A real industry 4.0 transformation journey

For Saab, this creates a fundamental tension. Aerospace Systems must scale output and improve predictability while operating in an environment where complexity is growing faster than headcount. Volume growth is no longer secured through incremental improvement alone. To reach a step change – in practice close to doubling production over time – digitalisation and AI are no longer optional tools, but core enablers of competitiveness.

On the shop floor, this challenge becomes very tangible. Highly skilled operators and engineers are spending too much time on manual data handling, repetitive inspections, and workarounds between fragmented IT systems. Performance gaps are not caused by lack of competence, but by the absence of connected, usable and trustworthy data across the value chain. Decisions are often taken late, based on experience rather than facts, because the information simply is not available when it is needed.

AS Digi was created to address this structural problem, rather than a collection of isolated pain points. The ambition is clear: from design to delivery, Aerospace Systems should be standardised, connected, transparent and data‑driven, enabling both speed and long‑term resilience.

From vision to execution – building the digital thread

Combitech’s role in AS Digi is not that of a technology supplier, but of a long‑term industrial partner. The programme is complex by design, spanning strategy, IT architecture, operations, people and governance. No single discipline can address this alone.

Together with Saab, Combitech has helped turn the digitalisation ambition into a coherent programme that runs through to 2028, with clear governance, prioritisation and continuous recalibration. The work starts upstream, defining vision, roadmap and decision criteria that allow Aerospace Systems to move fast without fragmenting its landscape.

A central principle is end‑to‑end digitalisation through a consistent digital thread. Data is captured once, as close to the source as possible, and reused across product development, manufacturing operations and supply chain activities. This requires more than pilots; it requires an IT architecture that is robust, secure and scalable across sites and programmes.

Combitech’s contribution spans the full journey:

• Programme and project management
• Architectural decisions around IIoT platforms and private networks
• Delivery of prestudies and deployable solutions
• Systematic upscaling based on operational value rather than technical novelty
• Smart industry advisory providing insights into emerging technologies and best practices

Four divisions have worked together in mixed teams with Saab: Autonomy & Connectivity, Cybersecurity, Digital & Management, and Systems Engineering. This setup has allowed the programme to move from concept to implementation without losing coherence.

Concrete use cases illustrate the approach. In manufacturing operations, digitally supported and AI‑assisted optical inspection reduces manual effort while improving quality and traceability. Shop floor scheduling, shop floor monitoring and condition‑based maintenance shift the focus from reactive firefighting to predictable performance. In logistics, autonomous mobile robots, combined with improved positioning and control, increase flow stability and reduce internal transport losses. These operational capabilities are underpinned by enabling layers such as IIoT connectivity and secure private networks, designed to be reused across future applications.

Figure: Areas of operations and examples of use cases

Equally important is how the change is led. AS Digi explicitly relies on mixed Saab-Combitech teams, ensuring that new ways of working are embedded rather than imposed. Technology alone does not create value; it is the combination of business logic, engineering rigour and people that makes the transformation stick.

Value for Saab – and for Saab’s customers

The value created by AS Digi is both measurable and strategic. Across product development, manufacturing and supply chain, productivity increases, lead times are shortened and cost drivers such as scrap and unplanned downtime are reduced. Engineering functions benefit from shorter feedback loops between design and production, while operations gain better control of quality and capacity.

At the same time, decisions are increasingly data‑driven and transparent. Deviations are detected earlier, consequences are easier to assess, and corrective actions are based on facts rather than assumptions. A robust and standardised IT architecture reduces long‑term system complexity and allows new capabilities to be added without starting from scratch.

Some values are harder to quantify, but no less important. A connected and secure production system strengthens compliance and cyber resilience. Modern digital tools make Aerospace Systems a more attractive workplace in a competitive labour market, supporting both retention and recruitment of critical skills. Internally, the programme creates a shared language between engineering, IT and operations.

For Saab’s customers – Boeing, Airbus and others – the effects are equally tangible. Higher delivery reliability, improved quality traceability and faster ramp‑up capability reduce risk in demanding aerostructure programmes such as T-7, B787, A320, A321, A330, A350 and A400M. A digitally mature supplier is better positioned to win new contracts and to act as a long‑term industrial partner rather than a capacity bottleneck.

A transformation that scales

AS Digi demonstrates that industrial digitalisation at scale is not about isolated “smart” solutions, but about orchestrating many capabilities into a coherent whole. The breadth of the programme mirrors the complexity of the problem – and that is precisely where Combitech adds value.

By combining deep engineering understanding with programme leadership, IT architecture competence and change capability, Combitech enables Saab to move faster without losing control. Not by doing everything alone, but by leading the change together.