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Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing Yearbook 2018

The 2018 edition of the Aerospace and Defense Manufacturing Yearbook is available as a digital magazine. Links to individual articles are below.
Thomas Kurfess

Innovation All Around and a Promising Outlook

August 21, 2018
Welcome to Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2018. This year, we’re proud to offer you a comprehensive outlook on the A&D industry from Richard Aboulafia, VP of analysis at Teal Group Corp. In Aboulafia’s report, he begins with a strong statement: “The outlook for the aircraft industry is now the best it has been for decades.”
Thomas Kurfess
By Thomas Kurfess 2018 SME President
plane

Best of Times in the World Aircraft Market

October 1, 2018
The competition for aerospace production work among U.S. states and regions is intensifying for a simple reason: The outlook for the aircraft industry is now the best it has been for decades. Topline output continues at near-record levels. Key segments look set for growth through the next three years, at least.
By Richard Aboulafia Vice President - Analysis, Teal Group Corp.

Aircraft Primes: An Elite Club

October 1, 2018
Despite the industry’s growth and prosperity, the number of aircraft industry players remains relatively constant. While the industrial consolidation of the last two decades has ceased, there are few signs of significant new market players. A very broad range of factors is responsible for this stasis.
By Richard Aboulafia Vice President - Analysis, Teal Group Corp.

Outlook

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Tech View

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Aerospace Manufacturing

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Machines & Automation

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Smart Manufacturing

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.

Workforce

  • INDUSTRIES

    China Amplifies Taiwan President’s Opponents

    Michael McConnell April 17, 2026
    China is turning to social media to undermine the independent island’s current ruling party, Reuters said.
  • NEWS DESK

    Schneider Electric Unveils Next-Generation Agentic Manufacturing

    PRESS RELEASE: Schneider Electric April 17, 2026
    Schneider Electric, a global energy technology leader, will spotlight new milestones in its strategic collaboration with Microsoft at Hannover Messe, demonstrating how their combined technologies are enabling manufacturers to modernize operations, accelerate engineering, and strengthen resiliency.
  • MANUFACTURING ENGINEERING

    The Hidden Friction in Automation Integration

    Meaghan Ziemba, Contributing Editor April 16, 2026
    Manufacturers continue to invest in shop-floor automation, but the hardest part of the work rarely starts with choosing a robot, selecting end-of-arm tooling or approving a software platform. Trouble starts when a concept that makes perfect sense in planning is forced to live inside a real factory, where aging equipment, inconsistent inputs, disconnected data, undocumented workarounds and relentless production pressure all shape the outcome. Automation often enters a facility as the answer to a problem, yet implementation has a way of exposing everything that slowed down operations for years.