8 APRIL, 2022OPINIONTRANSFORMATIONAL MANUFACTURING THROUGH INTEGRATIONBy Charles H. Ward Jr., Chief, Manufacturing and Industrial Technologies, Air Force Research LaboratoryCharles H. Ward Jr.In an era where the introduction of new technologies, led by those that are digital at their core, is accelerating, an unprecedented opportunity to transform the way in which systems are designed, manufactured and sustained exists for those who can harness and integrate these technologies quickly. An emerging digital manufacturing infrastructure, implementing Industry 4.0 technologies, is already showing promise for increasing American competitiveness by delivering unprecedented agility; simultaneously reducing costs while increasing production rates and quality. Concurrently, the war fighter is demanding an acceleration in the speed in which new capabilities are delivered. Hence, the speed at which technology is changing, coupled with the speed in which new war fighting capabilities are needed, could drive untenable investment requirements without radically changing the way in which systems are designed, manufactured, and maintained.The accelerated introduction of new technologies is a global phenomenon that stands to level the war fighting playing field between nations. While manufacturing went global some time ago, the defense industry has also increased its dependence on domestic and international commercial innovations and markets. These factors are continuing
< Page 7 | Page 9 >