A field-failure rate that’s acceptable in other industries can be catastrophic for a company in the Aerospace and Defense sector. There’s no room for error when you’re selling high-cost, highly complex products used in operations that can cost millions. This means that shipped products must be diligently evaluated throughout the product’s lifecycle.
Smarter Test Data Management
How do you balance this need for top-class delivery quality with the growing need to reduce costs in manufacturing? The answer lies in having visibility and a detailed understanding of your test data.
With the ability to address problems at their actual origin instead of at acceptance testing, along with a tightly integrated feedback loop between product design, manufacturing, and field performance, that is possible.
Integrate repair and field performance data
A feedback loop between design, manufacturing and field deployments allows you to continuously evaluate performance during the product lifecycle, and implement monitoring policies to proactively detect them at the time when they cost the least to fix.
With WATS Test Data Management and Repair Analytics, you can capture, aggregate and compare statistics and data from all of these stages. You can get precise control of any manufacturing process so that you reduce the risk of having a product fail at a durability test, when the actual failure should have been detected many steps earlier in the process. You can also link failures or issues found during Field Services back to the manufacturing data, to update the test coverage if needed.
”WATS has allowed us an entirely new insight into our processes. It simplifies our daily tasks and helps us to get production under control. Because yield says so much about quality, WATS reports helps spot problems almost before they begin.
Ove PedersenHead of Central Test - Kongsberg
Complete traceability, forced routing and unit verification
WATS provides you with full traceability for all units, including subunits. If a product is being repaired or returned, you can instantly access the relevant test and repair records, comparing this data with other similar products within a relevant time frame. This provides a unique learning opportunity where you get to fix actual, verified problems.
WATS Is Secure By Design – Perfect For Security Conscious Industries
In highly regulated industries like aerospace, defence, and security, there’s no room for compromise – especially when it comes to data. Manufacturers operating in this space need solutions that are completely secure and compliant with international standards, while also offering them the functionality they need. At WATS, we understand this better than most. Our platform is already trusted by global aerospace and defence companies, and we continue to invest in the areas that matter most: security, control, scalability, and performance.
Flexibility without compromise
What makes WATS different is that we’re bringing battle-tested, off-the-shelf technology – already used in high-volume consumer electronics – into a space that demands rigorous control.
The same advanced analytics, test data visibility, and asset intelligence that powers cutting-edge consumer tech can now be applied to aerospace and defence programs, all without sacrificing the confidentiality your industry requires.
We’re already seeing significant investment across this sector, especially when it comes to digitizing test environments, understanding equipment health, and resolving firmware and fixture issues before they cause mission-critical problems. WATS supports all of that, with a modern infrastructure that scales as you do.
Asset traceability. Test result transparency. Scalable analytics. All while protecting the data that matters most. With WATS, you don’t have to choose between functionality and security – you get both, by design.
Security and insight, without the tradeoff
WATS is built to operate in the cloud, leveraging Microsoft Azure, one of the world’s most trusted cloud service providers. We follow Microsoft’s best practices for cloud security and data handling, so when you’re uploading, downloading, or connecting via the cloud, you can rest assured you’re meeting the highest standards of security and availability. This includes full compliance with ISO 27001 – the leading international standard for information security. We’re serious about data protection, and our cloud implementation reflects that commitment.
But for many businesses in this sector, cloud alone isn’t the answer. That’s why we also support full on-premises deployment – including hybrid approaches across multiple sites, VPN-secured data pipelines, and bespoke setups that match your internal IT architecture and regulatory needs. It features customizable user-restriction settings, where you can configure detailed restriction settings for each user.
Need to work with subcontractors without risking sensitive data exposure? WATS makes that simple. Data that lacks context – for example, a fixture’s pass/fail results or a basic trend across units – can be gathered externally and then brought into your own protected infrastructure. This lets you maintain complete oversight and control, without opening up critical systems.
We’ve also implemented secure architectures where an on-premises WATS server communicates over VPN to a centralized, internal server within the core of the organization. This allows you to maintain strict boundaries between internal and external networks while still benefiting from the power of connected data.
Whether you’re working within a single protected network or managing operations across multiple secure facilities, WATS gives you the tools to stay compliant, efficient, and future-ready.
