Aerospace infographic – the digital transformation of the sector in 2017
The International Paris Air Show has closed its doors for another year, and in 2017 we had the pleasure of attending with CIMPA, our Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) specialist subsidiary.
This year’s event was jam-packed and once again demonstrated that new tech solutions are the drivers behind the annual growth in the aerospace sector.
France – a major market player With 22% share after the US (35%), France has a strategic place on the market. In 2016, Airbus generated a turnover of 70 million USD, and annual production will continue to rise on most of its models between now and 2019.
In France, Airbus is spearheading the sector, which accounted for 112,400 employees in 243 different companies in 2015.
A market with rising demand Expectations and targets that need to be met are always high, whether it’s for customers or the builders of the aircraft. Some of the key issues for construction today are notions such as 80% passenger occupancy, ensuring on-board Wi-Fi and contactless payments, identifying luggage location and higher profitability.
For customers, value for money is the most important issue. Though the cost of a single trip has seen itself cut by half in the last ten years, today’s passengers expect better service, such as having access to simple yet innovative services (electronic tickets, Wi-Fi, etc.).
Transforming aerospace with digitalisation
Companies in the sector are now calling on new technologies to ensure their continued growth. As pilots complete their training, augmented and virtual reality can be used to create more immersive situational training sessions. In addition, the automation of the production chain has increased efficiency and 3D printing has made it possible to produce components on the go at lower cost, whether it’s for transportation or storage.
Drones are now being used to carry out quicker, cheaper inspections. The UAV market will see a 34% increase in growth over the next 3 years, with 3 million drones being produced in 2017. The Internet of Things, or IoT, allows efficient monitoring through the increased number of sensors installed in aircraft and production tools.
When paired with Big Data and AI, problems can be pre-empted and adjustments can be made to improving settings.
Digital Twins are a huge trend in 2017 and can prove useful in aerospace, particularly for analysing the impact of new components within a device.
In 3 to 5 years, billions of devices will have a digital twin. Other technologies, such as the blockchain, will make an impact in the next few years if they can find their place in the value chain. All these different uses of tech will enable the aerospace sector to reach 6 major targets:
- Increased efficiency
- Improved accuracy
- Adoption of coworking
- Real time feedback
- Limiting costs
- Improved customer experience
Attending the Paris Air Show allowed us to present our services for implementing these technology solutions. For a visual summary, check out our infographic below.
