Nichols Martin
A top avionics company official has cited lack of space industry investment as one of the causes of supply chain challenges and said the COVID-19 pandemic aggravated existing industry issues and intensified the impact of supply chain shocks, SpaceNews reported Sunday.
“Relative to other industries, there’s a massive underinvestment in the supply chain… The supply chain in space often behaves as though it’s surprised by orders,” said Paul Graven, president and CEO of Cateni, during a Nov. 10 conference hosted by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics.
The underinvestment was originally meant to optimize supply chains but consequentially reduced supply chain resiliency, according to Graven.
He also noted that supply chain disruptions affect traditional and larger space companies differently compared to newer corporations and startups.
The CEO concluded that suppliers, over time, could adapt and address demands on a regular basis as opposed to intermittent orders in traditional space projects.
