Aircraft IT MRO V9.2, July-August 2020 by aircraftit

CASE STUDY: APLUS • WHITE PAPERS: RAMCO SYSTEMS & ICF • IFS • SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: SEABURY SOLUTIONS

JULY-AUGUST 2020 • V9.2... The COVID issue

AircraftIT 2020 Survey: Covid-19

Its effects and how IT is responding

Aviation Maintenance and Covid-19

How digital technology can help

Digital drives efficiency at APLUS

Digital journey and bottom line benefits

Doing better in a post-Covid world ETL and e-Signatures

Reduce the ‘No Fault Found’ rate

Using data to keep track and improve performance

NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATES • VENDOR JOB CARD • MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT MRO: WELCOME

COMMENT Aircraft IT MRO: when the world falls ill, IT developers and vendors step up to help users face current challenges and the new-look future

AIRCRAFT IT MRO Publisher/Editor Ed Haskey E-mail: ed.haskey@aircraftit.com Telephone: +44 1273 454 235 Website: www.aircraftIT.com Chief Operating Officer Scott Leslie E-mail: scott.leslie@aircraftit.com Copy Editor/Contributor John Hancock E-mail: john@aircraftit.com Magazine Production Dean Cook E-mail: deancook@magazineproduction.com AircraftIT MRO is published bi-monthly and is an affiliate of Aircraft Commerce and part of the AviationNextGen Ltd group. The entire contents within this publication © Copyright 2020 AviationNextGen Ltd an independent publication and not affiliated with any of the IT vendors or suppliers. Content may not be reproduced without the strict written agreement of the publisher. The views and opinions expressed in this publication are the views of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of their companies or of the publisher. The publisher does not guarantee the source, originality, accuracy, completeness or reliability of any statement, information, data, finding, interpretation, advice, opinion, or view presented.

s I write this, the reported global death toll from Covid-19 has just passed a half million. It has already been the worst peace time health and economic disaster in living memory and one of the sectors most dramatically affected by the crisis and subsequent lockdown has been air travel. Coronaviruses are transmitted by droplet and aerosol transmission in the air from coughing, sneezing, even talking, and transmission through touch. Masks, visors, aprons, gloves, minimal contact activities and hygiene measures have been relatively easy to organize for aircrew or ground crew and passenger interactions but the actual operation and maintenance of aircraft is much more difficult to achieve without, especially, touch. This has been an enormous challenge for systems critical to the operation and maintenance of aircraft that have been reliant on touch activated processes using keyboards and touchscreens. In order for the sector to return to anything like normal levels of activity and revenue generation, critical actions will need to become, as far as is practically possible, touchless. This is a huge challenge for MRO IT software developers and vendors whose solutions and applications have become the main drivers of efficiency and cost-effectiveness as well as process improvement and innovation. It is therefore with real pride that, in this issue, we will be reporting on the huge leaps in capability achieved by the aviation IT sector in order to support not only MRO/M&E delivery in a Covid world but, as importantly, long-term process improvements for a

post-Covid world. Covid-19 has accelerated rates of development for products and preparedness to innovate among users with the result that MRO IT is likely to emerge better than ever from the crisis. In this issue we have the results of and some conclusions from the major 2020 Covid-19 survey carried out by AircraftIT with our forty-four MRO IT developer and vendor partners, to discover the challenges they have identified and the solutions they have adapted or developed. We also have two excellent white papers looking at how digital technologies and touchless processes such as e-signatures and voice activated capabilities will enable the sector to not only function in the current crisis but also build efficiencies into future activities and ensure that the long-term outlook after Covid-19 is not just business as usual but business done better. There is a superb Solution in Practice looking at the challenge of ‘no fault found’ (NFF): how to keep track of NFF occurrences and how to avoid unnecessary costs. And our case study in this issue, from APLUS MRO in the Philippines, shares their five year journey to digitization and the benefits that have flowed from that. Plus, we have a great Vendor Job Card from Aviation InterTec Services (AIS). As always, we also have our regular round-up of news and technology developments with regular features such as ‘MRO Software Directory’. Aircraft IT MRO: ideas to work with Covid-19 and prosper in the future. Ed Haskey

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 3

ENDURING SUPPORT Boeing understands the importance of unity. That is why we are standing by our customers with comprehensive lifecycle services designed to support confident decisions in these challenging times. And it is why we are committed to working together with our entire industry and doing everything we can to support its continued recovery. boeing.com/services

AIRCRAFT IT MRO: V9.2

CONTENTS 06 Latest News and Technology updates Keeping up with what is happening in a complex and evolving business world is a challenge. At Aircraft IT MRO or here in the Aircraft IT MRO e-journal the latest developments are sorted and ready to read.

30 MAJOR INDUSTRY COVID-19 SURVEY: 2020 Covid-19 impact and responses from the Aviation IT Sector How leading IT developers and vendors gauge the impact of Covid-19/ Coronavirus, what they are doing to help their clients in the current crisis plus what plans are afoot to leverage established solutions and/or develop new solutions to enable the aviation sector to recover and prosper in the post-Covid future.

46 WHITE PAPER: Digital processes, e-signatures and ETL/ELB promise better ways of doing business in the post-Covid world Kirk Strutt — Senior Product Manager and Dan Dutton, VP, R&D, both responsible for Aerospace & Defense at IFS Challenges from Covid-19 can be met with technologies that are already available. Both electronic technical logbooks and e-signatures can not only address immediate issues but can also improve airline and MRO longer term performance.

52 SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: Real life essentials in five minutes

57 CASE STUDY: Using digital solutions to drive efficiencies at APLUS Wilfredo E. Regalado, Director Corporate Finance, Strategic Planning and Information Technology, APLUS This case study covers the five year digitization journey of a line MRO and future plans, including the positive impact on the bottom line.

