# Aerospace manufacturing in Wichita, Kansas > Source: https://netray.co/manufacturing/wichita-kansas-aerospace-manufacturing > Publisher: Netray (netray.co), AI and integration engineering for ERP and manufacturing systems. > Section: Manufacturing Hubs ## Short answer Wichita is known as the Air Capital because general aviation and commercial aerostructures have been built there for a century. Textron Aviation (Cessna and Beechcraft), Spirit AeroSystems and a deep layer of machine shops, sheet metal, composites and special process suppliers make up the local supply chain. This page covers who is here, what the work demands and where ERP and quoting problems show up. ## Kind region ## Country United States ## Area Kansas ## Intro Wichita is known as the Air Capital because general aviation and commercial aerostructures have been built there for a century. Textron Aviation (Cessna and Beechcraft), Spirit AeroSystems and a deep layer of machine shops, sheet metal, composites and special process suppliers make up the local supply chain. This page covers who is here, what the work demands and where ERP and quoting problems show up. ## Industries ### Commercial aerostructures **Detail:** Large fuselage and wing-related structures, machined skins, ribs and fittings, and the sheet metal, composites and fastener work that feeds them. Work is driven by prime build rates, so suppliers feel schedule changes quickly. ### Business and general aviation **Detail:** Textron Aviation builds Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft in Wichita. Suppliers make machined parts, sheet metal assemblies, wiring harnesses, interiors and tooling in lower volumes and higher mix than commercial programs. ### Defense and military aircraft support **Detail:** McConnell Air Force Base and defense programs generate demand for modification, sustainment and spares. Many shops mix commercial and military work, which brings ITAR and DFARS obligations into otherwise commercial plants. ### Machine shops and special processes **Detail:** Five-axis machining of aluminum, titanium and stainless, plus heat treat, anodize, plating, paint, NDT and chemical processing. Many of these shops are small and depend on a few primes for most of their revenue. ### Tooling, fixtures and automation **Detail:** Assembly jigs, drill templates, inspection fixtures and automation cells for aerostructure assembly, often built by local tool and die shops that also run production work. ## Ecosystem ### Wichita State University National Institute for Aviation Research (NIAR) **Type:** university lab **Note:** NIAR is a research and testing organization at Wichita State University with composites, structures, crash dynamics and certification testing capabilities. ### WSU Tech National Center for Aviation Training (NCAT) **Type:** training center **Note:** NCAT in Wichita trains aircraft assembly, sheet metal, composites and related technicians for local employers. ### Kansas Manufacturing Solutions **Type:** MEP center **Note:** Kansas Manufacturing Solutions is the Kansas partner in the NIST Manufacturing Extension Partnership network and supports small and midsize manufacturers. ### Greater Wichita Partnership **Type:** economic development **Note:** A regional economic development organization that works on business recruitment and expansion across the Wichita area. ### Textron Aviation **Type:** prime contractor **Note:** Maker of Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft with major operations in Wichita. ### Spirit AeroSystems **Type:** prime contractor **Note:** A large aerostructures manufacturer with its main operations in Wichita, working primarily on commercial airliner structures. ### Kansas Department of Commerce **Type:** state program **Note:** The state agency that runs business incentive and workforce programs available to Kansas manufacturers. ## Requirements - AS9100 quality management system, required by most aerospace primes - Nadcap accreditation for special processes such as heat treat, NDT, chemical processing and welding - ITAR registration and export control procedures for defense work - DFARS 252.204-7012 and NIST SP 800-171 for covered defense information - CMMC 2.0 for defense contract work as it phases into contracts - Prime specific flow-downs, first article inspection per AS9102, and counterfeit part prevention ## Sections ### What shops in Wichita make and for whom **Body:** The local supply chain is built around a few large buyers. A tier one shop may hold long term agreements for machined structural details, while a ten person shop may run first article and short runs for several customers in the same week. Because of that mix, customer concentration is a real business risk. Shops that keep clean job