Quality Management in 2025: 5 Essential Insights for Aerospace Manufacturing

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Quality Management in 2025: 5 Essential Insights for Aerospace Manufacturing

As we enter 2025, the manufacturing landscape faces many challenges—from evolving tariffs and global supply chain shifts to emerging quality concerns. These developments have a direct impact on product quality and demand proactive strategies from quality managers, particularly in high-stakes industries like aerospace manufacturing. To help navigate these challenges, we explore five essential insights.

1. The Impact of Tariffs on Importers

Tariffs have become a defining feature of global trade, particularly for U.S. importers. Beyond their immediate financial implications, tariffs can indirectly affect product quality. Manufacturers and suppliers under tariff pressure may opt for cost-cutting measures that compromise quality. For example, in aerospace manufacturing—where precision and reliability are paramount—even minor material substitutions can have catastrophic consequences.

Strategies for Mitigation

• Strategic Sourcing: Collaborate with suppliers in tariff-friendly regions that adhere to high-quality standards. Aerospace and defense companies, for instance, have diversified their sourcing to mitigate risks associated with fluctuating tariffs.

• Cost-Quality Balance: Encourage suppliers to invest in innovation rather than cost-cutting.

  
  

Innovation Vs. Cost-Cutting

• Material Substitutions: Suppliers may opt for lower-grade materials, which can weaken the structural integrity of aerospace components. Even minor deviations in material quality can result in significant performance failures.

• Reduced Testing: To save costs, some suppliers might scale back on rigorous testing protocols, increasing the likelihood of defects reaching the production line.

How Innovation Drives Quality

Investing in innovation, on the other hand, enables suppliers to:

• Develop Advanced Materials: Suppliers can research and develop high-performance materials tailored to withstand the unique stresses and conditions of aerospace applications.

• Streamline Production Processes: Innovative manufacturing techniques, such as additive manufacturing (3D printing), allow for precise, cost-efficient production with less material waste and tighter tolerances.

• Implement Digital Tools: Suppliers who embrace automation and data-driven quality control systems can identify potential issues in real-time, reducing defects and ensuring compliance with specifications.

• Collaborative R&D Programs: These companies often engage suppliers in joint research and development initiatives, sharing knowledge and resources to drive breakthroughs in materials and technologies.

• Incentive Programs: Supplier recognition initiative awards motivate vendors to innovate by acknowledging excellence in quality, reliability, and technological advancement.

• Long-Term Partnerships: Establishing enduring relationships with high-quality suppliers enables consistent innovation and reduces the risks associated with frequent supplier transitions.

Boeing's supply chain strategy emphasizes collaboration with high-quality manufacturers to meet stringent aerospace standards. The company engages with over 10,000 active suppliers worldwide, investing more than $34 billion annually in procurement. Despite these efforts, Boeing has faced scrutiny over quality control issues, notably following the 737 MAX incidents in 2018, 2019 and the crash of a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 in South Korea is the deadliest aviation disaster of 2024, marking yet another incident involving a Boeing plane. Investigations revealed that design flaws and lapses in oversight contributed to these tragedies.

Boeing Strengthens Supply Chain and Quality Assurance for Safer Skies In response, Boeing has enhanced its supply chain management and quality assurance processes. This includes increased oversight of suppliers and a renewed focus on safety and compliance. Boeing has recently restructured its approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) within its operations. In October 2024, the company disbanded its global DEI department, reassigning staff to other human resources teams. Sara Liang Bowen, who led the DEI department, departed the company on October 31, 2024. Boeing maintains its commitment to fostering an inclusive work environment. The company stated that it remains dedicated to recruiting and retaining top talent and creating a workplace where every employee can perform at their best.

2. Understanding Quality Fade

Quality fade refers to the gradual erosion of product quality due to subtle cost-cutting measures, often driven by financial pressures like tariffs or supply chain disruptions. For example, with heat treating, quality fade might manifest in less rigorous equipment maintenance or inferior processes, potentially compromising safety-critical parts.

