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Te aerospace and automotive industries can learn a lot from each other. Te aero- space industry excels at complex structures and advanced materials. Te automotive industry excels at automated production and supply-chain management. Looking at the trends in both industries and the economic realities, both industries need to learn and implement what the other industry can offer to improve their end result. With the massive backlog of orders currently forecasted and projected aircraſt
demand over the next 20 years, production rates in aerospace need to dramatically increase. Every manufacturing facility must look to become more efficient today if the goal is to be competitive and not bankrupt tomorrow.
Often-overlooked ways that processes can become more efficient and cost effective.
CNC machining of an aerospace component. Tere are numerous opportunities for increased automation including robot ap-
plications for assembly and paint processes, system integration between stand-alone equipment that integrates easily with manufacturing control systems, and emerging technologies such as additive manufacturing. Te aerospace industry has always been a little slow to adopt new technologies primarily due to the long build cycles. In fact, walking through many aerospace
Rick Schultz
Aero Structures Program Manager Fanuc America Corp. Cincinnati, OH