Issue link: https://iconnect007.uberflip.com/i/1504794
10 SMT007 MAGAZINE I AUGUST 2023 While at a conference in Dallas, Barry Mat- ties listened to a presentation on digital twin from Don Kinard, a senior fellow at Lockheed Martin. Later, we reached out to Don, who was happy to provide a deeper understanding of digital twin's role in the manufacturing space. What does digital twin mean when the prod- uct you manufacture is an eight- or nine-figure combat aircra packed full of electronics? Barry Matties: Don, let's start with your back- ground and experience at Lockheed. I got my PhD in polymer science at Texas A&M, and I worked for an oil company for a couple of years followed by a couple more years in marketing in Belgium. I came to Lock- heed Martin because I didn't like being a sales- man. Here, I worked in composite materi- als for a few years, then as a contract program manager. I was assigned to the F-22 as com- posites lead, then as a design team lead, fol- lowed by the engineering lead for the factory, and finally deputy director for the Mid Fuse- lage Build Team. Later, I became the director of F-35 production engineering and restarted the program with a large team in a new config- uration, which we're currently building. We've delivered nearly 1,000 F-35s to date. I've had the opportunity to be a senior fellow at Lock- heed for the past 12 years, with the last seven or eight working in digital transformation in one form or another. is is my 39th and last year with Lockheed because I'm retiring next year. I've been a Lockheed Martin: Flying High With Digital Twin Feature Interview with the I-Connect007 Editorial Team