64 VENDOR JOB CARD: Aviation InterTec Services (AIS) Eric Hansen explains how Aviation InterTec Services Inc (AIS) helps customers get the most from their aircraft maintenance operations In the latest of our Q&A pieces, Eric Hansen, Chief Executive Officer, Aviation InterTec Services Inc (AIS) completes his ‘Job Card’ for Aircraft IT.

66 WHITE PAPER: Aviation Maintenance and Covid-19 Allan Bachan, VP, ICF and Arun N, Aviation Solution Adviser, Ramco Systems In this time of uncertainty, digital technologies can help an airline or MRO be agile, nimble and able to deal with rapidly changing circumstances and demands. If, at the same time, they can achieve greater cost effectiveness, that will be good.

78 MRO Software directory A detailed look at the world’s leading MRO IT systems.

Some recommendations to reduce NFF (No Fault Found) rate Leandro Correa, Senior Vice President, Seabury Solutions NFF (No Fault Found) can be an annoying and costly outcome from sending a part to be repaired. But better use of data to keep track of all aspects of NFF will save time, save money and improve performance.

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 5

NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

A new vendor joins Aircraft IT The great strength of Aircraft IT has always been that we are grounded on the skills and capabilities of our Vendor partners. So it is always a pleasure to welcome a new member to the Aircraft IT Vendor Panel. The latest vendor to join is ASQS (Advanced Safety and Quality Solutions), a global provider of SMS and QMS software, specialized in the development of web-based integrated safety and quality management solutions for the aviation industry. The company was founded in 2009 and today supports

more than 200 aviation companies across the globe in creating a safe and productive work environment. ASQS’s core product IQSMS (Integrated Quality and Safety Management System) is a web-based, modular safety, quality and risk management solution for the aviation sector that has been developed by aviation industry experts and IT professionals. IQSMS is based on and in compliance with ICAO Doc. 9859, ICAO Annex 19, EASA and Enhanced IOSA requirements. Characterized by its intuitive handling and user friendliness, the IQSMS Suite currently consists of 10 modules designed to

reduce operating costs while increasing operational safety, compliance and efficiency due to seamless and secure data exchange. Welcoming ASQS to the Vendor Panel, Aircraft IT COO, Scott Leslie said; “It is always a pleasure to welcome a new vendor to the Aircraft IT family. ASQS offers a great product in a key area of activity for airlines, operators and MROs. Quality and safety management are key factors when running a business for the obvious reason that quality and safety must always be paramount concerns and because both are hallmarks of a well-run business.”

Titan Helicopter Group selects AD Software MRO / CAMO IT Solution Following the decision to overhaul their legacy system, Titan Helicopter Group (THG) led an exhaustive campaign to identify the best future solution, testing different software in the process. At the end of March 2020, THG were pleased to announce that ADSoftware was able to comply with the ambitious time-frame defined by THG by sending a team of A/C data and CAMO experts on-site. With 16 customers based in Africa and over 600 helicopters supported, ADSoftware has established a leading position on the market of MRO/CAMO software providers for rotary wing operators. The high ratio of revenues dedicated to R&D, plus 20 years of expertise, ensures ADSoftware’s solutions are efficient and based on modern technologies. Furthermore, ADSoftware has teamed-up with several of its customers to build tailored solutions with the end-users and regulators in mind. The new modules have a fast time-to-market planning and are designed by aviation professionals. Thanks to these projectfocused partnerships ADSoftware is one of the only software providers in the aviation industry able to keep up with continual technological advancements. Frederic Ulrich, CEO of ADSoftware, commented: “We are extremely proud to work with THG. This is without a doubt one of the highlights of 2019 and a validation of our work methodology.” THG ranks as the number one large helicopter group in South Africa, with a diverse clientele including governments, parastatals, oil companies and relief aid agencies. The group of companies, consisting of various licensed operators, approved maintenance organisations and a technical training centre in South Africa, offers a diverse service to the Global Market through a culture of safety and excellence. ADSoftware is a major supplier of CAMO/MRO software solutions for

helicopter and fixed wing operators across the globe. The solution developer supports maintenance and airworthiness via web-based access and mobile devices. In its 20 years of existence, ADSoftware has steadily increased its user base to over 65 airlines by providing a scalable and cost-efficient solution. Its solutions are used by OEMs and operators for fleets of five to 100 aircraft. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 6

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AD SOFTWARE’s CAMO/MRO IT solution selected by ACIA Aero Group At the beginning of April 2020, ACIA Aero Group announced that it has contracted AD SOFTWARE to implement and support the modules of its AIRPACK software suite. AD SOFTWARE’s ability to provide an aviation dedicated solution adapted to the specificities of ACIA’s business was key in the decision process. For several months AD SOFTWARE and ACIA’s teams met to define the best way forward, finalizing the partnership late 2019. ACIA Technics and Leasing was registered in early 2017 to assist with technical management services

and oversight. It oversees and manages the heavy maintenance checks for group owner aircraft as well as technical and CAMO oversight at Aircraft acquisitions, disposals and leasing including oversight of the IPR conversions program with applicable conversion centers. With this agreement AD SOFTWARE increases its presence on the ATR market and in the French Aerospace Valley. The close relationship between ATR and AD SOFTWARE was one of the key decision criteria for ACIA as also was the ability to develop professional and technical interactions between key individuals.

