Apriso, a leading provider of software solutions for sustained manufacturing operational excellence, today announced HITCO Carbon Composites, Inc. (HITCO) has selected Apriso's FlexNet as their enterprise manufacturing execution system. Apriso's aerospace and defense industry solution will be implemented to streamline HITCO's manufacturing execution operations. In addition, Apriso's solution will help expand continuous improvement initiatives surrounding the company's operations, quality and global product traceability and genealogy. HITCO is a subsidiary of SGL Group – The Carbon Company, and manufactures advanced composite structures and materials for aerospace and defense applications.

Apriso supports paperless process enforcement and the maintenance of process plans, including customer approval. As each new product design or process is established or changed, subsequent as-built data for new products and/or process will reflect these changes. This history includes the necessary records to support the company's product traceability and genealogy requirements under regulatory control, as required under guidelines from agencies such as the International Aerospace Quality Group (IAQG) among others, as well as customer specific requirements.

"We were looking for a solution that is advanced, comprehensive and would help integrate production, quality and traceability best-practices across our organization and supply chain while supporting our current growth plan," said Anthony Lawson, President of HITCO. "We are pleased to work with Apriso as our industry incorporates new composite structures and materials into advanced aircraft designs."

The use of new composite materials in aerospace and defense manufacturing has created growth opportunities for companies like HITCO, with innovative new products to support this evolution. The company provides composite structures for new aircraft like the F-35 Lightning II and the Boeing 787. A component of HITCO's selection process was based on the paperless capabilities and flexibility that FlexNet offers, helping the company to quickly adapt as manufacturing innovations occur while keeping pace with increases in demand growth.

"The Aerospace and Defense industry is undergoing a significant change to newer composite materials, so the need for flexibility has been heightened. Apriso's is well positioned to deliver an enterprise manufacturing solution to help manufacturers successfully navigate through this change," said Rick Gallisa, Industry Director of Aerospace & Defense at Apriso.