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The Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing

Gaps in the Digital Thread Across the Multiple Tiers of 

Manufacturing Supply Chains: An R&D Perspective

Prince George, VA

CCAM Contact: Derek Hass – derek.hass@ccam-va.com 
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consent and is subject to any additional conditions detailed on page 1 of this document.

A Virginia-Centered Global Community Focused on Solving Real Manufacturing Challenges

• Led from a dedicated research facility in south central Virginia

• Collaborating across Industries, Government, and Universities

• Global network of companies across industries & supply chains

• World class team of scientists, engineers, & technologists

• Unique sponsor-driven Intellectual Property model

• Leading research universities in Virginia

• 501(c)3 Non-profit institute

CCAM – Who we are...

2

Transforming 

Manufacturing 

Together!©
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Example: Dynamic Manufacturing Processes (such as Additive Manufacturing, Thermal Spray) 

Key CCAM Focus: Digital Manufacturing

CCAM provides synergy of digital systems expertise, process intelligence tools and 

advanced manufacturing processes and materials

Digital Systems:

Digital Architectures to Enable Real Time Use 

of Intelligence Data in Industrial Settings 

Process Intelligence:

In-Situ Sensing, Process 

Models, Planning Tools 

Industrial Scale Equipment
SecureAmerica Institute BR&L Consulting

Manufacturing USA Technology Roadmap (MfgTech) Grant Program
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Overarching Goal

Digital thread technologies could transform the ability 

of manufacturers to:

A) increase throughput and efficiently meet 

standards for quality and conformance (capacity) 

B) Provide unprecedented visibility to their supply 

chain networks and the ability to quickly respond to 

potential disruptions and quality issues (resilience).

Goal: develop a technology roadmap to improve the resilience and capacity 

of the US manufacturing supply chain through the digital thread. 
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• Recognizing disruptions in the supply chain – be they internal or external disruptions – takes too 

long 

• Manufacturers struggle to meet cost and schedule objectives while simultaneously satisfying 

quality and regulatory requirements 

• Insufficient collaboration between public and private stakeholders 

• Accessing and associating product lifecycle data across supply chain boundaries is too hard 

• Organizational and geographical data silos create barriers to digital thread realization 

• Lack of clear vision about what systems to connect and how

• Standards landscape is murky 

• Lack of trust between organizations both internally and externally 

• Duplicated Efforts and multiple sources of truth – Data often is copied from system to system 

Anticipated Challenges to Adoption of “Digital Thread” to Aid Supply Chain
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This document and the information contained herein are the intellectual property of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) or its members and may not be distributed without prior written 

consent and is subject to any additional conditions detailed on page 1 of this document.

▪ The group identified several key barriers towards broader adoption of “Digital Thread” concepts including:

• Intellectual Property: Because of the proprietary nature of the industry, sharing key manufacturing data 

beyond what is within Technical Data Packages is difficult if not impossible

• System Interoperability: Major enterprise software system provides (e.g., ERP, MOS, PLM) are not designed 

to interoperate with other systems without significant effort (and cost)

• Benefits: Lack of defined, measurable benefits at all levels of the supply chain, especially related to the 

integration with small and mid-sized manufacturers

• Commitment: Commitment from company senior management to enable capabilities or invest in solutions

• Standards: Lack of standards for application (whether industry standards, international standards, national 

standards, or system/solution standards)

• Real-Time Data: Lack of consistent, real-time or near real-time supplier and production data from different 

systems

• Skillset: Need and investment for advanced training and support for additional data/system requirements

• Data Management: One respondent mentioned the “cost of curation” needed to maintain the digital library 

and manage the quality of the information being shared

Aerospace & Defense Question Group: Barriers to Adoption of “Digital Thread”

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consent and is subject to any additional conditions detailed on page 1 of this document.

▪ The overall desired end-state for “digital thread” focused on potential benefits including:

• Standardized, exchangeable data across different systems

• Ability to retain and recall production data to perform causality assessments for part failure

• Reduced costs to manufacture and improved time from order to delivery

• Scalable systems that can handle rapid increases in demand in response to emerging needs

• Flexibility in supply chain sourcing through open data standards

▪ Other benefits desired by the group included:

• Hybrid manufacturing with human workforce enabled by autonomous manufacturing. 

• Improved efficiencies through real-time data analysis, possibly with integration of AI tools

A&D Question Group: Future Benefits for “Digital Thread” in Aerospace and Defense

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This document and the information contained herein are the intellectual property of the Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) or its members and may not be distributed without prior written 

consent and is subject to any additional conditions detailed on page 1 of this document.

Intelligent AM Ecosystem for Component Repair and Replacement

9

IAM Ecosystem can be repetitively 

leveraged for additional parts, 

processes, users, & applications

Identify Impactful

AM Repair Use Case