Regulatory Compliance Tops Aerospace and Defense Survey from CMTC

2008-10-29 17:05:04 -

www.cmtc.com - Aerospace and defense industry manufacturers say that complying with the raft of regulations necessary to maintaining a business in California is their highest priority, a new survey has found. In the 20-page industry survey, Business Barriers and Improvement Strategies, California Manufacturing Technology Consulting(TM) researchers asked manufacturers in the California aerospace and defense arena to rank their most pressing operational issues.

Nearly one-third of respondents, or 31%, said regulatory compliance was their highest priority in the 2008 survey. The second highest number of respondents--25%--said the need for "strategic planning for future growth" was their most pressing issue. "Meeting customer delivery requirements" came in a close third at 24%, and "reducing costs" ranked fourth at 10%. In a comparable CMTC survey conducted in 2003, the top concern was how increased sales followed by reducing costs and the need for strategic growth plans.

The 2008 report also found a dramatic increase in California firms' annual sales due to strong demand from the defense and commercial aircraft markets. At the same time, the number of aerospace and defense firms in California has declined due to industry consolidation.

"The industry has had a very good run in orders and activity for the past six to eight years, but people are starting to be concerned about that changing," said John Anderson, CMTC's Aerospace and Defense Director. Anderson said manufacturers are looking to grow their businesses now by using their expertise in areas such as medical devices, automotive and other manufacturing related industries. To request a copy of the survey, visit www.cmtc.com.

ABOUT CALIFORNIA MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY CONSULTING

A private, nonprofit corporation, CMTC was established in 1992 to provide high value consulting services to California's high tech and traditional small and medium-size manufacturers to increase their competitive advantage through improved methods of management and manufacturing. Today, through its regional teams, CMTC provides consulting services in the practice areas of Strategic Business, Lean Enterprise, Information Technology, Energy Services, Quality, Distribution and Supply Chain Management. CMTC's regional teams cover Los Angeles, the Inland Empire, Orange County, Ventura/Santa Barbara County, the San Fernando/San Gabriel Valley, the San Joaquin Valley and San Diego/Imperial County. For more information, visit www.cmtc.com.

CMTC
Ellen McKewen, 310-263-3018
emckewen@cmtc.com
www.cmtc.com