For the last few years, AD SOFTWARE has been expanding its software to cover production activities of Part 145 infrastructures: mobile applications for mechanics, cost control dashboards and real-time progression insights for heavy check and line maintenance. Furthermore, AD SOFTWARE has teamed-up with ACIA to build tailored solutions for aircraft conversions with the end-users in mind. The new modules have a fast time-to-market planning and will be designed by aviation professionals. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

Web Manuals grows its community with two additional manual authoring partners At the beginning of April 2020, Web Manuals announced that it is expanding its aviation manual community through partnerships with Black River Aerospace and Aerodox to offer additional document templates to aviation businesses worldwide. Aviation manual creation and management company Black River Aerospace will be providing three levels of support. This will range from a template subscription to manual implementation and a full authoring and maintenance service, including manual creation, updates, and distribution throughout a company, accessed via Web Manuals’ interface. All documents come with live linking to FAA regulations, IS-BAO, and ARGUS standards, meaning customers are immediately alerted to any changes. Melissa Kearby, Partner at Black River Aerospace said: “Implementation of Web Manuals has revolutionized the way we develop manuals, halving the time we spend executing a customer’s documentation. As a result, we are able to spend more quality time on relationship building and providing a phenomenal product. Everyone at Web Manuals is experienced and the customer service is top-notch concierge level.” Technical manual provider Aerodox will supply customized minimum equipment lists (MELs) for many types of aircraft, maximizing flight dispatch reliability. David Burk, owner of Aerodox stated: “The Aerodox team are experts

in customized MELs, CDLs, and NEF programs. We are excited to apply our combined 50 years of experience to an ever-changing world of technology. Our goal is to bridge the gap between the Web Manuals’ online platform and our exemplary MEL service”. Aerodox and Black River Aerospace’s services will be available via the Web Manuals Store. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 8

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IQSMS Easy Rules — combining regulations and AMC Understanding the time involved for audit planning and conduct, ASQS is relentlessly striving to improve its system in order to provide an even more timesaving and intuitive user experience. Therefore, the business was delighted to announce, at the end of May 2020, their newest IQSMS feature: IQSMS Easy Rules. Inspired by the EASA Easy Access Rule concept, ASQS will be providing regulations and the relevant AMC (or equivalents) in a combined format. The AMC/GM will be listed correctly after the relevant sub-paragraph, which will noticeably simplify the creation of audit questionnaires and reading regulations within the IQSMS regulations reader. While before, the regulations and corresponding AMC were provided separately and painstakingly had to be compiled for the questionnaire, the new feature allows users to handle the audit preparation with just a few simple steps, without losing the overall perspective. Having started with EASA Part M and EASA Part 145 regulation, ASQS will proceed to merge all regulations, step by step, according to the publishing of the corresponding amendments. EASA Part M and EASA Part 145 regulations can be activated for all customers as of now. ASQS hopes this innovation will make

users’ lives much easier and further improve its services to user companies. *Please note that this innovation does not apply to IOSA and ISAGO regulations, since the GM is not used in the same manner as for other regulations (i.e. EASA).

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Web Manuals to offer freemium licenses for all to support COVID-19 recovery To support aviation businesses during this time of uncertainty, digital documentation leader Web Manuals announced in late April 2020 that it is offering a freemium package for all new customers. Available until August 31, 2020, the freemium package includes access for five readers or reviewers, one editor and a free choice of one compliance library, with no system limitations. Alongside this, users will be provided with the onboarding free of charge. Martin Lidgard, CEO and founder of Web Manuals said: “The aviation industry has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and businesses are under a number of financial pressures. Ensuring compliance and safety during this time, through up-to-date digital manuals, should not be another cost to worry about. That is why Web Manuals will be offering this package for free until the end of August, with no contract obligations. “The supporting complimentary training ensures that these customers are fully onboarded and can begin digitizing their documents straight away.” An additional gesture from Web Manuals is unlimited free licenses, until August 31 2020, for airline and wet lease/ACMI operators looking to digitize their manuals. Initial online training will also be free of charge for AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 12

these users. Lidgard added: “Arguably, some of the worst affected segments of the aviation industry since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak have been airline, wet lease/ACMI operators. Providing free licenses will support these organizations as they begin to navigate the tricky recovery period, ensuring all members of their team are updated, informed and operating safely.” Web Manuals allows aviation businesses to digitize their compliance and regulatory documentation and manuals, meaning any updates can be completed and distributed across a company instantly. This ensures that, as regulations change, all members of a team have access to the most accurate information possible, improving efficiency and safety in an organization. Users can opt-out of the package at any time before July 31st, 2020 without being billed.

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WIKING Helikopter Service implements IQSMS At the end of May 2020, ASQS was delighted to announce the partnership with German WIKING and warmly welcome the offshore flight specialist to the ASQS family. Founded in 1975 for the purpose of the transfer of sea-pilots, WIKING Helikopter Service GmbH is a leading provider of a wide range of sophisticated aeronautical and technical offshore helicopter flight operation services in Europe today. The company is headquartered at Sande in Friesland, Lower Saxony in Northern Germany, and based at JadeWeser Airport. Operating a fleet of Airbus H145 and Leonardo AW139 aircraft, WIKING is specialized in the transfer of sea-pilots, crew changes on ships, offshore and research platforms, as well as helicopter hoist operations and servicing offshore wind parks. In cooperation with the central command for

maritime emergencies in Germany, the Offshore Response Safety GmbH (ORS) and the ARGE Küstenschutz, WIKING operates ambulance and rescue flights in the Northern and Baltic Seas, offers emergency medical assistance to employees based at offshore wind farms, and provides protection along the German coastline. As a CAMO and authorized EASA Part-M organization, WIKING also carries out the entire range of maintenance tasks for their own aircraft as well as on the aircraft of their customers. In its function as ATO with type rating and instructor

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authorization for Airbus Helicopters H145, the company offers helicopter flight trainings and pilot testing according to EASA standards and approvals. Operating in a very challenging and sometimes hostile environment, at WIKING operational safety is seen as a core value and the basis of their everyday actions. Therefore, staying compliant with national and international regulations and standards and approaching hazards and risks proactively and systematically form major elements of the company’s strategy to guarantee the safety of employees and customers. The IQSMS Quality, Reporting and Risk Management Modules will support WIKING Helicopter Service in their quality assurance and in handling and processing their safety data, and will thereby further contribute to a solid safety culture across all levels of the company. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

