What shops here make and for whom
The area's suppliers fall into two broad groups. Marine suppliers provide structural fabrication, piping, machined shafts and fittings, outfitting and coatings to shipbuilders and repair yards. Aerospace suppliers are fewer and tend to be specialized, supplying machined parts, tooling, ground support equipment and logistics services near the final assembly line.
Because the two sectors have different quality cultures, shops that serve both often maintain separate procedures for documentation, traceability and process control.
Quoting and estimating realities
Marine work is often quoted by weight, linear feet of weld and labor hours by trade, with material priced close to purchase. Aerospace quotes depend on machine time, setup, special process outsourcing, first article inspection and long approval cycles. A shop that quotes both with one template tends to misprice one of them.
Separate quoting models, with different overhead and documentation assumptions, make estimates more consistent and let you compare what each sector really earns per shop hour.
- Price outsourced special processes with lead time, not only cost
- Include first article and certification time in aerospace quotes
- Compare quoted versus actual hours by sector each quarter
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Nadcap Audit Checklists for Heat Treat, Welding and Composites
Pre-audit checklists organised by special process: heat treating, welding and composites, plus common items every Nadcap audit checks. Tick items, export your status.
ERP and systems seen in these shops
Smaller fabricators and machine shops commonly use JobBOSS, E2, ProShop ERP, Global Shop Solutions or Epicor Kinetic. Mid-sized suppliers may run Infor SyteLine, NetSuite, Plex or DELMIAworks. Aerospace-focused shops lean toward systems that handle lot traceability, certifications and nonconformance records.
A frequent gap is that quality records, certificates and customer flow-down documents sit outside the ERP. Natural-language search across those records and read-only ERP queries can shorten audit preparation and customer corrective action responses.
Compliance, data handling and where private AI fits
Aerospace and Navy work both involve technical data that customers restrict. Loading drawings, work instructions and ERP extracts into a public AI service can breach contract terms or export rules, so many suppliers prefer open-weight models running on their own servers or in a private cloud they control.
Private AI is a good fit for finding past quotes, answering questions about routings and open orders, and searching quality documents. It is not a substitute for NADCAP-controlled process approvals or an inspector's disposition, and write-back to the ERP should require human approval.
Frequently asked questions
What aircraft does Airbus assemble in Mobile, Alabama?
Airbus assembles A320 family aircraft at its U.S. manufacturing facility at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley, and has added A220 final assembly for U.S. customers. Check Airbus's current announcements for the latest production lines, since programs change over time.
Where can Alabama manufacturers get training and consulting support?
The Alabama Technology Network (ATN), the state's NIST MEP affiliated network operated through the community college system, offers consulting and training. Alabama Industrial Development Training (AIDT) provides customized workforce training for new and expanding employers.
Do suppliers to both ships and aircraft need separate quality systems?
Not necessarily, but the requirements differ. Aerospace customers usually require AS9100 and sometimes NADCAP for special processes. Naval work follows NAVSEA and prime contractor requirements. Many shops run one quality system with procedures specific to each customer type.
Can private AI help a small Mobile machine shop?
It can, for example by answering questions about routings, open jobs and past quotes in plain language while keeping data on your own server. It helps less if your ERP is small and your questions are already answered by built-in reports. Start with one narrow, high-value question.