BLOC DIGITAL FEATURE ARTICLE
How digital technologies help Aerospace Manufacturers stay competitive
Introduction
The UK aerospace industry has long been a flagship of British engineering. From high-precision machining to advanced composites, it’s a sector built on skill, innovation and an uncompromising approach to quality. However, it’s also a sector under pressure. For many small and medium-sized manufacturers, the day-to-day reality means tighter margins, stricter documentation and rising expectations from Tier 1s and primes. Add to that the challenge of finding skilled people and the growing weight of sustainability commitments, it’s clear that “business as usual” can’t stay that way for long. Mounting evidence from industry primes and tier 1 suppliers has demonstrated the value digital tools bring to manufacturers. The question for most SMEs isn’t whether to adopt digital tools, the question is how to do it in a way that’s practical, affordable and genuinely useful.
Why Digital Matters
At its heart, digital technology is about visibility and control. Whether that’s knowing which machine is running efficiently, spotting bottlenecks before they become a problem or understanding how much energy a line really uses. Data gives manufacturers the information they need to make faster and better decisions with a higher likelihood of success.
Improved visibility means downtime and inefficiencies aren’t hidden in the background. Better traceability means fewer audit headaches and more trust from customers. Smarter workflows reduce duplication, miscommunication and costly rework.
These benefits are real. For example, Produmax, a precision manufacturer in Yorkshire, connected its machining cells and began monitoring performance in real time, identifying small stoppages and idle periods that previously went unnoticed. Fixing them has led to a 97% reduction in lead times from 31 days to 21 hours with a 55 per cent increase in turnover2.
1 Director of Products, frank.mcquade@bloc.digital
2 https://www.amrc.co.uk/files/document/415/1613400208_Journal8.pdf
Barriers and Reality
Despite the success stories, many SMEs remain cautious. Production schedules leave little time for experiments, and new systems can feel like another layer of work rather than a solution.
There’s also the fear of “going digital” only to find it doesn’t integrate with existing equipment or processes.
While the case for digitalisation is clear, the path to getting there can look daunting, especially for small and medium-sized aerospace manufacturers working to tight delivery schedules and customer commitments.
Production teams are understandably cautious. There’s rarely spare time to experiment and introducing new technology can feel like another job rather than a solution. Many SMEs worry about how digital systems will fit with existing equipment, legacy software, or customer quality frameworks such as AS9100 and SC21.
These are not misplaced concerns. Digital transformation has often been framed as an “all or nothing” leap, but in reality, the most successful manufacturers approach it as a series of small, targeted improvements.
Understanding the Options
There isn’t a single route to digitalisation. UK Aerospace SMEs can draw on a series of scalable and affordable technologies ranging from simple connectivity tools to integrated data platforms.
1. Industrial Internet of Things and Machine Connectivity
Industrial sensors and data gateways can connect existing CNC machines, inspection equipment, and environmental systems to a central dashboard. This provides visibility of uptime, cycle times and unplanned stoppages.
2. Digital Workflow and Job Tracking
Replacing paper travellers or spreadsheet-based planning with digital workflows gives immediate gains in consistency and traceability. Operators can record status updates, part counts, and issues at source, while managers gain live insight into progress and bottlenecks.
3. Model-Based Definition (MBD) and Digital Twins
For companies managing complex geometry or tight tolerances, moving towards model-based data reduces interpretation errors and version-control problems. While full digital twins remain advanced for most SMEs, starting with 3D models linked to inspection or setup procedures can deliver meaningful improvements.
4. Quality, Traceability, and Compliance Platforms
Systems such as electronic product passports, calibration management tools or digital certificate storage help SMEs meet audit demands without the paper burden. These solutions are increasingly modular, allowing smaller firms to adopt one element at a time.
5. Energy and Resource Monitoring
With sustainability and cost reduction now business-critical, digital energy monitoring can highlight waste and support ISO 14001 or net-zero targets. Linking energy data to production events identifies where machines are running inefficiently or idling unnecessarily.
