Case Studies > General Dynamics’ Journey to Paperless

General Dynamics’ Journey to Paperless

Customer Company Size

Large Corporate

Region

America

Country

United States

Product

iBASEt Solumina MES/QMS
iBASEt Digital Operations Suite
iBASEt Manufacturing Execution System (MES)

Tech Stack

Cloud-native microservices architecture
Open APIs

Implementation Scale

Enterprise-wide Deployment

Impact Metrics

Productivity Improvements
Cost Savings
Customer Satisfaction
Digital Expertise

Technology Category

Functional Applications - Manufacturing Execution Systems (MES)
Analytics & Modeling - Real Time Analytics

Applicable Industries

Aerospace

Applicable Functions

Quality Assurance

Use Cases

Manufacturing System Automation
Digital Thread
Process Control & Optimization

Services

System Integration
Training
Software Design & Engineering Services

About The Customer

General Dynamics AIS Integrated Space Systems, located in Scottsdale, Arizona, has been a key player in delivering critical communications products to space programs for over 40 years. Their contributions include hardware for missions such as Explorer, Voyager, Space Station, Orion, NATO Satellites, Mars Pathfinder, and Mars Rover. The company boasts an impressive track record with no mission failures associated with their hardware. Their in-house manufacturing capabilities span from microelectronics to end-item system integration of digital and RF hardware. The Scottsdale facility specializes in producing microelectronics, printed circuit boards, and assemblies used in satellites. The company’s mission is to provide smarter mission-critical systems and products to defense, civil government, intelligence, and cybersecurity customers, with a vision of creating a safer world through smarter platforms and missions.

The Challenge

General Dynamics AIS Integrated Space Systems faced the challenge of transitioning from a highly paper-based and manually controlled manufacturing process to a digital, paperless environment. The complexity and criticality of their work, which involves producing high-reliability space hardware, required a comprehensive system to control workflow, provide checkpoints, and house detailed data. The existing process was labor-intensive, with information and data distributed across multiple locations and numerous manual checkpoints. This setup was not only inefficient but also prone to errors, which could compromise the integrity of the hardware costing tens of millions of dollars per unit. The need for a streamlined, integrated system became evident to ensure superior control of product workflow, engineering change incorporation, and to support continuous improvement efforts.

The Solution

To address the challenges, General Dynamics AIS implemented iBASEt’s Solumina MES/QMS system. This system became the focal point for building hardware, providing a comprehensive solution to control workflow, prevent unauthorized work, and house detailed data. The transition to a paperless shop floor was a significant milestone, achieved through the dedication of the management and execution team. The Solumina system enabled the collection and extraction of all production-related data, superior control of product workflow, and the incorporation of engineering changes. It also provided data and metrics to support Lean, Six Sigma, and Kaizen efforts. The system’s automated quality metrics eliminated the need for dedicated personnel to generate reports, and the standardized process and data integrity were noted as best-in-class by customers like Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and NASA. Training on the MES/Quality system was streamlined, reducing the learning curve for new personnel and ensuring consistency across projects.

Operational Impact

The implementation of iBASEt’s Solumina MES/QMS system provided quick, top-down visibility into quality and other issues affecting equipment costing tens of millions of dollars per unit.
The system helped avoid costly teardowns and launch delays by ensuring full product pedigree could be extracted from the top-level deliverable system down to the smallest chip-cap used on a circuit card.
Quality and manufacturing data were used to support continuous improvement efforts, with defect and production data monitored to identify trends and set improvement goals.
Automated quality metrics eliminated the need for dedicated personnel to generate weekly/monthly reports, allowing for cost reductions centered around system-enabled process improvements.
Customers, including Boeing, Lockheed Martin, and NASA, audited the company’s procedures and noted the systems and processes as best-in-class among high-reliability space manufacturers.

Quantitative Benefit