As the industry leader in small-and-medium-class space and rocket systems, Orbital develops and manufactures a variety of products for commercial, military and civil government customers. With the primary focus of developing satellites and launch vehicles and offering space-related technical services to government agencies, Orbital required a robust manufacturing execution system that would become the core platform for all of its facilities’ manufacturing, assembly, integration and testing processes. The company chose Deltek Costpoint MES over the two largest generic ERP providers because of the solution’s strong project manufacturing and quality control capabilities and ability to eliminate paper-based processes. Deltek’s strategy to fully integrate Costpoint MES with its industry leading financial management solutions was a key driver in Orbital’s decision.

Deltek Costpoint MES provides routing information, work instructions and online documentation to be used in complex project manufacturing environments. For project manufacturers such as Orbital, Costpoint MES delivers online instruction and activity tracking—thereby creating a paperless system that meets LEAN manufacturing objectives. By capturing work order status throughout the entire manufacturing process, the solution is expected to significantly improve the quality of all products, audit trails and critical production information.

“With Costpoint MES, we will have far greater visibility and control over our shop floor manufacturing operations. We will have up to the minute statuses, costs, and times to completion, as well as highly effective auditability and compliance with key government regulations,” said Ed Kestel, Director at Orbital. “Due to the nature and technical complexity of Orbital’s offerings, Deltek was the only provider that delivered the manufacturing technology platform to help us meet LEAN and paperless manufacturing objectives and the project-based financial management capabilities that streamline our back-office. The newfound efficiencies and cost savings driven by Costpoint MES are going to significantly aid in our company’s growth.”

“We are thrilled to be working with an innovative organization like Orbital that is a true space systems and technology pioneer,” said Tom Mazich, EVP and General Manager of Deltek’s GovCon business unit. “Deltek remains committed to delivering the industry’s broadest and deepest solutions for the evolving needs of today’s growing government contractors, and that is why market leaders such as Orbital continue to choose Deltek over the generic product offerings from other providers.”