Talking Aerospace Today – The Power of the Digital Twin Ep. #1 – Summary
The sixth season of the Talking Aerospace Today podcast has officially begun, and its first episode marks an exciting turning point for the series with the introduction of its new speakers. Joining the podcast are Patty Russo, Global Marketing Manager for Siemens Digital Industries Software the new host of the podcast, and Todd Tuthill, Siemens Digital Industries Software’s new Vice President of Aerospace & Defense Strategy, who will be providing his insights throughout the series. They are joined by Dale Tutt, Todd’s predecessor and a longtime speaker on the podcast, who has moved on to become Siemens Digital Industries Software’s Vice President of Industry Strategy.
This episode began with Todd introducing himself and the extensive experience in A&D he brings with him to his new role. He also kicked off the new season with an in-depth discussion on the future of the A&D industry. This episode, which can be listened to here or read here, covers the first part of that discussion, which will be continued in a later episode. Some key takeaways from this episode include identifying the biggest near-term challenges to the A&D industry, what the digital twin can do for the industry now, and critical strategies for successfully carrying out a digital transformation.
According to Todd, the biggest challenge currently faced by the A&D industry is a worldwide shortage of aerospace engineers. The COVID-19 pandemic played a large part in this shortage, as it dissuaded many employed and prospective engineers from coming into the office when they could just work from home, preventing crucial on-site work from being done. Additionally, a lot of experienced veteran engineers have begun retiring, leaving key positions open without qualified people to fill them. The result of these combined phenomena has led to a global shortage of more than 20,000 aerospace engineers. At a time when a lot of work and innovation needs to be done, the industry may not have the manpower to carry it out. Thankfully, leveraging the benefits of a digital transformation offers ways to help alleviate this issue.
Technologies like the digital twin are already assisting companies with addressing challenges in other areas of the industry. As Todd describes, the digital twin allows engineers to operate with a “fly it before you build it mentality,” referring to the digital twin’s ability to simulate and test virtual representations of everything from individual components to fully integrated aircraft. These capabilities not only let companies optimize their aircraft designs, but also the processes that bring those designs to life. For example, a company can build a digital twin of an entire factory, ensuring it is optimized for specific manufacturing processes before it is ever built, reducing the risk of emergency changes down the line. Companies can use the digital twin to optimize their products and processes before building physical versions, saving enormous amounts of time and money.
That said, Todd stressed that people are just as important in implementing a successful digital transformation as technology and processes. To ensure a smooth digital transformation, companies must get their employees as on board with the transformation as the ones pushing for its implementation. This will require investment in organizational change management, properly managing changes that will affect everyone across a company. Whatever changes are made will need to allow people to adjust to the transformation, to give them the time and resources to become experienced and supportive of digitalization. With the right people-oriented strategies, employees can adapt more easily to the idea of digital transformation and help make it succeed in a company.
Most importantly, though, is the idea that a digital transformation is a journey, one that no one will ever truly finish or perfect. No company will enact it hitting the ground running, and there is no single right way to do it. A digital transformation is an incremental process that lets companies explore new technologies and find what is best for them.
The future of the A&D industry appears to bring new challenges, but also great leaps forward. While the worker shortage is an obstacle, tools like the digital twin can make much of the product lifecycle easier for engineers and make up the difference. With the addition of people-centered strategies in their digital transformations, companies will gain an enthusiastic workforce that will help carry out their transformations better and faster. Riding this digital revolution will let the A&D industry reach new heights in the years to come.
Remember to check out the full podcast episode here or read the transcript here. Also keep an ear out for the second episode of this discussion, where Patty, Todd, and Dale talk further about how the digital twin can benefit supply chains, sustainability, and more.
Siemens Digital Industries Software helps organizations of all sizes digitally transform using software, hardware and services from the Siemens Xcelerator business platform. Siemens’ software and the comprehensive digital twin enable companies to optimize their design, engineering and manufacturing processes to turn today’s ideas into the sustainable products of the future. From chips to entire systems, from product to process, across all industries, Siemens Digital Industries Software is where today meets tomorrow.
