Click image to view it in full size

The global commercial aerospace market saw a year of turmoil in 2019 as the Boeing 737 MAX saga disrupted production. 2020 is going to be a year of reconfiguration that will not only affect Boeing, but the entire industry as well. The company is going to be pressured to make a large announcement this year in terms of a future airframe that will bridge the next-gen airframes to the futuristic. Opportunities are evident for suppliers who can keep up with any means possible by throttling production based on demand as OEMs are undertaking vertical integration, establishing joint ventures and even embedding strategic leadership within supply houses in hopes of securing the outcome.

Emerging technologies including advanced composite materials, additive manufacturing and electrification will continue to disrupt the design and construction of aircraft platforms. Airbus is proving that the void in the mid-market has already been filled by its higher-end A320 family of jets.

Digitalization in aerospace has grown to a $2 billion business impacting every facet of the industry. OEMs, suppliers and third parties are attempting to capture a part of the convoluted array of products. Joint ventures, consolidations and outright takeovers have been evident in the past few years as manufacturers embrace vertical integration in hopes of gaining back some control lost due to outsourcing.