By Matt Medley, IFS

There are many pitfalls to keep an eye on when assessing whether a current or potential enterprise resource planning (ERP) system is fit-for-purpose in defense and aerospace manufacturing. Making the wrong choice could leave a manufacturer hamstrung when looking to transform their operations, with existing software requiring expensive customizations, providing limited deployment options, offering little business intelligence or – a very bad situation – compromising security.

Substantial penalties wait for global defense and aerospace manufacturers and contractors that fail to comply with International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), which exist to track military- and defense-sensitive material and to keep that material out of the hands of adversaries. Many organizations opt to mitigate this regulatory-heavy environment by using manual, labor-intensive internal processes or employing third-party compliance entities. Another approach: Enterprise software built on ITAR principles can help organizations overcome compliance concerns and ensure data, supply-chain information, products, and services are available to a global audience.