Wichita ? American aviation manufacturers will face engineering shortages and increased reliance on outsourcing and partnerships in the coming years, panelists at an industry conference said.

“There’s a shortage of us,” said the panel’s host, David Riemer, vice president for engineering at ATK. “We are not graduating enough engineers in the U.S.”

The U.S. has fallen behind India, China and Mexico in the number of engineering graduates, Riemer said, and must do more to interest students in science and math.

Collaboration and outsourcing also can help spread out the costs of production, tooling and development, panelists told engineers at the General Aviation Technology Conference and Exhibition.

“It’s not always about costs, but it’s usually about costs,” said Dave Brant, senior vice president for product engineering at Cessna Aircraft Co.

The cooperative approach is not a cure-all, Brant said: “The devil is always in the details.”

Engineers must maintain good communication, he said, and companies must have the capability to exchange large files digitally.

John O’Leary, senior director of Airbus North America Engineering, said manufacturers must maintain oversight of their outsourced work and not lose sight of their own products’ uniqueness – “what makes a Cessna a Cessna or a Hawker a Hawker.”

Companies must also work to protect their own technology, O’Leary said, while maintaining a a common database and tools with suppliers.

Rick Adam, chief executive officer of Adam Aircraft, said his company now makes most parts in-house, but is looking to use more suppliers as it shifts from development to manufacturing.