Lengthy aircraft program delays happen for a variety of reasons, but a common thread lies in what multinational management consultancy Accenture calls their extraordinary complexity and the “interwoven” nature of the decisions of hundreds of suppliers. Compounding such complexity, says Accenture, a wide geographic dispersion of suppliers exists across virtually all regions of the world, resulting in fragmented, disaggregated and misaligned development processes, supply chain calculations such as parts shortages and manufacturing/engineering inefficiencies.
Speaking with AIN two days before the start of the show, Accenture aerospace and defense lead for North America John Schmidt called “astounding” the level of complexity that now characterizes design and manufacturing processes. That complexity, along with the level of design authority that now lies with the supply chain, each have contributed mightily to the program delays experienced by Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier, Comac and Mitsubishi.
