Military Contract Manufacturing
Military contract manufacturing is completed by a company that is hired by a client to produce products for the military. Military contract manufacturing requires skills, tools, equipment, and materials that are used in many other manufacturing processes. Because of the demand for military and defense products, manufacturers in related fields seek certification because most governments hold certain standards for the military products they purchase.
Quick links to Military Contract Manufacturing Information
Applications of Military Contract Manufacturing
The term contract manufacturing is used to describe a situation in which the needs of one company, business, or client are met by hiring another company under contract. The arrangement may also be referred to as subcontracting or outsourcing because the work that is done comes from another source. Many governments or security forces take part in military contract machining because it is easier to hire an existing manufacturing facility than it is to construct one and hire and train a workforce to produce military products. Military contract manufacturers come from many kinds of industries, including the aerospace manufacturing sector. These firms rely on vendors, suppliers, and manufacturers for parts, supplies, software, computers, electrical components, and other items necessary to build the machines or vehicles. In fact, they may hire a subcontractor for specialty parts or sizes.
Some of the products made through military contract manufacturing are:
- Vehicles
- Aircraft
- Weapons
- Shelters
- Body Armor
- Tanks
- Guns
- Helmets
- Rocket Shells
- Rocket Bodies
- Barbed Wire
- Helicopters
Process of Military Contract Manufacturing
Before the manufacturing process even begins, the company interested in hiring a subcontractor requests bids from various contract manufacturers. Usually this "company" is a government because military supplies and products are not available to the general public. The client chooses from among the bids and job estimates from the interested manufacturers, and they discuss the details of the contract. Some manufacturing contracts are measured by units of time and last for a few years, while others are measured by the output, such as the number of hummers or fight planes that are manufactured. Some military subcontractors may be involved in major structural assembly for large projects, while others perform the finishing processes necessary to prepare the part for another contract manufacturer. Military contract manufacturing companies do not necessarily make products from the first to the last step, but, rather, the components and materials are made in segments and passed from one company to the next. In this way, contract manufacturers can be very specialized.
