Spirit Electronics’ CEO, Marti McCurdy, introduces the company’s e-commerce shopping cart tailored to the aerospace and defense market
Spirit Electronics’ e-commerce purchasing interface has been requested up and down the supply chain for greater access and flexibility in component sourcing. Where aerospace and defense (A&D) purchasing has often included heavily managed orders and agreements, the streamlined e-commerce cart provides immediate availability, secure credit card purchasing and on-hand inventory access.
For cybersecurity and control, suppliers and customers within a secure supply chain have continually improved their software, enabling e-commerce. Spirit invested heavily in enterprise resource management to achieve real-time reporting on orders, backlogs and manufacturing lead times across its business units and services. The Spirit team can identify and address disruptions, delays and issues proactively, making Spirit’s online purchasing process possible.
Automation lets Spirit move on-hand inventory into the online marketplace. Secure data exchange and automation enables purchasing authorized OEM components directly from inventory on suppliers’ shelves. Spirit’s biggest integration offers Texas Instruments Store inventory for direct ordering, in real time, through the e-commerce cart.
Automation also makes e-commerce orders a lower- touch workflow. Online orders and inbound inventory can be shipped same day. The Spirit team has the capability to support a leaner process that meets expectations for self-service and speed. Spirit’s e-commerce inventory is a strategic stocking operation rather than a large, stocked warehouse. Automated inventory management offers insight to high-demand products customers want to see in an easy-access online storefront.
Spirit already operates at a high level of supply chain security for the defense industry. When implementing online ordering, the company is already an authorized distributor with a quality management system and counterfeit prevention in place. Regarding cybersecurity, Spirit has implemented secure ordering and data management. The e-commerce cart features customer validation steps to enable export controls and secure high-reliability products.
A&D e-commerce customers are typically looking for smaller quantities. Customers also have flexibility around date codes, lot requirements and purchasing controls. Customers with no flexibility can use Spirit’s direct sales channel.
E-commerce is a great fit for customers in commercial high-reliability and new space markets. These customers often compete with prime defense contractors for priority access to components. E-commerce enables immediate access to available inventory to support faster production and launch schedules.