ERP: integrating enterprise‐wide planning functions for the aerospace and defence industry

Planning is crucial to an organization whether it is required for the execution of manufacture, repair and overhaul, or another aspect of the engineering supply chain. It is particularly important to the aerospace and defence industry because the supply chain for materials, parts and processes may now stretch around the globe. Planning and controlling this invariably complex set of relationships places considerable demands on both human and IT resources. Additionally, other developments are pushing existing planning systems to their limits. Outsourcing is a case in point, where organizations are increasingly focusing on their core business and delegating the responsibility for specialized requirements to external suppliers with more appropriate or cost‐effective resources.