The second digital wave

According to Spirit AeroSystems' engineering director, Chris Wilkinson, the digital revolution will see the digital design and manufacturing environments undergo a second wave of change.


Our lifestyles are increasingly being exposed to the shift from the analogue to digital world. For most as consumers, this has been a positive experience. Digitisation has allowed us to communicate, collaborate and to obtain personal gratification in how fast and with whom we can now transact these activities - many of which would be unimaginable a decade ago.

Academics who study such forms of innovation phenomena describe these in TRIZ S-curve formats, with so called ‘inflexion points' that are indicative of the next wave of emerging innovation kicking in. My world of commercial aerospace has experienced many inflexion points, such as the replacement of metal by carbon fibre reinforced plastic composite structures for commercial airliners.

This digital revolution continues to accelerate and there's a sense we're now entering a significant inflexion point and therefore, a second wave of change. This will unite the digital design and manufacturing environments; familiar to those who operate in the advanced industries of today, and the collaborative, open sourced, digital environment of the internet. This intersection will be connected and offered in a way for consumers to experience and exploit.

One example that demonstrates this intersection is the emergence of fabrication laboratories (Fab Labs) which are rapid prototyping environments with a relatively low barrier to entry in terms of costs and ease of use. Fab Labs are an open source environment, networked as a global community that allow today's creative types to design and make what they want. Many weird, wonderful and practical creations have emerged from communities in less socially advantaged areas with limited formal education.

So what does this mean for those privileged to be part of a global industry designing and making products such as commercial aircraft? Firstly, these labs are communities that may create changes in our future industrial environment. They are the 21st century equivalent of the computer homebrew clubs of the 1970s. The main difference being that today's technology offers a lower barrier to access and exploit. The impact of this is a broader base of participation, i.e. connecting not just the technically minded but the artists, musicians and other creative types as well. Based upon historical evidence we shouldn't be surprised that some of these labs will be the incubators for new companies that emerge to reflect the needs of tomorrow. However far-fetched this may seem today, some of these could become competitive threats to our industries. Only this time it will be different. These companies will appear faster and are likely to emerge from areas of the world that we wouldn't normally expect.

Another dimension to consider is that the Fab Lab environment nurtures a new source of human capability. Driven by imagination and desire, these are the sorts of people that, given the opportunity in established industries, could inject a shift in 'how we do things around here'.

From the UK plc perspective, the Fab Lab environment also connects to a very psyche of the British culture: being creative and bridging the world of craftsmanship and the ‘garden shed tinkerer' to a global connected, collaborative community. Our capability as a nation to transition creative ideas to commercial realisation is not something we're renowned for. Perhaps this is one mechanism to facilitate a change towards a new direction?

The first UK Fab Lab was established in Manchester last March and the intention is to establish many more. These will be socially and technologically connected, not just within the UK, but globally. They are there for the use by members of the public and for our companies of today and the future. They are there for all of us who want to make a difference to what we do today and beyond.

www.spiritaero.com

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