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Safety first: Northern Jet Management partners with Web Manuals to streamline manuals Business jet operator Northern Jet Management announced in mid-June 2020 that it is digitizing its regulatory documents so that it can be instantly compliant with changing aviation regulations. After being in operation for 25 years, Northern Jet Management has accrued a robust set of manuals for its fleet of aircraft. The team needed a system that would streamline this process and Web Manuals was the best solution. Jeff Gauger, director of operations at Northern Jet Management, said: “Digitizing our documentation allows our operations to run leaner and more efficiently. Web Manuals allows us to improve how we work, and in turn continue to improve safety, and be ready for post-COVID-19 recovery. Safety is the main benefit of using Web Manuals. The compliance library means we can crossreference against the most current regulations and standards and respond instantly. On top of this, we are now able to operate much more efficiently. Instead of it taking one of our managers a day, or even a week, to make manual revisions to a document and distribute to our pilots, they can now use that time to keep updated with industry trends, liaise with our pilots or crew, and spend more time

with customers.” Northern Jet Management flies clients across the US and to Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean, and Europe, so it is crucial that the company complies with each country’s regulations, as well as keeping abreast of the differing manuals for several different aircraft types it has in its fleet. Charles Cox, owner and CEO of Northern Jet Management, commented: “We recently added a Gulfstream G150 to our existing fleet of Bombardier, Cessna, and Dassault Falcon aircraft. This addition brought with it an entirely new set of manuals to be uploaded — a process made much quicker by the implementation of Web Manuals. In fact, the feedback already received across the team — from our chief pilot to director of maintenance — has been incredibly positive.” Krister Genmark, director of operations Americas at Web Manuals, added “Taking time to digitize your documentation can save a company such as Northern Jet Management weeks of unnecessary administration. With jets flying around the world, it is vital that Northern Jet Management disseminate regulation amends instantly to their pilots, ensuring compliance and safety.”

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Leading Aerospace & Defence contractor Amentum partners with IFS to optimize technology offerings for mission-critical customers In early May 2020, IFS, the global enterprise applications company, announced a new partnership with Amentum, a premier global technical and engineering services firm. Amentum will integrate IFS Applications™ into its solutions for clients in the government and aerospace and defense sectors, including the U.S. Department of Defense, U.S. Air Force, U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Department of State, U.S. Department of Energy, U.S. Department of Treasury, National Aeronautics and Space Administration, the Federal Aviation Administration, and its many commercial clients. Amentum supports critical programs of national significance in areas including nuclear and environment; mission support and sustainment; threat mitigation; mission assurance; and strategic capabilities engineering in critical infrastructures, both in the US and abroad. IFS capabilities will be integrated within the Amentum SupplyTRACSM offering and will provide Amentum customers with leading-edge functionality for supply chain optimization, asset management, predictive maintenance, and procurement. Amentum SupplyTRACSM is currently being AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 18

leveraged as a comprehensive, integrated platform with numerous opportunities with the U.S. Government. Amentum, based in Maryland and with a 20,000-strong workforce, was recently formed as an independent company following AECOM’s sale of its Management Services business to a private equity partnership. Amentum has been using IFS Applications internally since 2018 for supply chain management. “As extensive users of the IFS suite, we are excited to offer our customers this advanced platform for supply chain management to help them realize similar transformational business benefits,” said Ron Hahn, Amentum’s Executive Vice President of Strategic Growth. “Through our strategic partnership with IFS, we are bringing new solutions to our government customers in defense and energy, as well as our commercial customers at locations around the world. These capabilities will differentiate us in the marketplace and enable our customers to achieve new efficiencies by applying this powerful technology to solve their unique and complex challenges.” Scott Helmer, President, IFS

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Aerospace & Defence, added, “This new relationship with Amentum will bring the capabilities of IFS and SupplyTRACSM to federal government and private clients globally. IFS has a long and successful track record of supporting organizations to meet stringent industry requirements such as sensitive and classified information handling in a broad set of areas including procurement, asset management and maintenance, repair and overhaul, while managing complex government contracting vehicles.” Amentum is a premier global technical and engineering services partner supporting critical programs of national significance across defense, security, intelligence, energy, and environment. The business draws from a century-old heritage of operational excellence, mission focus, and successful execution underpinned by a

strong culture of safety and ethics. Headquartered in Germantown, Md., Amentum employs more than 20,000 people in 48 states and 28 foreign countries and territories. IFS develops and delivers enterprise software for customers around the world who manufacture and distribute goods, build and maintain assets, and manage servicefocused operations. The industry expertise of IFS’s people and solutions, together with a commitment to delivering value to every customer, has made IFS a recognized leader and the most recommended supplier in its sector. The team of 4,000 employees and growing ecosystem of partners support more than 10,000 customers around the world challenge the status quo and realize their competitive advantage. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

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NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

EmpowerMX launches Contact-less MRO Solution for post-pandemic operations EmpowerMX, a cloud-based MRO platform for the aviation industry announced, at the beginning of June 2020, the launch of Touchfree Electronic Task Card (ETC), a contact-less solution for companies that are planning to resume post-pandemic operations. “In the new reality, paper-based operations will subject multiple users to physical contact with a paper trail, leading to potential increased spread of COVID-19”, said Dinakara Nagalla, CEO of EmpowerMX. “The EmpowerMX Touchfree ETC is an elegant, mobile-ready solution that can work seamlessly with any existing MRO solution to enable operators on the floor to digitally complete tasks without coming into contact with paper.” As a fully integrated digital platform, Touchfree

ETC offers engineers and field operators the ability to collaborate with remote support using built-in video technology in mobile devices. It can also record these support calls and permanently save them as part of the aircraft’s records. With many MROs launching drone inspections, Touchfree ETC delivers the ability to stream the drone footage directly into the mobile device and onto the task card, as well as photos taken with hand-held devices.

