He also has an MS in manufacturing systems engineering from the University of Minnesota-Minneapolis. Shepherd works in an integrated product development team environment. I develop cost estimates for design trade-off analyses, and I develop simulations for industrial and process planning. The team's current focus is a U.S. Army artillery vehicle development program. Debunking the myth Engineers shouldn't let myths about the industry keep them from considering aerospace and defense, says Shepherd.
Defense is perceived to be slow and costly.
But that's not the case. That perception comes from a lack of understanding of how new product development processes work. Cost and schedule are as important in the defense sector as they are in the commercial world. The difference between defense and commercial product development cycles is the criticality and advanced technology of the defense systems. Defense research and production has been the breeding ground for a lot of the technology and product development processes that are commonplace today.