Services

Aerospace & Defense Consulting Services

Achieve rate readiness with the quality and delivery A&D demands.

Proven in Regulated Aerospace & Defense Operations

We help A&D manufacturers attain rate readiness with the quality, traceability, and delivery the sector requires. Our teams stabilize critical processes, recover suppliers, and build daily management that CBS provides hands-on aerospace and defense consulting services for complex, regulated environments where performance, compliance, and program stability all matter. We help teams turn improvement goals into on-the-floor changes that hold up under long program timelines, strict audit requirements, and OEM and supplier dependencies.

Deep A&D experience across primes, Tier-1/2 suppliers, and complex assemblies
Hands-on practitioners fluent in regulated environments and defense workflows
Documented KPI gains in FPY, scrap, rework, OTIF/OTD, and lead time
90% referral-based practice, built on outcomes and trust

A woman in a white lab coat examines a gold-wrapped satellite with a large dish antenna, suspended by cables in a high-tech facility specializing in Aerospace and Defense Consulting.

Two workers in safety gear inspect solar panels on a rooftop at sunset, demonstrating operational excellence—one operates a drone while the other uses a laptop. Another worker is in the background, with the city skyline visible.

When You Need More Than a Report

This service is designed for aerospace and defense organizations that need progress in the operation, not another report. We work within real constraints such as rate pressure, engineering change, supplier risk, and compliance requirements to improve performance without introducing disruption or instability.

Experienced leadership teams to stabilize lines and coach leaders at the gemba
Customized solutions for rate increases, complex routings, and multi-site networks
Seamless integration – CBS team works alongside your team to drive results
Measurable improvement gains in TAT, inventory, FPY, queue time, changeover, schedule adherence
Knowledge transfer so teams sustain compliance and performance at rate

How We Get Results

Deploy with Speed and Purpose

Comprehensive business analysis with a defined roadmap
Focus on change management and leadership alignment
Tailor solutions to leverage the
client’s capability

Build Internal Capability

Coach all levels of leadership including first line supervision
Identify and develop change agents within the client
Deliver solutions at point of impact
(learn by doing)

Transfer with Sustainability

Establish an on-going business management system and cadence
Ensure leadership and change agents are living the new processes

A&D Service Offerings

CBS Aerospace & Defense Consulting commonly supports work in areas such as:

Operational excellence

Strategy / Goal Deployment
Design For “X”
New Product Development
Quality Management Systems
Prevention
Control
Correction and Learning
Lean 6 Sigma
Develop and Deploy Operating System
Visual Management & Control System
TAKT, Flow, Pull
3P
Rapid Business Transformation
Quote to Cash Analysis
Training for X / KPO Office

Supply chain management and supplier performance recovery

Supply chain strategic planning
Supply base performance improvements
Distribution architecture design and implementation
Modelling
What-If analysis
Sales & Inventory Operations Planning
Tactical supply chain problem solving and corrective action

Acquisitions & Integrations

Pre-LOI Support
CIM review and impression
Operational due diligence
Full-Potential Identification
Rapid value capture
100-day implementation planning
Full integration planning and execution
Transformation of operations to lean/CI culture
Pre divestiture operations analysis/sale readiness

Leadership & Change Management

Leadership development and executive coaching
Organizational design
Transformational design
Strategy development and deployment
Communications planning and execution
Building high performance teams

Program and project execution within complex aerospace and defense initiatives

Strategy alignment in project identification
Structured approach
Lean Six Sigma tools to drive out waste
Proprietary program and project management tool sets
Lean project management processes
Integration of lean techniques in PM
PDCA methodology
Embedded project leadership

What We Deliver

Rate readiness & flow

Improved TAT - Bottleneck relief; SMED/changeover reduction; labor & skills model
TAKT, Flow Pull

Quality & compliance

FPY programs; mistake-proofing; first-piece and final verification
Documentation integrity; audit readiness; traceability controls

Supplier recovery

Rapid supplier assessments; recovery plans; tiered follow-up cadence
OTD/OTIF scorecards; containment and exit criteria

Governance & rollout

90-day implementation plan with owners and milestones
Tiered reviews, KPI trees, and layered audits

Aerospace & Defense Consulting Case Studies

Examples of how CBS has supported aerospace and defense organizations operating in regulated, high‑consequence environments.

