in a more efficient and informed manner and are proving their worth for a myriad of companies in the aerospace industry.