Development of a Production Planning Decision-Support Tool for Aerospace Engine Manufacturing

Abstract

This study developed a conceptual production planning decision-support tool for aerospace engine manufacturing environments by integrating supply chain performance, manufacturing capacity, workforce availability, and testing constraints into a unified model. The objective was to improve production forecasting accuracy by representing the system as a set of interdependent operational constraints rather than isolated functional capacities. A constraint-based modeling approach was applied to estimate maximum monthly engine production under varying operational scenarios using representative datasets. The results showed that supplier delivery reliability is the most significant factor influencing production output, producing a 38% reduction in total engine production when constrained, followed by manufacturing capacity, labor availability, and testing constraints. The proposed framework enhances decision-making by enabling scenario-based analysis and improving visibility of production bottlenecks within complex aerospace manufacturing systems.