Ramp Up Production to Burn Down Aerospace & Defense Backlogs

Reduce production risk, strengthen supply chains, and burn down aerospace and defense backlogs faster—without sacrificing quality or compliance.

Overview Challenges Why PTC Benefits Customer Stories Resources
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Meeting today’s aerospace & defense production demands

Aerospace and defense manufacturers face record‑high backlogs across airframes, munitions, naval platforms, and advanced systems. Scaling output at the speed of global demand requires moving beyond siloed systems to a connected digital foundation where engineering intent flows seamlessly into production, changes propagate instantly, and programs move from book-to-bill with predictability and control.

Why production ramp-up stalls

Ramping production isn’t just a capacity problem—it’s a coordination problem that compounds as demand, complexity, and change accelerate across programs.

Ramping production isn’t just a capacity problem—it’s a coordination problem that compounds as demand, complexity, and change accelerate across programs.

Product complexity & variability

Aerospace and defense products include thousands of tightly integrated components and program‑specific configurations. This complexity slows industrialization and introduces risk, making scaling production difficult.

Aerospace and defense products include thousands of tightly integrated components and program‑specific configurations. This complexity slows industrialization and introduces risk, making scaling production difficult.

Supply chain constraints

Material shortages and supplier delays create production bottlenecks. A single missing component can stall entire builds and compound backlog growth across programs.

Material shortages and supplier delays create production bottlenecks. A single missing component can stall entire builds and compound backlog growth across programs.

Rework & quality issues

Engineering intent is difficult to communicate to manufacturing teams and suppliers. Late-stage changes often lead to nonconformances, rework, and scrap—draining capacity and extending delivery timelines.

Engineering intent is difficult to communicate to manufacturing teams and suppliers. Late-stage changes often lead to nonconformances, rework, and scrap—draining capacity and extending delivery timelines.

Disconnected systems costs

When production teams rely on disconnected legacy systems, backlogs turn into missed deliveries, costly rework, and mounting compliance risk. Discover how a PLM-centric approach helps manufacturers ramp up production.

How PTC enables faster production ramp-up


Ramping production at scale requires a connected digital backbone that synchronizes engineering, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers around a single authoritative product definition. PTC’s product lifecycle management (PLM) platform provides the digital backbone aerospace and defense manufacturers need to connect product definitions, engineering changes, manufacturing planning, quality, and supplier collaboration in a single system, ensuring data continuity and traceability across the entire lifecycle.

Teams gain real‑time visibility into configurations, synchronized MBOM and BOP structures, and controlled change propagation, so engineering intent flows seamlessly into manufacturing execution. This digital thread reduces rework, shortens production timelines, and enables organizations to increase throughput—even as complexity and demand grow.

What changes when production is truly connected

When engineering, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers operate from a shared digital foundation, production becomes more predictable, resilient, and scalable. Teams can respond faster to change, reduce rework, and increase output with confidence—even as complexity and demand increase.

When engineering, manufacturing, quality, and suppliers operate from a shared digital foundation, production becomes more predictable, resilient, and scalable. Teams can respond faster to change, reduce rework, and increase output with confidence—even as complexity and demand increase.

Convert backlogs into revenue faster

Synchronized engineering and manufacturing processes reduce change cycle time and eliminate rework. By keeping teams aligned across programs, organizations accelerate throughput, move designs into production faster, and turn backlogs into revenue sooner.

Synchronized engineering and manufacturing processes reduce change cycle time and eliminate rework. By keeping teams aligned across programs, organizations accelerate throughput, move designs into production faster, and turn backlogs into revenue sooner.

Strengthen supply chain resilience

Greater visibility across parts, suppliers, and configurations helps teams anticipate and respond to disruption. Manufacturers can qualify alternatives faster while maintaining quality and compliance.

Greater visibility across parts, suppliers, and configurations helps teams anticipate and respond to disruption. Manufacturers can qualify alternatives faster while maintaining quality and compliance.

Improve production predictability

Real-time visibility into configurations, parts, and process plans enables teams to identify and resolve issues early. By addressing potential problems before they cascade, organizations minimize disruptions, avoid delays, and keep production on track.

Real-time visibility into configurations, parts, and process plans enables teams to identify and resolve issues early. By addressing potential problems before they cascade, organizations minimize disruptions, avoid delays, and keep production on track.