Aerospace: Enterprise-Wide Continuous Improvement Strategy

Overview

A Tier 2 aerospace portfolio company with over 14,000 employees across 62 locations was underperforming on margin, cash flow, and growth expectations. Customer satisfaction scores were consistently low, and the organization lacked the leadership capacity to drive meaningful change.

Challenge

Underperformance relative to investor expectations on key financial metrics

Lack of leadership capability to implement and sustain improvements

Low customer satisfaction across business units

No standardized continuous improvement system across holdings

Solution

Designed and deployed a comprehensive enterprise-wide CI system

Delivered a full training and development program across business units

Established a structured selection process for high-value tactical deployments

Provided hands-on coaching and mentoring to leadership and project teams

Ran over 800 CI events and trained more than 300 employees

Results

Cash performance improved by over $150M

$68M+ in savings generated within the first year

Over 800 continuous improvement events executed

300+ employees trained in CI project execution

Aerospace & Defense: Operational Excellence Through Lean Six Sigma

Overview

A global designer and manufacturer of systems and subsystems for the high-tech industry—serving aerospace and defense contractors across 85+ locations—sought to embed operational excellence into its organization-wide strategy.

Challenge

Needed an OE (Operational Excellence) process that was sustainable and scalable

Desired alignment between OE initiatives and organizational strategy

Lacked a standardized approach to deploy best practices across locations

Wanted to drive measurable business impact through process improvement

Solution

Partnered with leadership to develop and model a total OE approach

Built a strategy-aligned framework incorporating Lean and Six Sigma

Deployed a proprietary blended Green and Black Belt training program

Initiated implementation in one business segment, then scaled globally

Rolled out the program enterprise-wide after proven success

Results

OE process developed, piloted, and adopted company-wide

Over 300 employees trained in Green and Black Belt methodology

$70M in savings achieved since program inception (2013)

Aerospace & Defense: Doubling Capacity Without Adding Resources

Overview

A private equity firm acquired a family-owned aerospace manufacturer known for its product quality. While the company had a strong reputation, it lacked the operational discipline to scale efficiently without major capital investment.

Challenge

Needed to double production capacity without adding people or equipment

Faced rising customer demand but lacked standardized processes

Required significant reductions in lead time, overtime, and inefficiency

Solution

Conducted a full quote-to-cash analysis to map current state

Phased implementation of improvements across operations • Introduced scheduling discipline and standardized manufacturing work

Applied point-of-use material strategies

Implemented a visual shop floor management system

Led a blend of kaizen events, tactical projects, and “just do its” with client teams

Results

Doubled production capacity with no new equipment or headcount

Reduced product lead time by 80%

Cut overtime from over 25% to under 5%

Increased productivity by 56%

Frequently Asked Questions

What does it cost to have a consultation about potential improvements?

CBS is happy to provide you a free consultation to discuss how CBS can support you in solving your key business challenge.

Can you support supplier recovery?

Yes. We assess, stand up plans, and run a cadence until OTD/quality stabilize.

What does “rate readiness” look like?

TAKT, Flow Pull - A cadence that supports the customers needs, stable flow and product moved-based demand.

What types of aerospace and defense organizations does CBS work with?

CBS supports OEMs, Tier 1, and Tier 2 organizations across aerospace and defense manufacturing and supply chain environments.

Does CBS work on‑site?

Yes. Engagements often involve on‑site work alongside client teams, supplemented by remote support as appropriate.

How does CBS operate in regulated environments?

All work is structured to maintain compliance, traceability, and audit readiness while driving performance improvement.

How is this different from Operational Excellence Consulting?

Aerospace & Defense Consulting applies CBS’s execution capabilities specifically within aerospace and defense operating environments and constraints.

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