It’s a valid question. It’s not too presumptuous to think. Why not? Could South Carolina be the home to the next supersonic commercial airplane? Perhaps this isn’t on anyone’s radar screen yet. For decades, there has been discussion of a new supersonic commercial airplane. During my Boeing…
When American businesses outsource their engineering, especially to lower cost offshore service providers, are those companies increasing current profits at a significant future cost? Businesses continually look for ways to reduce their costs to enhance profits. Large corporations reward their executives and managers when they find ways…
Guess again and fly higher I’m asked often by recent engineering graduates if they should pursue a professional engineering (PE) registration. Most of the questions come from graduates entering the aerospace field. When I was beginning my engineering career, I wrestled with the same question. The process…
“Trade missions like this (Trade Winds 2016) allow for US Manufacturers like us to develop international contacts and leads while building good working alliances.” – Sun Surveillance, Spartanburg SC Have you ever asked yourself, “what are these “trade missions” I keep hearing about? What would I get…
Over the last quarter century, and with a big fat “Thank You” going out to BMW, there has been a flurry of global manufacturing brands and their host of tiered suppliers descending upon South Carolina, and to the Upstate in particular. And with the Charleston Harbor being…
“If I call you at 7:30 p.m. on a Friday evening, will you answer the phone and get my parts delivered to me on time?” In a manufacturing ecosystem subject to tariffs, bad weather and port congestion, South Carolina firms along the supply chains of a BMW,…
The Future of Aerospace I admit it, I am a Trekkie. Yeah, Star Wars was OK, but I always preferred the original Star Trek. Watching this show in my younger years, combined with seeing nearly every single NASA rocket launch and the first moon landing triggered my…
An aerospace retrospective with KTM Solution’s Paul Kumler I recently attended an SC Aerospace Advisory Board meeting where a preliminary supply chain study report was presented. The report was generated to understand the impact of the aerospace supply chain in South Carolina. I found one statistic particularly…
Walking under the trees along Main Street in Greenville and into the sun again down near the Poinsett Hotel and City Hall, one could close their eyes and transport themselves to stations around the world. The digital storefront and globalization of commerce has positioned South Carolina as…
So…You want to become a tiered supplier? You want to fly beyond the “mom and pop” machine shop and onto the radars of a BMW, Boeing or Michelin? Well, you’ll need to start making your own bed first. In addition to a more aesthetically pleasing facility, a…