Recognizing Early Signs:

• Shift in Metrics: Look for small, consistent declines in metrics like tensile strength, surface hardness, or dimensional accuracy.

• Inspection Data Trends: Track quality inspection data to identify patterns of deviation over time.

3. Preventing Quality Fade with Structured Audits

A structured and systematic audit program is critical for maintaining high-quality standards. Quality managers in manufacturing and aerospace can prevent quality fade by implementing rigorous processes.

Best Practices for Audits:

• Material Inspections: Ensure all incoming raw materials meet exacting specifications, particularly in aerospace and heat treating, where material integrity is critical.

• Inline Production Inspections: Conduct real-time inspections during production to catch deviations early in real-time, enabling immediate corrective actions.

• Pre-shipment Testing: Aerospace manufacturers often perform multi-level inspections, including non-destructive testing (NDT), to ensure the reliability of final products.

4. Managing Supplier Transitions Effectively

Switching suppliers introduces risks, especially in industries with stringent quality demands. The aerospace sector, which relies on precise tolerances and material certifications, illustrates the importance of a controlled transition process.

Key Strategies:

• Quality Agreements: Draft detailed quality agreements that outline testing protocols and compliance standards. Heat treaters transitioning to new material suppliers can specify requirements for heat resistance and metallurgical properties.

• Sampling and Prototyping: Aerospace manufacturers often require initial samples to undergo rigorous testing before approving full-scale production.

• Real-Time Monitoring: Leverage digital tools to track and document supplier performance metrics during transitions.

5. Patience and Proactive Planning: The Hallmarks of 2025

The ongoing volatility in global trade and supply chain logistics underscores the need for patience and meticulous planning. Quality managers must adopt a forward-thinking mindset and anticipate challenges such as lead time fluctuations or compliance updates.

Actionable Steps

• Scenario Planning: Develop contingency plans for potential disruptions, such as delayed raw material shipments.

• Invest in Technology: Digital transformation tools to enable real-time tracking of production metrics, helping companies adapt quickly to evolving conditions.

Conclusion: Navigating Quality Challenges with Resilience and Innovation

As we enter 2025, quality professionals in aerospace manufacturing and beyond are confronted with a rapidly evolving landscape of challenges and opportunities. From the impact of global trade policies to the risks of quality fade, the stakes have never been higher. Yet, with these challenges come opportunities for innovation and transformation.

Proactive strategies—such as fostering strong supplier relationships, implementing rigorous audits, and leveraging advanced technologies—can position quality managers as critical drivers of success. By focusing on structured processes and embracing digital tools, professionals can ensure precision, reliability, and safety across their operations.

The path forward requires a blend of vigilance, adaptability, and collaboration. By anticipating potential disruptions, investing in innovation, and maintaining an unwavering commitment to excellence, quality professionals can not only meet but exceed the demands of 2025. Ultimately, the pursuit of quality is not just about meeting standards—it is about safeguarding trust, elevating performance, and shaping a future of uncompromised integrity in manufacturing.

About Bluestreak™:

Bluestreak™ is a powerful Manufacturing Execution System (MES) and a fully integrated Quality Management System (QMS) designed for the manufacturing environment and service-based manufacturing companies (metal-treating/powder-coating, plating, heat-treating, forging, and metal-finishing), businesses that receive customers’ parts, perform a process (service) on them, and send those parts back to the customer). Companies need MES software tailored to specific functionality and workflow needs, such as industry-specific specifications management, intuitive scheduling control for staff and machinery maintenance, and the ability to manage work orders and track real-time data. If different work centers on the production floor aren’t “speaking” to each other via the MES, the data loses value and becomes disjointed or lost in disparate silos.

Bluestreak | Bright AM™ is an MES + QMS software solution specifically designed to manage and optimize the unique requirements of Additive Manufacturing’s production of parts and powder inventory genealogy usage.