Page 32 - ADT JANUARY - FEBRUARY 2023 Online Magazine

 COLUMN

POSITIVE

OUTLOOK

MATTHEW MEDLEY
INDUSTRY DIRECTOR, A&D
MANUFACTURING AT IFS

Despite continuing macro-level economic and geopolitical changes,
the defence industry looks positive as we head into 2023

New technology leads the ways with additive manufacturing and
Maritime 4.0 poised to improve manufacturing efficiency and read- for bases to exist in more rural locations with
iness. Out at sea we will see autonomous surface and subsurface less requirements for access to supply lines.
vessels increasingly used in the ocean to gather greater informa- However, the merging of two usually separate
tion on hostile forces. Space is definitely the new frontier within the supply lines, one from third-party vendors and
defence industry with major superpowers and NATO all in the mix to now internal additive manufacturing can lead
manage inter-operational frameworks. Overarching all these devel- to new logistics challenges with competing Total
opments is the requirement that new technology and associated Asset Readiness® priorities. This reinforces the
data is kept safe—so cybersecurity must keep pace. fact that Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial
Intelligence (AI) tooling is required to enhance
With all this ever advancing technology, it’s no wonder the general decision making from usual logistics personnel.
business outlook for the A&D industry is described as “somewhat to
very positive” by 88% of senior leaders in a recent Deloitte report. Prediction 2: Maritime 4.0 and digital
These developments are fueling change in the defence sector so shipyards are expected to grow nearly
it’s timely to take a deeper dive into the new opportunities I see 20% annually through 2030
developing in 2023.
Industry 4.0 has improved the efficiency of
Prediction 1: The future of the defence supply chain – half designing, manufacturing, and constructing
of A&D manufacturers to use additive manufacturing as ships due to the new technologies it encap-
a base protocol sulates. In 2023 these developments will be
underpinned by AI, ML, and digital twins to
Military forces are set to be more reliant on additive manufacturing advance digital shipyards and Maritime 4.0.
to help with asset repair, readiness, and prototyping. The next level Maritime 4.0 has given manufacturers clearer
of 3D printing is already underway with the U.S. Military designing coordination, operations, and maintenance. The
the world’s largest 3D printer capable of printing metal parts 30 feet digital shipyard market is already expected to
long, 20 feet wide and 12 feet high. This helps to reflect the fact that be worth $693 million in 2022 and then reach
75% of industry experts predict 3D printing will be a base protocol $3,967 million by 2030 at a CAGR of 19%.
within the next ten years.
Shipyards are hoping for a greener more sus-
The increased use of additive manufacturing will make military forces tainable future with Maritime 4.0 with aims to
more self-sufficient and reduce maintenance wait time, currently reduce Co2 emissions and meet net zero goals.
military forces wait around 25 days for repairs or new assets from In order to help achieve these aims, the maritime
external providers. With the increased use of 3D printing, the logis- industry recently received a £206 million invest-
tics footprint of military operating bases will be reduced and allow ment from the UK department of Transport.
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