Protect margin under fixed-price contracts

Controlled configuration management and digital traceability reduce scrap and prevent nonconformances. By lowering the cost of quality and minimizing rework, organizations protect margins—even as production volumes and program complexity increase.

Controlled configuration management and digital traceability reduce scrap and prevent nonconformances. By lowering the cost of quality and minimizing rework, organizations protect margins—even as production volumes and program complexity increase.

Scale with confidence

When engineering, manufacturing, and quality operate from a shared digital thread, ramp‑up becomes repeatable, resilient, and measurable. Teams can increase output with greater predictability while maintaining control as programs and volumes scale.

When engineering, manufacturing, and quality operate from a shared digital thread, ramp‑up becomes repeatable, resilient, and measurable. Teams can increase output with greater predictability while maintaining control as programs and volumes scale.

Taking off with PLM

Production constraints don’t have to limit growth. Discover how aerospace and defense leaders use PLM to manage complexity, accelerate delivery, and scale manufacturing with confidence.

How leading aerospace & defense organizations scale production

Aerospace and defense manufacturers are using PLM to accelerate ramp‑up, manage complexity, and deliver on growing demand. See how organizations across commercial and defense programs are translating engineering intent into manufacturing execution.

Scaling helicopter production faster

<p>Hill Helicopters is using PLM to accelerate production readiness while managing configuration complexity. </p>

Connecting engineering and manufacturing

<p>Lufthansa Technik implemented a digital thread to synchronize engineering, manufacturing, and service—improving change execution and production efficiency. </p>

Managing complexity at scale

<p>MBDA modernized manufacturing workflows to reduce risk and support scalable production across global teams. </p>

Scaling helicopter production faster Hill Helicopters is using PLM to accelerate production readiness while managing configuration complexity. Connecting engineering and manufacturing Lufthansa Technik implemented a digital thread to synchronize engineering, manufacturing, and service—improving change execution and production efficiency. Managing complexity at scale MBDA modernized manufacturing workflows to reduce risk and support scalable production across global teams.

Come see us in person

Join upcoming aerospace and defense events to hear how industry leaders are addressing backlogs, managing complexity, and scaling production with modern digital approaches.

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PLM as a foundation for scale

“PLM is a central part, not only as a platform but as an inspiration for our processes, from engineering into manufacturing, and service.”

Dr. Severin Todt, Senior Director of IT Design, Completion, and Manufacturing, Lufthansa Technik

Explore deeper insights on ramping up production

Backlogs, complexity, and production constraints require more than quick fixes. Explore expert perspectives, real‑world discussions, and practical guidance on how aerospace and defense organizations are scaling production with confidence.



Streamlining aerospace manufacturing at scale

Industry leaders discuss how aerospace manufacturers are overcoming production bottlenecks, managing complexity, and accelerating ramp‑up through connected processes.

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Why aerospace & defense backlogs keep growing

An analyst view on record A&D backlogs, supply chain disruption, and the structural changes needed to sustainably increase production rates.

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Choosing PLM for aerospace & defense

Expert guidance on evaluating PLM platforms for managing complexity, change, compliance, and production ramp‑up in A&D environments.

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Connect with our Aerospace & Defense experts

Kevin Tomkins

Senior Vice President, Sales, Americas

Kevin Tomkins has extensive experience in the computer software industry, specializing in enterprise software, Product Lifecycle Management (PLM), Smart Connected Products and Operations, and Augmented Reality. He is known for leading go‑to‑market strategy, partner ecosystems, and strategic partnerships that drive growth and adoption.

Alex Daly

National Security Lead

Alex Daly drives defense modernization strategy and engagement with the U.S. government and defense industrial base for PTC. He oversees government relations with senior leaders across Congress, the U.S. Department of Defense, and the Japanese Ministry of Defense, and founded PTC’s annual National Security Summit. He brings deep experience in aerospace and defense business development, U.S.–Japan alliances, and holds an active DoD SECRET clearance.

Jens Stephan

Regional Sales Director, Central Europe

Jens Stephan leads PTC’s Aerospace & Defense business in Central Europe, supporting organizations in a strategically vital industry to strengthen mission readiness, resilience, and innovation through digital transformation. He brings over 20 years of experience in Software/SaaS and IT infrastructure sales, helping defense and aerospace leaders connect strategy with execution through PTC’s Intelligent Product Lifecycle. He is passionate about advancing technological sovereignty and building trusted partnerships across Europe.