6. Training and Knowledge Capture
Digital work instructions, augmented reality (AR) visualisations, and simple video capture tools help preserve expertise and upskill new staff quickly. For many SMEs, building a digital knowledge base is as valuable as collecting production data. It protects hard-won experience and reduces dependency on individuals.
Practical Barriers Still Remain
Even with this growing toolkit, SMEs often face the same hurdles:
- Cost and Return on Investment: which technologies will genuinely pay back.
- Integration with Legacy Systems: fear that new tools will cause disruption.
- Skills and Confidence: limited internal resource to configure or interpret digital tools.
- Cultural Resistance: some teams can view digitalisation as unnecessary change.
Overcoming these challenges starts with focusing on purpose, not technology. The goal should be solving visible problems such as excessive downtime, repeated rework, traceability gaps etc. Successes in these areas will build success stories that earn trust internally.
For SMEs, the most successful digital projects share three traits:
- They start with a clear purpose. Solve one problem well before adding another.
- They work with people, not against them. Technology should fit the workflow.
- They create visible wins quickly. Success breeds confidence and confidence drives further change.
This is why lightweight, modular systems such as blocHub are gaining traction. blocHub follows the same principles. It’s designed to sit comfortably alongside existing systems and to scale naturally as confidence grows. It doesn’t replace ERP or MES solutions, but complements them. It fills the space between planning and production, where communication often breaks down. blocHub allows SMEs to start small, prove value quickly and scale at their own pace. All without the complexity of enterprise-level digital transformation.
blocHub: A Practical Approach to Digital Adoption
blocHub wasn’t built just for multinationals with endless IT teams, it was designed around the realities of British manufacturing to give teams and organisations a flexible approach to reaching their goals. It gives smaller businesses a simple way to capture, connect and use their operational data without changing the way they work overnight.
At its core, blocHub is a digital workspace that brings together the information that usually lives across whiteboards, spreadsheets, paper travellers and separate systems. It integrates:
- Work instructions and standard procedures
- Machine and job status
- Inspection results and traceability records
- Operator notes, photos, and lessons learned
Everything sits in one secure place, easy to update and view, whether you’re on the shop floor or in the office. That single view, especially when combined with KPIs, helps teams see problems sooner and share fixes faster. Engineers spend less time chasing information, and managers get a clearer picture of what’s really happening, not what they think is happening.
Conclusion
Digital technology isn’t about replacing experience with software; it’s about amplifying what SMEs already do well. For aerospace suppliers competing in a demanding, data-driven market, the ability to see clearly, respond quickly, and prove performance is fast becoming the difference between holding ground and moving ahead. blocHub provides a realistic path to that future, a practical, human-centred way for manufacturers to capture knowledge, improve predictability and build lasting competitiveness.
Support Network
Finally, it’s worth recognising that UK SMEs don’t have to go it alone. Initiatives such as Made Smarter and regional innovation hubs like the High Value Manufacturing Catapult (AMRC, NCC, MTC etc.) or the Institute for Advanced Manufacturing and Engineering at the University of Coventry offer facilities and guidance. In addition, the regional aerospace alliances such as the Farnborough Aerospace Consortium, Midlands Aerospace Alliance, Aerospace Wales etc. offer advice through their Technology Managers.
About Bloc Digital
Bloc Digital is a Derby-based technology and creative studio supporting industrial clients across aerospace, defence, energy, and manufacturing. With over two decades of experience delivering digital transformation through visualisation, immersive training, and data-driven platforms, Bloc helps organisations connect information, people and performance. Its products, including blocHub, are built around one philosophy: making complex data clear, usable and valuable.
Get in Touch - To discuss how blocHub or how wider digital technologies could support your organisation’s transformation journey, contact Bloc Digital. Our team works closely with manufacturers of all sizes to identify practical, value-led ways to apply digital tools from improving visibility and traceability to building connected, data-driven workflows.
Visit www.bloc.digital or email info@bloc.digital to start the conversation and explore how we can help you see further, faster.