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This will allow the MRO organization to maintain a single point of storage for all aircraft maintenance activities. EmpowerMX Touchfree ETC is an industry-first electronic task card solution that helps MRO organizations migrate to digital operations in a very short time. Legacy PDF and images that are currently the norm are rapidly digitized with the Touchfree ETC conversion engine, which then makes all data available for any hand held digital device. Powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, Touchfree ETC can auto recognize the correct signatories, where they should sign, and if they are qualified to sign, irrespective of the document format. It can seamlessly deliver any technical document that engineers and field service personnel use today — including forms

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— through mobile devices and can be executed electronically, enabling a fully digital operation. “Having been in the airline industry for decades, I was excited by the EmpowerMX vision to transform a paper-based operation to a fully digital process, irrespective of the source documents,” said Jim Sturgis, COO at EmpowerMX. “Our product design focus has been to help MRO shops start off using ETC with current projects on the floor, even as they work to bring their legacy paperbased data to the digital realm. It is time for the industry to embrace this

path towards a complete digital operation that helps minimize the impact of the current pandemic crisis as well as saving very significant costs through improved operational efficiencies and increasing regulatory compliance.” EmpowerMX Touchfree ETC will meet all regulatory mandates for Clean Operations in the MRO industry, reduce the risk of contact-based virus spread, and help shops provision for workspace employee safety in a frictionless manner. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

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YOUR TIME IS PRECIOUS SO IS YOUR CABIN

Nolinor Aviation Selects RAAS Continuing a tradition of leading from the front, Nolinor’s decision, announced in mid-June 2020, to employ the RAAS maintenance & engineering software suite from AIS, demonstrates very well informed decision-making at the Nolinor Management and Executive levels, relative to maintenance management software offerings available in the marketplace. As with most RAAS implementation projects the immediate objective will be to replace the legacy maintenance management software solution, but concurrent long-term objectives have also been identified. AIS and RAAS expect to decrease procedural overheads at Nolinor by as much as 90% in several circumstances, and the implementation of RAAS workflows will coincidentally introduce a platform

Cabin App Software upon which Nolinor can expect to move toward modern efficiencies such as e-signature, paperless, and more. AIS Chief Executive Officer, Eric Hansen concluded “Nolinor Aviation has ever-changing fleet requirements and operational missions. As their business changes so do their business systems requirements, and AIS is very happy to have been identified as a solution provider that will add value to the Nolinor Aviation organization.” AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 21

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Leading MRO HAECO goes live with IDMR Solutions’ electronic task cards and signatures in line maintenance In late May 2020, IDMR Solutions Inc., a solution developer in technical documentation management and electronic signatures designed exclusively for aviation, announced the successful implementation of its flagship product, InForm, for Hong Kong Aircraft Engineering Company Limited (HAECO). HAECO is one of the world’s leading aircraft engineering and maintenance service providers. IDMR’s integrated suite of applications has proven success in increasing operational performance and decreasing operational cost while insuring airworthiness, safety and regulatory compliance at several commercial and cargo operators for fixed and rotary wings aircraft. Despite the COVID-19 pandemic, IDMR and HAECO managed to successfully implement an end-to-end solution in line maintenance within a

tight and challenging timeline. Integrated in HAECO’s IT infrastructure, InForm empowers the creation, issuance and digital signoff of the electronic task cards. This is crucial for line maintenance operations which is very dynamic, and thus requires high level of mobility. Patrick Wong, Executive General Manager, Operations Support at HAECO Hong Kong said: “InForm contributes to the transformation of our operation in line maintenance via digitalisation of task cards preparation and signoff process. The built-in intelligence of the system, together with its real time signoff and progress tracking features, enhance the safety, quality and efficiency of our operation. In HAECO, safety and quality is our top priority, IDMR Solutions is seamlessly integrated within our company and contributes to safety and

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info@comply365.com AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 22

quality within the industry.” Highly adaptable, IDMR’s comprehensive and integrated solutions considerably improve productivity, facilitating collaboration and synergies within HAECO and its customers. “HAECO is a valued customer and we appreciate the opportunity to help the company reach its goals,” said Israel Revivo, CEO/President, IDMR Solutions. “We are excited by this partnership with HAECO. Beyond expanding our MRO presence in Greater China, this partnership is a clear sign that our clients place their trust in us to support their current and future business objectives. Our end-to-end solution will allow partners such as HAECO to accelerate and improve their paperless initiative especially crucial in the postCOVID-19 era. IDMR is committed to continuing to provide airlines and MROs with the

NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

delivery of custom-built solutions that are highly scalable, adaptable, and can easily integrate with other enterprise applications. By putting in place the nextgeneration solutions, HAECO captures the best practices and functionality inherent to these applications,” Revivo concluded. IDMR Solutions Inc. is a global leader offering enterprise SaaS and mobile solutions for content management, document distribution, electronic task cards and e-signatures in the highly regulated aviation industry. InForm is a software engineered to provide end-to-end comprehensive business solutions integrated with leading M&E systems. InForm supports the industry leaders’ remote and mobile workforces enabling safe and efficient operations. Every day, thousands of engineers, maintenance planners, technical writers, as well as maintenance technicians rely on InForm for digital delivery of operational content replacing paperbased documentation. With aviation leaders trusting IDMR, InForm is the solution of choice for several

national carriers, heli-operators, ecommerce, defense and logistics contractors as well as MRO organizations. The HAECO Group is one of the world’s leading aircraft engineering and maintenance service providers. The Group provides a comprehensive range of services encompassing Airframe Services, Line Services, Cabin Solutions, Private Jet Solutions,

Fleet Technical Management, Inventory Technical Management, Component Overhaul, Aerostructure Repairs, Landing Gear Services, Engine Services, Global Engine Support, Parts Manufacturing and Technical Training. The HAECO Group consists of 16 operating companies, employing around 17,000 staff in Hong Kong, Mainland China, Europe, and the United States. INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

Fly into the future Now is the time for airlines of the world to eliminate the paper tech log. Isn’t it time you consigned paper to the bin? Start your future today: +44 (0)333 888 4044 www.conduce.net • info@conduce.net Conduce HPH 0915.indd 1

