Agentic Digital Thread for Managing the Non-Conformities in Manufacturing of Aerospace Products

Aerospace manufacturing operates within an intricate ecosystem where quality, compliance and traceability are critical to success. Conventional digital thread frameworks provide connectivity but remain largely passive, lacking the intelligence to autonomously manage complex non-conformities across the product lifecycle. This paper introduces an Agentic Digital Thread powered by Agentic AI, designed to transform non-conformity management into an adaptive, self-orchestrating system that actively drives decision-making and corrective actions [1, 4]. The proposed architecture employs a Master Agent to coordinate workflows and maintain end-to-end data continuity, while specialized Agents autonomously manage domain-specific tasks. In the pre-manufacturing phase, these agents proactively validate requirements, material conformity and process planning through integration with PLM, MES, ERP, QMS and supplier systems. In the post-manufacturing phase, the framework extends to concession management, enabling structured workflows for identifying, evaluating and approving deviations during inspection or final assembly. By embedding AI-driven anomaly detection, semantic search of historical concessions, and Generative AI-powered report authoring, the system accelerates resolution and predicts concession acceptance with high confidence. Continuous feedback loops between design, production and quality assurance transform the digital thread from a static data conduit into an intelligent ecosystem that ensures compliance, reduces delays and rework, and fosters continuous improvement. This approach delivers a resilient and adaptive aerospace manufacturing process aligned with the demands of next-generation aircraft production [9, 10].