costing by customer, program and part family can see which work actually pays after setup, inspection and special process outside services. ### Quoting and estimating realities **Body:** Aerospace quotes rarely start from a clean drawing. Revisions, specification callouts, material certifications, special process lists and first article requirements all change the price, and estimators often rebuild the same routing from memory or from old quotes in spreadsheets. The most common estimating loss is outside processing: anodize, heat treat, NDT and plating have long lead times and minimum charges that never made it into the original quote. Pulling actual vendor cost history into the estimate is more valuable than adding more machining detail. **Bullets:** - Capture drawing revision and specification list on every quote - Carry outside process lead time and minimum charge into the routing - Compare quoted hours to actual hours by part family each quarter ### ERP and systems commonly seen **Body:** Small and midsize aerospace shops here commonly run JobBOSS, E2 Shop System, ProShop ERP, Global Shop Solutions, Epicor Kinetic or Infor SyteLine, with a quality system for nonconformances and corrective action on top. Larger suppliers use SAP or Oracle based systems chosen by their parent organizations. The recurring pain is lot and serial traceability across revisions, certificate of conformance handling, and keeping the inspection plan, router and drawing revision in step. Spreadsheets fill the gap wherever the ERP does not model it. ### Compliance and data handling **Body:** Drawings, models and specifications for defense work are controlled data. Many shops cannot send them to a public cloud AI service, and some contracts prohibit it. Controlled unclassified information has to stay inside systems that meet NIST SP 800-171 controls. A private model running on the shop's own hardware, reading the ERP and document stores behind existing role permissions, is one way a customer can use AI without moving controlled data outside its boundary. The shop remains responsible for ITAR, DFARS and CMMC compliance, and should verify the setup with its own compliance lead. ### Where private AI on ERP helps, and where it does not **Body:** Useful and low risk: asking the ERP plain questions such as which open orders are past due by customer, what the actual versus quoted hours were on a part number, or which lots are missing certificates. Searching procedures, past nonconformance reports and customer requirements is another strong fit. Less useful: shops with a clean, well configured ERP and few users may be fine with built-in reports. AI also should not approve first articles, dispositions or release product. Anything that writes to the ERP should keep human approval. ## Faq ### What aerospace companies are in Wichita, Kansas? **Answer:** The best known are Textron Aviation, which builds Cessna and Beechcraft aircraft, and Spirit AeroSystems, a large aerostructures manufacturer. Around them is a supply base of machine shops, sheet metal and composites fabricators, special process houses, tooling shops and engineering firms. Wichita State University's NIAR also supports testing and research. ### Do Wichita aerospace suppliers need AS9100? **Answer:** Most primes expect AS9100 certification or an equivalent quality system from their suppliers, and special process suppliers usually need Nadcap accreditation for the processes they perform. Smaller shops sometimes begin with customer approval and work toward AS9100. Check the purchase order flow-downs for the exact requirement. ### Which ERP is used by Wichita aerospace machine shops? **Answer:** There is no single standard. Small and midsize shops commonly use JobBOSS, E2, ProShop, Global Shop Solutions, Epicor Kinetic or Infor SyteLine, and larger suppliers often use SAP or Oracle systems from their parent company. The choice usually depends on traceability, job costing and quality module needs. ### Can aerospace shops use AI on ITAR controlled drawings? **Answer:** Only inside a setup that keeps controlled data within the shop's own compliant boundary. Public cloud AI services are generally a poor fit for ITAR data. A model hosted on the shop's own servers with access limited to authorized US persons can work, but the shop must confirm it with its compliance officer. ## Search terms aerospace companies in wichita ks, wichita kansas aerospace companies, wichita aerospace suppliers, aircraft manufacturers in wichita ks, what aerospace companies are in wichita, spirit aerosystems wichita, aerospace engineering wichita state, ERP for aerospace machine shops --- Talk to an engineer: https://netray.co/contact?intent=erp_ai | Machine catalog: https://netray.co/agent/catalog.json