What exactly does this mean for Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing?
When these two interconnected manufacturing sectors were established, they tended to be dominated by huge, often government-funded programs. Because they had this initial funding, these programs could spend several years doing research and development without having to worry as much about their finances. In the past few decades however–and especially in the past ten years–new business models for private aerospace and defense contractors have resulted in smaller, more profit-driven companies to slowly but surely overtake these larger programs.
Consider companies like SpaceX and Blue Origin which have not only been making headlines, but also have been recently leading the charge in spacecraft manufacturing. These companies have their own advantages–they tend towards being smaller and much more agile–but they also feel the pressure of any profit-driven organization to get their products to market quickly. They don’t have the time or funding for years and years of research. Their goal is to move faster, get their products onto the ‘shelves’ while at the same time staying at the forefront of the rapid evolution of spacecraft technology.
This has also been the case for EVTOL aircraft manufacturers, whether manned or unmanned, as this sector of the Aerospace market has seen a push towards electric power, cleaner energy, and more effective EVTOL aircraft. Smaller, more nimble manufacturers like Joby, Archer, Beta, and Supernal have been leading the charge here, in commercial and defense-related aircraft.
A similar trend has been happening across the Defense side of things–rather than a few companies servicing the military as a whole, each branch is having their specific needs met by these smaller, more agile companies like Anuril and General Atomics. And in order to continue to maintain a profit, many of these Defense-aimed companies are also serving commercial markets as well. This has resulted in a shift across much of Aerospace and Defense manufacturing as a whole, especially for manufacturers who supply the parts that these private companies need to make their products. They’ve also been swept up in this tide, having to adjust to a demand for faster turnaround and tighter tolerances to support the continued evolution of these industries.
Prospect Group–An Experienced, Agile Manufacturer in Aerospace and Defense
Prospect Group has been around since 1945, serving a wide range of industries all around the world, and we’ve seen many of the major changes across manufacturing in our time in business. If you’re looking for an agile partner in Aerospace and Defense manufacturing who is comfortable with adapting to the industry’s ever-changing needs, consider working with us!