Defense Contractor Finds a Total Supply Chain Solution With Xometry
Xometry expanded its relationship with a Tier-1 defense contractor from a transactional supplier to a supply-chain-as-a-service partner by providing a comprehensive quote for the entire bill of materials for a munitions drone program.
In the high-stakes aerospace and defense sector, procurement efficiency is often the difference between project success and costly delays. When a Tier-1 defense contractor required a comprehensive supply chain solution for a munitions drone program, Xometry provided a single point of procurement for the entire bill of materials (BOM), reducing program management costs and enabling dual sourcing for risk mitigation.
The Challenge: Fragmented Sourcing and Rapid Scaling
The primary challenge involved managing a massive and diverse project consisting of 94 unique part numbers. The complexity of the project, which included CNC machining, 3D printing, sheet metal fabrication, and specialized electronics, required an integrated approach.
Specific hurdles included:
- Diverse manufacturing processes: The BOM required a wide array of components, including wire harnesses, printed circuit boards (PCBs), and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) hardware.
- Strict quality requirements on a tight timeline: The customer required all parts to be delivered quickly for first-article qualification, a process that would stall the entire production timeline if delayed.
The Solution: Supply-Chain-as-a-Service
Xometry addressed these challenges by leveraging its network of thousands of manufacturing partners and the sourcing power of the Thomas Network. This combined ecosystem allowed Xometry to quote the entire BOM and quickly onboard new specialized partners to supply the electronic components. Instead of managing a dozen or more suppliers as they would have with a traditional supply chain, working with Xometry gave the customer a single point of contact.
To manage the project, Xometry’s dedicated program management group implemented several proactive strategies:
- Critical path prioritization: Management analyzed the BOM to identify and start production on the most time-intensive parts first.
- Quality assurance integration: All parts were routed through Xometry’s Gaithersburg, Maryland, facility for a secondary inspection to assure compliance prior to shipping to the customer.
- Strategic partner allocation: Xometry distributed the workload across 15 specialized manufacturing partners to maximize simultaneous production capacity.
The Results: On-Time Shipping and a Risk-Proof Supply Chain
The results of this integrated approach were immediate and measurable. Xometry achieved a 93% on-time shipping rate for the first article components. Even when parts required rework, the centralized quality assurance team ensured that 77% of those reworked components still shipped on time.
As the program moves into production, Xometry is actively qualifying a second source for each line item on the BOM as a proactive supply chain risk mitigation strategy. This dual-sourcing strategy ensures the customer's supply chain remains resilient against any future disruptions.
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