Original Date: 07/25/2005
Revision Date: 09/12/2006

Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems reduced costs by establishing a common tool set through a “One Electronic Systems Engineering and Manufacturing Homeroom,” producing a more efficient operation by allowing locations to share work and use common resources.

In past years, Northrop Grumman Electronic Systems (NGES) acquired several companies that use different tools and processes for common engineering and manufacturing (E&M) tasks. As a result of the acquisitions, it became difficult to leverage the capabilities of the disparate sites because they often used different tool sets and cultures. NGES recognized the need to standardize high-impact processes and tools to become more flexible and cost-effective.

NGES implemented a “One ES E&M Homeroom” initiative to establish a set of common engineering tools and systems for use across the entire ES sector. This approach uses anchor sites that implement integration for each division. As sites become integrated, they undergo feasibility reviews and develop action plans for implementation. Site integration levels are determined by factoring a balance of decision factors that can be categorized as either “business drivers” or “switching costs.” In some cases, there can be practical reasons for having a partial transition or for having no transition at a given time.

While the use of common tools in collaborative engineering is not new to the industry, key vendors indicate that NGES is leading the industry in this initiative. This makes NGES a more efficient operation by allowing locations to share work and use common resources. When tools and techniques are familiar, personnel can move between programs and locations with less retraining. NGES has significantly reduced costs by supporting a single common platform, license, maintenance, support, and training.

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