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 23

05/08/2015 14:46

NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

New eContent Control App for Aircraft Records and Lease Returns In mid-June 2020, Trax announced TRAX eContent Control, a new web application designed to facilitate easy access to aircraft records and to enable more efficient lease returns. It is a robust tool for aircraft records management, airworthiness verification, and aircraft engine sales and transitioning. eContent Control delivers a high volume, high accuracy Optical Character Recognition (OCR) solution that can transform massive volumes of unstructured and image-based documents into fully searchable PDF and PDF/A assets. With eContent Control, users can manage a single aircraft or entire fleet using the compliance and maintenance data from a TRAX system of record. Functionality allows for views of logbook records, Task cards, compliance data, parts inventory, transaction history, back-to-birth traceability, and associated certifications. Users can search for specific airworthiness directives, service bulletins

and certificates of release to service for any aircraft in the fleet, within seconds. The app facilitates the rapid and successful return of leased aircraft, engines, APUs, and landing gear. eContent control potentially reduces the resources required for dedicated redelivery teams by assisting existing technical records teams to prepare a lease

return package using real-time data quickly and easily. The cost of human errors and additional workload are reduced due to the automation and better visibility of record exceptions via the portal, which can be securely accessed by third parties. Reporting is available in multiple formats, and export to Excel or Spec 2500 electronic data format is standard. Trax provides comprehensive software solutions designed to cater to all aspects of aircraft maintenance management. With over 190 customers, TRAX is the best-of-breed global provider of aviation maintenance mobile and cloud products in the market today. TRAX products support digital signatures, paperless Workpacks and manuals, RFID capability for logistics, Biometric security, offline capability for mobile apps, webbased applications and the ability for users to work anywhere with easy access to real-time information.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 24

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NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

Major West African airline, Air Peace, selects leading CAMO / MRO software, AD Software The changes that accompany ambitious growth plans can be overwhelming. From records to processes through technology, everything is subject to evolutions. With this in mind Air Peace announced in early June 2020 that it had initiated a lengthy analysis of specialized ERP solutions that could bring an answer to their needs. The tool needed to be simple to use, robust, specialized for aviation and affordable. ADSoftware sent a team of experts to evaluate Air Peace operations and deliver a demonstration of the software. The CAMO module, the MRO features and mobile tools were a perfect fit to what Air Peace was looking for. The experience of the ADSoftware team in airline operations made it clear to Air Peace that the transition process would be handled by qualified professionals in the most efficient way possible. For AD SOFTWARE it is

another great company joining its 65+ customers. With over 16 customers based in Africa AD SOFTWARE confirms its leading position on the continent, providing a cost-efficient solution that is robust and user-friendly. Frederic Ulrich, CEO of ADS OFTWARE, commented: “Being chosen by a company like Air Peace is an honour, we are proud to be part of the future of African aviation with them.” With a fleet of 27 aircraft and an impressive

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 26

growth in the region, the airline based in Lagos, Nigeria, quickly became one of the most important airlines on the continent. In 2019 Air Peace started transcontinental flights with the popular 777. Furthermore, the operator underwent an ambitious fleet modernization with 13 firm orders for the state-of-the-art E195-E2 (and 17 purchase rights). This will make Air Peace the first operator of the brand new E2 in Africa. ADSoftware is based in France and is a major supplier of MRO software solutions for helicopter and fixed wing operators across the globe. In its 20 years of existence it has steadily increased its user base to over 60 airlines by providing a scalable and cost-efficient solution that is adapted to the complex needs of operators while remaining user-friendly. Read the full story on Aircraft IT Website

NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

ULTRAMAIN® ELB now available for Windows

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In mid-June 2020, Ultramain Systems launched ULTRAMAIN ELB for Windows following excellent feedback from our iOS customers, and demand from Windows users. ULTRAMAIN ELB v2 Mobile fully replaces the paper technical log, cabin log, journey log and damage log, including signatures. Ultramain’s ELB Windows version operates with the same instinctive usability features as the iOS version, which has been in production use for many years. This provides interoperability across platforms which is essential for customers who wish to utilize devices on both operating systems on the same aircraft

(interactively), or for airlines using iOS who may have MRO providers using Windows. ELB v2 incorporates beauty and easy-to-use functionality with intelligent data entry support that greatly minimizes pilot, cabin crew and maintenance workload. ULTRAMAIN ELB enables flight crews to easily find accurate fault codes, thereby improving accuracy, reducing trouble shooting and simplifying analysis. Additionally, both versions, are capable of integrating with all Spec2000 Ch 17 compliant M&E systems, with current integrations with a number of M&E / Space / MRO systems.

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CrossConsense.com AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 27

NEWS & TECHNOLOGY

Spirit Airlines Implements TRAX QuickTurn Mobile App

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In late June 2020, Spirit Airlines lived up to its ‘Less Money, More Go’ slogan when it announced its recent implementation of the TRAX QuickTurn App. This is phase one of Spirit’s plan to roll out multiple eMobility Apps such as TaskControl, EzStock and Line Control. By taking advantage of the potential of applications that are mobile and fully integrated with TRAX, Spirit will increase its productivity and, at the same time, reduce its maintenance costs. The mobile iOS apps are designed to provide real-time information and real-time transactions, allowing users to work from anywhere and automatically synchronizing when in Wi-Fi or cellular range. With QuickTurn, mechanics can conduct

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 28

the necessary gate activity for aircraft defects upon flight landing or prior to take-off. Features include: Delay Recording, Aircraft Part Number transactions, MELs Defect Deferrals or Closings, Troubleshooting, Dent Mapping, Parts Requirements and more… TRAX applauded the Spirit team for successfully completing phase one of their mobile plans and looks forward to working together on phase two Spirit Airlines is an American ultra-low-cost carrier headquartered in Miramar, Florida with a fleet that consists entirely of Airbus A320ceo and A320neo family aircraft. The airline just recently announced plans to more than triple its current service out of its home base in South Florida.

