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Aerospace Manufacturing Software
Aerospace manufacturing software is a tool to help companies manage the entire production and supply chain process for commercial and non-commercial contracts, from sourcing and ordering parts and materials from suppliers, to designing, assembling and shipping finished products. These specialized manufacturing systems and ERP suites are also designed to track and maintain the compliance, regulatory and licensing obligations for manufacturers bidding for aerospace and defense contracts (including ITAR, MMAS, and FedRAMP compliance).
Compare All Aerospace Manufacturing Software
IFS Applications
IFS Applications
IFS Applications is an extensive software system that serves the needs of large and medium-sized manufacturers with order-driven and mixed-mode management tools and full integration capabilities....Read more
Expandable ERP
Expandable ERP
Expandable by Expandable Software, Inc. is an enterprise resource planning (ERP) solution designed for manufacturers of all sizes. It offers material requirement planning, production planning, accounting, business intelligence and...Read more
Made2Manage ERP
Made2Manage ERP
Aptean Industrial Manufacturing is designed for manufacturers in job shops and dynamic "to-order" and mixed-mode environments. It's suitable for SMB manufacturers in industries like industrial equipment, electronics and fabricated...Read more
Software pricing tips
Read our Aerospace Manufacturing Software Buyers GuideSubscription models
- Per employee/per month: This model allows you to pay a monthly fee for each of your employees.
- Per user/per month: Users pay a monthly fee for users—normally administrative users—rather than all employees.
Perpetual license
- This involves paying an upfront sum for the license to own the software and use it indefinitely.
- This is the more traditional model and is most common with on-premise applications and with larger businesses.
Rated best value for money
PBS Accounting
PBS Accounting
PBS Accounting is robust professional level accounting software that fits a wide range of businesses and grows with your company. The CashPoint version acts as back end accounting for multiple industry specific applications, inclu...Read more
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
JD Edwards EnterpriseOne
Oracle JD Edwards EnterpriseOne is an enterprise resource planning software with primary features such as real estate management, human capital management, environmental health and safety and commodity trading. What is JD...Read more
Fitrix ERP
Fitrix ERP
Fitrix Electronics Manufacturing ERP solution offers an integrated application for accounting, distribution and manufacturing management functions. It is fit for small and midsize companies in discrete, make, and assemble-to-order...Read more
MISys Manufacturing
MISys Manufacturing
MISys Manufacturing is a cloud-based and on-premise manufacturing solution designed for small and midsized companies. It caters to electronics, food and beverage, aerospace, defense, chemicals, health and beauty, medical devices, ...Read more
DELMIAworks
DELMIAworks
EnterpriseIQ by IQMS is a comprehensive ERP solution designed to meet the needs of discrete and repetitive manufacturers. Because it's fully scalable, it can grow with any company. ...Read more
Visibility ERP
Visibility ERP
Built specifically for small to mid-market manufacturers of complex products, VISIBILITY.net by Visibility Corporation is an entirely web-based, fully-integrated ERP solution providing highly adaptable, scalable functionality....Read more
Popular Aerospace Manufacturing Software Comparisons
Buyers Guide
Last Updated: March 10, 2022In this buyers guide, we'll cover:
What is aerospace manufacturing software?
Aerospace manufacturing software is a tool to help companies manage the entire production and supply chain process for commercial and non-commercial contracts, from sourcing and ordering parts and materials from suppliers, to designing, assembling and shipping finished products.
These specialized manufacturing systems and ERP suites are also designed to track and maintain the compliance, regulatory and licensing obligations for manufacturers bidding for aerospace and defense contracts (including ITAR, MMAS, and FedRAMP compliance).
Four types of customers comprise the market for aerospace manufacturers: defense, civilian aviation, government space technology and civilian space technology. Often used as the primary example of precision engineering, the industry is now under financial pressure. For a firm to assure continued success, it must focus on three things: shortening the time to move a product from development to production, increasing the efficiency of the supply chain and increasing efficiency of the production process.
A main area for concern is import/export restrictions. For example, some products from aerospace manufactures must conform with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). And items on the United States Munitions List (USML) require a Department of State export license—while products for the Department of Defense (DoD) must meet military specifications. Products destined for space must also be specially qualified. Aerospace manufacturers must comply with the EPA’s National Emission Standard for Hazardous Air Pollutants (NESHAP) for Aerospace Manufacturing and Rework Facilities.
There are many critical components in an aerospace manufacturer’s software suite, such as: inventory, manufacturing planning and scheduling, order entry and fulfillment. Customer relationship management (CRM) is also key, specifically for those dealing with producing and shipping items that are restricted. Payroll and personnel modules have requirements to track which employees work on what products and help maintain current information on employees’ security clearances. Accounts payable and general ledger are standard. Many aerospace manufacturers, and in particular those that are units of larger firms, use enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems. In this industry, cloud-based, software-as-a-service software systems are uncommon because of security concerns, but are increasingly common in smaller firms that do not manufacture restricted products.
Common features of aerospace manufacturing software
In evaluating software, aerospace manufacturers should consider the following functions to meet their unique requirements:
| Supply chain management | Aerospace manufacturers need transparency into suppliers’ systems. Order status, supplier inventory, current pricing, order entry and payment can all be integrated between supplier and manufacturer. |
| Integrated design and production | Design systems should identify off-the-shelf parts and generate bills of materials once the design is complete. Advanced systems will introduce costing models into the design process so that revisions will automatically update projected cost of production. |
| ITAR compliance and USML | The system should produce all reports required for ITAR compliance. Advanced systems will automatically notify if a customer attempts to order a restricted item. System should identify which products are subject to State Department registration fees. |
| Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) compliance | The system should support the process for applying for FAA certification. It should also produce compliance reports for production runs as necessary. |
| Federal Communications Commission (FCC) registration | Any electronic device sold in the United States that emits radio frequency interference (RFI) must be registered with the FCC. The system should produce the information required to complete the registration process and provide updates if the design changes. |
| Scrap management | There are two parts to scrap tracking. First is minimizing the amount of scrap by laying out job to make the most efficient use of material. The second is tracking recyclable scrap through to resale to the scrap yard. |
| Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) compliance | Aerospace manufacturers are specifically addressed by NESHAP. The system should prepare all EPA compliance reports. |
| Security | If the manufacturer produces restricted items, information about the products, processing and materials should be restricted to authorized personnel. Information should be encrypted. |
| Personnel management | The system should track which employees are eligible to work on which projects. It should also track current status for each employee, including security clearance and, if applicable, H1-B visa status. |
| Subcomponent management | Teams or subcontractors making subcomponents may not know the nature of the final product. The system should enable authorized workers to access required information but nothing about other subcomponents or the final product. It must also support high-level managers in tracking overall progress on each project. |
| Materials tracking | Department of Defense specifications require that all components for each product be documented throughout the entire lifecycle. The system should identify every item from inventory through assembly to final delivery. |
| Recall management | The system should support product recalls by identifying which runs are affected and which customers received them. |
| Engineering change management | The system should track engineering changes and their impact on manufacturing time and cost-per-unit. It should also be easy to enter the changes into the system so that the changes can flow to other products and the overall production schedule. |