Achieving AS9100 and ITAR Compliance With Connected PLM and QMS

About the Company

Headquartered in Kirkland, Washington, Echodyne designs and manufactures advanced commercial radar solutions. By combining its patented metamaterials electronically scanned array (MESA^®) technology with advanced software capabilities, Echodyne radars deliver superior sensor performance for intelligent systems and autonomous machines. The data fidelity from Echodyne radars radically enhances situational awareness across a wide range of applications including defense, government, critical infrastructure, advanced air mobility, and security.

At a Glance

System Used

Arena PLM for AWS GovCloud

Best Thing About Arena

Connects PLM and QMS in a secure, cloud-native platform

Bottom-Line Impact

Helps Echodyne reach compliance goals, improve quality, and deliver products faster through integrated systems

Key Benefits

Delivers an expansive set of capabilities in a single system
Provides complete control and visibility into product revisions
Protects IP with multilayered security and access controls
Reduces engineering change order (ECO) cycle time by 30%
Automates repetitive tasks associated with quality processes

Links corrective and preventive actions (CAPAs), nonconformances, and other quality processes directly to the product record for closed-loop traceability
Meets regulated development requirements with AWS GovCloud platform
Streamlines compliance with AS9100, ITAR, and environmental regulations including REACH and RoHS
Integrates easily with Altium eCAD, NetSuite ERP, Tulip MES, and other enterprise systems

Business Challenges

In the early days of the company, Echodyne’s team maintained part numbers and changes via spreadsheets, making it difficult for everyone to keep track of the latest product revisions. A more efficient way was needed for their contract manufacturers (CMs) who relied on accurate information to build products to the right specification.

As demand for their radar products grew significantly within the aerospace and defense community, Echodyne wanted a structured process for managing product information throughout the entire lifecycle and aimed to implement a quality system according to the AS9100 standard. Consequently, they set out to find a secure, cloud-based product lifecycle management (PLM) solution that could help them gain better control of their product and quality information and obtain AS9100 certification.

4 EchoGuard radar units mounted to a pole

The Solution

Arena PLM for AWS GovCloud is built on a multilayered security framework to safeguard sensitive product information. The system’s robust security controls and protocols help Echodyne comply with AS9100, ITAR, and other defense-related regulations.

To further enhance efficiency and reduce manual errors, team members can configure Arena to place routine quality processes into an automation workflow.

Streamlining Production and Manufacturing Processes With Enterprise Integrations

A big selling point of Arena was its business-ready integrations with other enterprise systems. Arena’s prebuilt integration with the Altium eCAD system enables engineering to import BOMs into Arena and quickly move them along to production. In addition, connecting Arena PLM to NetSuite’s enterprise resource planning (ERP) platform helps ensure efficient and accurate production planning and manufacturing processes.

Echodyne has also adopted Tulip’s manufacturing execution system (MES) and connected it to Arena to automate device history records and enhance quality control across the manufacturing process. The integration supports real-time feedback loops between engineering and manufacturing, enabling faster design iterations and better defect tracking.

Blue quote mark

We chose Arena PLM for AWS GovCloud because it had a solid security infrastructure to help us meet regulatory requirements for aerospace and defense, while providing convenient access to our globally dispersed teams. We also liked the fact that we could run our QMS within Arena.”

—Christopher Brickner, Director of Quality Assurance & Regulatory Compliance, Echodyne

Results

Since deploying Arena, Echodyne has quickly expanded their use of the system. The organization leverages Arena’s intelligent part numbering and BOM management functionality as well as its advanced engineering change management, training management, supplier management, and quality management capabilities. “Having access to all these key functions in one system helps boost our productivity,” stated Brickner.

The entire Echodyne organization benefits from Arena’s advanced functionality:

The project management department initiates change orders in Arena. The system is set up to regulate changes based on the product lifecycle stage (i.e., working revision, engineering, pre-production, production, obsolete). Through Arena’s ECO configurations and automated approval routings, the department can release changes quickly.
The quality team uses Arena to document and track nonconformances from the manufacturing line and incoming inspections. They also configure Arena to maintain CAPAs that are tied to their suppliers. This closed-loop traceability enhances visibility across the organization and reduces audit risks.
All suppliers are qualified through Arena’s Supplier module. A listing of sourced parts and materials from each supplier is maintained in the supplier items section to help speed procurement. An application programming interface (API) is also used to import inventoried parts into Arena and ensure that those parts are ordered from approved suppliers.
The engineering team documents and tracks environmental compliance for each part by indicating whether it meets RoHS, REACH, and other applicable requirements.
HR uses the Arena Training module to maintain all the company policies, standard operating procedures, and work instructions that are included in employee training plans. “We’re able to quickly compile training records and other compliance evidence from Arena and streamline our surveillance audits,” added Brickner.
With Arena PLM and Altium eCAD connected, data flows seamlessly between design and manufacturing, enabling faster time to market and improved collaboration.
The Arena-NetSuite ERP integration enables Echodyne to efficiently manage financials, procurement, and inventory.
Arena’s integration with Tulip MES ensures operators have access to the latest SOPs and work instructions, improving accuracy and reducing rework. It also enables Echodyne to automate final inspections and streamline CAPA processes by pulling quality data directly from Arena. In the future, Echodyne will use Tulip’s AI tools to further improve receiving inspection and nonconformance tracking.

With Arena now an integral part of Echodyne’s day-to-day operations, they’re able to successfully pass regulatory audits and deliver high-performance radar solutions that fulfill the needs of their customers.