Competitiveness of Small- and Medium Enterprises of the Arizona Aerospace and Defense Supply Chain

This paper discusses the development of a database and an interactive data visualizat ion of Arizona aerospace and defense suppliers. The paper also summarizes key results of a survey of those companies focusing on their strategic competitiveness and next generation manufacturing (NGM) read iness.The survey categories included: co mpany demographics, supply chain management, global engagement, sustainability and green, process improvement, and innovation. Develop ment of the database andselected key findings of the survey are reported. To summarize: Arizona aerospace and defense companystrengths include: Product portfolio and product diversity; Frequency and scale of process and system improvements; Balance of revenue sources between private- and public; Balance of customers between military and commercial. Weaknesses include: Strategic planning and strategic plan imp lementation; Utilizat ion of lean manufacturing techniques; Underperformance in on-time delivery of products and services; Automation; Certificat ions; Global engagement; Interest toward, and knowledge of, strategy for global, sustainability and green, as well as innovation. We believe that the database and findings will, wh ilerepresenting a snapshot only, add to the knowledge base relat ing to NGM readiness of the aerospace- and defense companies in the United States, as well as provide new informat ion about the competitiveness of small- and mediu m aerospace- and defense suppliers.

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