From Concept to Sustainment: Fueling Innovation in Aerospace

As aerospace OEMs struggle to manage record-breaking order backlogs, turning those commitments into delivered products and revenue remains a serious challenge. Capacity constraints, skilled labor shortages, and disrupted supplier timelines create bottlenecks that slow production rates. The urgency to burn down backlogs is pushing companies to rethink manufacturing execution, streamline change management, and digitize production planning—especially across global, multitier industrial, and market ecosystems. Without a coordinated digital approach, OEMs risk nonconformities, delivery delays, and high operational costs.

The aerospace industry operates under intense scrutiny, with evolving safety, airworthiness, export, and environmental regulations. Compliance with standards from the FAA, EASA, ITAR, and others is not optional—yet managing audits, documentation, and traceability across complex product lifecycles is no small task. Furthermore, on the international front, there are several regulatory frameworks that manufacturers need to consider throughout development. As systems grow more complex, software-driven, and globally developed, the need for connected, compliant-by-design digital processes is paramount. A unified platform for requirements management, testing, and change control is key to reducing compliance risk and cost.

The aerospace supply chain spans thousands of specialized suppliers, including many small to medium-sized businesses that are vulnerable to disruption. From raw material shortages and geopolitical volatility to logistics bottlenecks, risk is everywhere. OEMs and Tier 1s need clear visibility into supplier performance, inventory, and risk factors across tiers. Digital supply chain solutions can help identify bottlenecks early, inform alternate sourcing strategies, and result in more resilient, agile supplier networks to maintain build schedules and service readiness.

Maintaining the highest standards of quality and safety in aerospace requires rigorous control of design data, manufacturing processes, testing, and traceability. Transitioning to digital product definitions, model-based engineering, and advanced quality planning is imperative, ensuring that as systems grow more complex, every part and process meets exacting standards. Real-time feedback loops between design, production, and service environments help quickly detect and correct deviations—demonstrating flightworthiness and earning operator trust.

Aerospace development and production carry extraordinary financial risk—especially as programs grow in complexity and schedules stretch. Cost overruns can quickly erode margins or sink programs entirely. It’s crucial to carefully but aggressively manage program budgets, track engineering changes, and reduce rework and scrap throughout the manufacturing value chain. Digital continuity that seamlessly links engineering, manufacturing, and service lets teams make better-informed decisions, reduce or eliminate duplication, and align their collective and individual efforts toward on-time, on-budget delivery.

Aerospace programs are rarely developed in isolation. Cross-functional teams—often distributed across states, countries, and continents—need to work together seamlessly to meet aggressive timelines and stringent technical targets. But silos between engineering disciplines, suppliers, and production teams create friction and delay. Effective collaboration requires a shared digital environment where stakeholders work from a single source of truth. By enabling secure, role-based access to up-to-date product data and workflows, companies can accelerate decision-making, reduce errors, and drive program success, from concept to delivery and throughout the product lifecycle.

Yes, PTC’s Startup Program is tailored for early and growth stage companies developing next-generation aerospace technologies. The program provides free or discounted access to powerful, enterprise-grade tools, including Creo+ for advanced 3D CAD and simulation, Onshape for cloud-native product design and collaboration, Codebeamer+ for end-to-end application lifecycle management, and Arena for cloud-based PLM. With integrated support for systems engineering, compliance, and rapid iteration, PTC’s Startup Program empowers aerospace startups to accelerate development, streamline certification, and scale confidently from prototype to production.