Aerospace Products & Parts Manufacturing

Aerospace Products & Parts Manufacturing

Brief Excerpt from Industry Overview Chapter:

Companies in this industry manufacture aircraft, aircraft components, and missiles and space vehicles. Major companies include US-based Boeing, General Dynamics, Lockheed Martin, Northrop Grumman, and Raytheon, as well as the Netherlands-based EADS (and its French subsidiary Airbus), BAE Systems (UK), Finmeccanica (Italy), and Bombardier (Canada). Many companies work primarily as subcontractors to the largest manufacturers.

The global aerospace manufacturing industry generates more than $700 billion in annual revenue. Top countries for aerospace manufacturing include Canada, France, the UK, and the US. North America and Europe are the largest markets for aerospace product sales, but emerging economies in the Asia-Pacific region are expected to provide the greatest growth opportunities.

The US aerospace products and parts manufacturing industry includes about 1,300 companies with combined annual revenue of about $185 billion and is expected to grow at a moderate rate in the next two years. Defense spending and investment in commercial aircraft are major demand drivers.

COMPETITIVE LANDSCAPE

Demand is driven by military budgets and the overall economic climate, which affects airline traffic and demand for new commercial aircraft. The profitability of individual companies depends on technical expertise and the ability to accurately price long-term contracts. Large companies enjoy economies of scale in design, manufacturing, and purchasing. Small companies can compete effectively by concentrating on selected components and parts manufacturing for particular prime contractors. Increasingly, small companies are developing system integration capabilities as large firms outsource more aspects of contracts. The US...