SEPTEMBER 2022AEROSPACEDEFENSEREVIEW.COM8As a member of the management since 2009, Bruno Cervia has been in charge of the Research and Development Unit. He is in charge of the development and airworthiness of all Pilatus aircraft in this capacity. He is the leader of a multidisciplinary, global team of 400 experts in all facets of aircraft development. In 2018, he was made deputy CEO. Bruno Cervia joined the organisation almost 30 years ago as a graduate aerodynamicist. He handled PC-21 development while serving as department head before being hired as the vice president of research and development.In My OpinionFUTURE OF DIGITIZED AEROSPACE INDUSTRY By Bruno Cervia, VP R&D, Deputy CEO, Pilatus Aircraft LtdHow the aerospace manufacturing landscape have evolved from the last 20 years in light of your experience and how COVID has impacted it?If we take the past decade into account, we can see that automation technology has been massively dominating the aerospace industry. During the earlier stage of its adoption, automation was limited to only certain processes like CAD modelling where the aircraft designing was carried out more efficiently. But now almost every engineering process in the industry is being automated. In addition, it has expanded the production of CNC (manufacturing of aircraft parts) machining. 3D printing is another technology that has been widely used in CNC machining. We know that in the CNC machine process ­ manufacturing of aerospace parts ­ precision is of high importance. Technologies like automation and 3D printing, not only ensure precision but also significantly accelerate the production cycle of the manufacturing process.That being said, we cannot neglect the impact of the automotive industry on the aerospace landscape in terms of innovations. It is true that most of the advancements in today's aerospace sector are inspired by way how the automotive industry has implemented technological developments and how they streamline their production processes.Overall, I would say, all these modern technologies including automation and 3D printing are helping the aerospace sector to reduce errors, reduce production time and costs and thereby improve efficiency.Now, let's talk about the supply chain side of this industry. Obviously, there have been immense developments where technological adoptions are offering better ways to improve supply chain efficiency. But after the crisis of COVID-19, the sector has been facing major difficulties. Since the pandemic has forced people to maintain social distancing and work from their own homes. This has affected the quality of products as well as a shortage of products. Ever since the focus has been on how to optimise and increase the robustness of the supply chain.Another point that I would like to stress is customer experience. Building a solid connection with the customers has become a crucial factor in today's world. Having effective communication with your customers can help in improving the services, product developments, and maintenance and can significantly offer insight into how to improve efficiency. Finally, one of the major development in the aerospace industry is the emergence of sustainable fuels. This industry has been trying its best to reduce its carbon emissions. But the challenge is these Bruno Cervia
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