MISSED AN ISSUE OF MRO?

CLICK ON THE COVER TO FLY BACK IN TIME NOW… CASE STUDIES: JAZZ AVIATION • COOPESA

CASE STUDY: AIR FRANCE-KLM GROUP • WHITE PAPER: LAMINAAR AVIATION INFOTECH • SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: ATP CASEBANK

SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019 • V8.4

WINTER 2019-2020 • V8.5

Digital lease returns

Jazz Aviation gains value from a new transaction tool

Coopesa benefits from a new system

Better MRO management lifts effective to efficient

Making the most of a system How I see IT

NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATES • VENDOR JOB CARD • HOW I SEE IT • MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT MRO V8.4 SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2019

CASE STUDY JAZZ AVIATION • COOPESA PLUS HOW I SEE IT • VENDOR JOB CARD

MARCH-APRIL 2020 • V9.1

A digitally well-maintained cabin at KLM Faster and better processes mean increased cabin quality

Identifying recurring faults

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CASE STUDY: COPA AIRLINES • JAL ENGINEERING • FL TECHNICS • AMP • SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: CLOUDCARDS

AI and advanced analytics solutions

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NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATES • VENDOR JOB CARDS • HOW I SEE IT • MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT MRO V8.5 WINTER 2019-2020

CASE STUDY AIR FRANCE–KLM GROUP WHITE PAPERS LAMINAAR AVIATION INFOTECH

Zero delays and 100% on time operations are the goals at JAL

Mobile and paperless M&E to achieve the ultimate in reliability

Copa Airlines harnesses the power of M&E mobility A successful transition to the Cloud

Virtual Reality training at FL Technics Mechanics readied for the future

NEWS AND TECHNOLOGY UPDATES • VENDOR JOB CARDS • HOW I SEE IT • MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT MRO V9.1 MARCH-APRIL 2020

CASE STUDY COPA AIRLINES • JAL ENGINEERING FL TECHNICS • AMP SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE CLOUDCARDS

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

Aircraft IT MRO 2020 survey: COVID-19 and the response of aviation IT developers and vendors A comprehensive review of how the sector is addressing the challenges of a pandemic and how it plans to support airlines and MROs in the future

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 30

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

e know that the COVID-19 pandemic has had more impact on commercial aviation than any other peacetime event. And we know that, in any situation, the more information you can have, the better. So, we surveyed the vendors on the Aircraft IT panel to find out how the pandemic is seen from their and their customers’ point of view as well as what the future might hold. Our survey was divided into three distinct parts in order to first obtain a high-level view of how aviation IT developers and vendors are responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and the effects that it is having on the management of aircraft fleets. Then to see how solutions are being used during the COVID crisis and how vendors have adapted and, finally, looking ahead, to consider what will be the future for the aviation technology sector following the COVID crisis.

being cut along with staff, and the airlines will be required to demonstrate ongoing compliance with existing and new rules. But audit prep is complex, cumbersome and requires employees across multiple departments to spend months preparing, if not outsourcing with an expensive contractor. That’s why taking our approach of always being audit ready reduces the burden on downsized departments, so employees only have to run a report for an audit, rather than manage their day job and prepare for an audit. Standards and regulations are integrated into the Comply365 platform where manuals are authored and revised, so even when a manual is updated, any standards traced to a part of the manual — or manuals — remains intact.”

SECTION 1: HOW IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS ARE ASSISTING CUSTOMERS DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS

In the first part of the survey, we wanted to establish a global understanding of how developers and vendors were responding to the COVID-19 pandemic and its fall-out, citing specific areas of activity. So, we asked whether respondents had made any changes or additions to their solutions such as providing support for remote workers, or special offers or incentives for new or existing customers. We also wanted to know whether developers and vendors felt there is anything airlines or MROs could be doing during this pandemic period with which the vendor’s software and/or solutions might assist them. Responses have ranged from no activity in this regard to the offer of free services during the duration of the pandemic. But it has been encouraging how many vendors have used the time to not only help their clients in the present pandemic but also to think of the future. At 2MoRO, for instance, the objective during the COVID crisis has been, “… to maintain the continuity of our services. Even if some customers had to put on hold the projects we worked on, we succeeded in providing efficient services, even if we were not working from the same place. This is due to the efficiency of our IT team for deploying home-office solutions very fast so all the coworkers were able to properly work from home.” And, as well as maintaining service, the firm has also looked to the future, leveraging the situation so that, “… due the slowdown of some of our customers’ activities, we were able to accelerate the creation of an innovative learning tool for aviation maintenance jobs that will be released in a few months.” Also, looking to the future, Comply365 reminded us that, “As we settle into new routines, tighter more cost-conscious budgeting, and downsized resources, airlines will have to comply with more regulations than ever. When heavily regulated companies downsize, no matter what the reason, this typically triggers increased audit activity by the regulators. They’ll need to be sure no corners are

Infographic from Comply365

Web Manuals struck a similar note in responding, “The aviation industry has been hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic and are under a number of financial pressures. Ensuring compliance and safety during this time through up-to-date digital manuals should not be another cost to worry about. This is why Web Manuals will be offering this package for free for the next four months, with no contract obligations. The supporting complimentary training ensures that these customers are fully onboarded and can begin digitizing their documents straight away.”

