Navigating MBE challenges in aerospace and defense

Complex discrete manufacturing in aerospace and defense (A&D) requires tight coordination across numerous large, dispersed teams. Products such as aircraft and satellites need to keep up with evolving mission needs and meet strict regulatory standards. Traditional methods for tracking and delivering design and production often can’t keep pace with these demands.

In response, the U.S. Department of Defense (DOD) now requires a shift to a Model-Based Enterprise (MBE). While compliance is essential, it’s also a smart move. Industry leaders see MBE as an opportunity to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and drive innovation.

Unlocking the strategic edge of MBE
MBE leverages digital models to streamline operations, but the real impact comes from the connected digital thread linking design, production, supply chains, and maintenance. This thread keeps real-time data flowing smoothly across the organization, keeping everything updated and aligned.

Without MBE, contractors designing complex products like satellites often struggle to keep different teams on the same page. For example, a change in the thermal system might not reach power or navigation systems in time, leading to misalignment, rework, and costly delays.

With a digital thread woven through the MBE, even slight changes automatically update across all systems, keeping design, production, and maintenance teams on the same page and reducing the risk of errors.

The challenge lies in turning MBE from concept into practice. Finding the right system to unify this digital thread is crucial. For many, manufacturing execution systems (MES) such as Solumina fill this role, serving as the central hub to integrate data, keep processes updated, and support seamless communication throughout the product lifecycle.

Let’s examine some of the specific challenges A&D companies can face when implementing MBE and how MES can help solve them.

Challenges and solutions in transitioning to MBE
MBE has enormous potential but moving from paper-based or 2D workflows to 3D digital systems comes with challenges. When tackled strategically, these challenges can reshape how A&D manufacturers work for the better.

Challenge: Siloed operations and data fragmentation – In many discrete manufacturing environments, design data stays in product lifecycle management (PLM) systems, enterprise resource planning (ERP) focuses on resource planning and business processes, and manufacturing execution systems (MES) handle shop-floor operations. Communication among these systems is intermittent, manual, or nonexistent. This separation slows information sharing, makes tracking issues more complex, and limits real-time responses, increasing the chance of misalignment and production errors.

Strategic solution: MES as the convergence point for data unification – An MES designed for this purpose can help break down data silos by centralizing information from PLM, ERP, and the shop floor. It tracks production in real time and keeps data consistent from design to assembly. For example, when a CAD model changes, the MES updates shop-floor instructions so everyone works with the latest information. This reduces errors from outdated specs and saves time on manual updates.

Challenge: Incomplete or uncaptured digital model updates – Process changes such as material substitutions, tooling adjustments, or schedule shifts can sometimes go unrecorded in the digital model during the transition from design to manufacturing. This creates gaps between the design and the final product. In aerospace, even small misalignments can cause non-compliance with strict specifications and regulations.

Strategic solution: Continuous data flow and feedback loops via MES – An MES designed for this role can serve as the feedback loop for the digital twin, capturing real-time updates from the shop floor. It feeds manufacturing changes – such as material swaps or tooling adjustments – directly into the digital thread, ensuring the digital twin stays accurate. This integration helps engineering teams quickly assess how process changes affect product quality, keeping design and manufacturing aligned.

Challenge: Complex engineering change management – A&D projects frequently involve complex engineering changes, such as redesigns to meet new regulations or accommodate supplier constraints. These changes can ripple across design, manufacturing, and procurement, but delays in communication often lead to misalignment between the intended design and production, introducing risks to quality and compliance.

Strategic solution: Real-time engineering change propagation via MES – An MES can sync engineering changes across production in real-time, automatically updating work instructions, purchased-part inspection, and assembly steps. Everyone from engineering to procurement and quality control gets updates simultaneously, ensuring all teams work with the latest information. This speeds up change implementation, improves coordination, and prevents delays from miscommunication.

Challenge: Legacy systems that resist integration – Many aerospace and defense companies still use rigid, outdated systems that make connecting with modern digital tools hard, limiting the ability to create a real-time digital thread across design, manufacturing, and maintenance.

Solution: Modular, Interoperable Architectures with MES – Companies can move to modular, application programming interface (API)-driven architectures that integrate MES, PLM, and ERP systems. A cloud-native MES with open APIs allows for a gradual, low-risk phase-out of legacy systems. This microservices approach lets companies update outdated components without overhauling their entire IT infrastructure, keeping operations running smoothly.

Challenge: Disconnected supply chains – In A&D, supply chains often function in isolation, leading to inefficiencies in sourcing, production delays, and quality problems due to inconsistent supplier standards. This becomes even harder when sole-source suppliers don't integrate with digital processes.

Solution: Supplier collaboration through MES-enabled digital threads – To solve this, companies should extend their digital thread to include suppliers, ensuring traceability for every component. An MES such as Solumina that supports real-time data exchange allows suppliers to access and update digital models as they produce parts. This gives manufacturers complete visibility across the supply chain, helping to reduce lead times, ensure parts meet specs, and prevent quality issues. This also ensures the cyber-asset includes all multi-level supplier traceability and defect history.

Embracing MBE as a strategic advantage
Adopting MBE in aerospace and defense connects systems across design, production, and supply chains, improving quality, cutting lead times, and streamlining engineering changes. Integrating MES into this process helps companies reduce inefficiencies and maintain real-time alignment, keeping them competitive while meeting industry regulations. Properly designed MES solutions can integrate 3D models and data into real-time workflows, boosting efficiency, quality, and traceability throughout the product lifecycle.

iBase-t

About the Author: Naveen Poonian serves as iBase-t’s CEO. He drives the company’s vision and mission by implementing strategic initiatives that enhance organizational efficiency, enable rapid growth, and scale operations.