Premium Aerotec has adopted parent Airbus's digital services platform, Skywise, to improve its supply chain processes.

The German aerostructures specialist says employment of the cloud-based system will enable it to integrate data with Airbus and make a "big step towards its smart factory vision".

Order, production and quality data from both Airbus and Premium Aerotec will be linked for joint analysis, to predict potential bottlenecks and take preventive action before manufacturing processes are affected.

"We intend to address three topics at the same time: improve the quality of incoming orders, avoid any delivery delays and enhance communication and collaboration with our customer Airbus," says Premium Aerotec chairman Thomas Ehm.

He adds: "Full transparency will become key to overcome misunderstandings and misinterpretations due to a lack of reliable data on all sides."

Noting that the system has been established to be "ready" for a further production ramp-up, Premium Aerotec says that "early and accurate estimation" about whether or not delivery targets will be met can offer time savings of around 25%.

The Augsburg-based company describes itself as a "high-volume supplier with one of the most diversified product mixes in the aerospace industry".

It supplies components for all of Airbus's commercial aircraft and certain military programmes, including the A400M and Eurofighter Typhoon, and for Boeing's 787 programme.

Source: FlightGlobal.com