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 31

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

“The commercial aviation sector has felt the full force of COVID-19, with airlines dramatically reducing their operations and some even stopping flying completely. But amidst this industry upheaval, there have been countless examples of airlines turning to innovativeness, ingenuity and a shift in operations to respond to market forces.” caused the short-/mid-term parking of aircraft, had led to software requirements initiated by AMOS customers triggering the development of new features that made AMOS fit for this [COVID] crisis. Image from Web Manuals

Also offering free services to support customers and prospective customers is IDMR Solutions. “as soon as the lockdowns started, our customers started working remotely and closing their offices. Consequently, we wanted to do our part in assisting them in adjusting to the new reality. We started offering InForm’s Minutes of Meetings (MoM) module free of licensing and support charges for at least six months. Working from home has many challenges, especially regarding the management and follow-ups of meetings. Often, minutes are just emailed, attachments are lost, shared links are inactive, and following up tasks are forgotten. InForm’s MoM offers a consolidated solution to help our customers stay proactive during this crisis.” IDMR has also extended payment terms for customers. As well as offering free training, “In our continuous effort to offer customers remote support, Swiss-AS provides a free of charge Virtual Classroom Training session on AMOS... Our goal is to provide an efficient knowledge transfer session and, for customers who are not familiar with this training method, this may be an ideal opportunity to experience a live classroom session with Swiss-AS… In these difficult times when travel is restricted, Swiss-AS can now support customers with enhanced remote training possibilities beyond e-learning and VCT. The following options have been added to the AMOS training portfolio: Virtual Instructor Led Training — delivering content equivalent to the AMOS classroom training; Virtual On The Job training — delivering customized AMOS content based on customer requirements” Swiss-AS also addressed the issue of parking aircraft, “Though completely unforeseeable, the B737 MAX grounding, which

Screenshot from Swiss-AS

Or…

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 32

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

“In addition, the pandemic saw airlines/ MRO providers convert passenger aircraft to operate cargo missions. Also in this context, the in-depth functions of AMOS (in particular the Configuration Management module which allows complete control of the individual configuration of each aircraft; as modifications are embodied and aircraft missions adapted it becomes ever more Screenshot from Swiss-AS critical to certify, track and report on all changes made) helped AMOS customers to manage complex conversion projects that became urgent from one day to another.” Rusada HP Horizontal 220x68_Rusada HP Horiz 220x68 01/04/2019 17:24 Page 1

IFS summed up the current challenge and added a note of positivity, “The commercial aviation sector has felt the full force of COVID-19, with airlines dramatically reducing their operations and some even stopping flying completely. But amidst this industry upheaval, there have been countless examples of airlines turning to innovativeness, ingenuity and a shift in operations to respond to market forces. As a trusted partner to airlines and fleet operators, IFS has helped enable agility in operations through our software solutions.” Those IFS solutions cited included Clock Stoppage, an addition to its core product that targets the current reality of aircraft in storage, “The clock stoppage solution will apply deadline extensions to calendar tasks… to allow postponement of some maintenance program tasks as directed by the aircraft OEM and approved by the operator’s aviation authorities while aircraft are under a storage/parked aircraft program.” Notwithstanding that some airlines have retired older or less efficient fleets a bit earlier, most aircraft currently parked and even some in storage, will return to duty at some point. Aerostrat has a solution for both ends of the process. “Aerros enabled our customers to quickly reflow and create multiple parking and return to service scenarios, as well as simplify the process of selecting which aircraft are the best options for parking. It accomplishes this by supporting detailed parking options and simulating the effect of those decisions. INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 33

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

Customers could also easily pick which aircraft would be the most cost effective to park as Aerros forecasts all maintenance requirements, and their repeats, to the aircraft exit date.” Aerostrat was another vendor that, “… helped our customers whenever needed. On the business side, we offered flexible payment options as requested [and] provided complimentary planning services due to reduced workforce. We complimentarily trained new users to cover for when the main users were on leave. Aerostrat This screenshot, from Aerostrat, is of the interface to set a also waived evaluation fees for specific aircraft’s utilization prospective customers so they could quickly make decisions at the peak of the crisis” The focus on managing aircraft into and out of parking or storage, and maintaining their engineering and regulatory integrity during parking or storage is one that several vendors have addressed. “As a result, from the current situation in aviation,” said EXSYN, “we have reprioritized our development roadmap. We noticed that airlines started to have an increased interest in our Process Automation solutions driven by RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and we have now also opened our data management technology to lessors as part of aircraft redeliveries / hand-backs. In addition, we provide more knowledge insight into how data analytics can be used to support decision making processes within airlines these days. Think of data supporting decisions on which aircraft to reactivate to support operations and which ones to leave in storage.” EXSYN has also embraced the virtual world, “Due to related travel restrictions most of [our clients’] activities have now shifted to virtual co-operations. To facilitate this, we have our virtual collaboration functions integrated with both MS Teams and Zoom.” Of course, as well as their clients, vendors are themselves businesses with employees and the responsibilities that entails. Typical in responses to the survey was ATP, “… here at ATP, we enacted our company’s internal emergency readiness protocols for all offices and employees globally. These protocols are designed to keep our employees and their families safe, reduce the risk of exposure to any virus or outbreaks within the company, ensure that service disruptions are limited for our customers, and be a responsible global company in fighting this outbreak.” adding, “We also understand the immense strain this is placing on the aviation industry; one we’ve been proud to be a part of for almost

“Ensuring that customers have received the same quality of service during lockdown has been an important part of most respondents’ stories.” 50 years. We will continue to support our customers within the aviation industry throughout this temporary phase of additional caution and have already begun work on ways to support the industry’s recovery efforts once the storm is over.” Of course, COVID or not, some things have to continue and Ramco has not allowed the pandemic to hinder its continuing development program. “We have released the latest version 5.8.9 [of our software solution] to the market… The new release also encompasses Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ ML) capabilities with production-ready use cases around Discrepancy Reporting & Corrective Action, Frequently Ordered Part Recommendation and Auto Codification among others; thus supporting making an Intelligent Aviation Enterprise Application, a reality.” As well as continuing to develop its products, Ramco does also, “provide support to remote workers. Our support team, spread across the globe, ensures support needs are addressed within the SLA agreed.” and is, “working with our customers and prospects on the best way we can help with recalibrating payments, moving to the managed cloud model and migrating to the latest version.” And, as Ramco concludes, “As organizations are returning to operations, safety and health will take priority over other aspects of business. Ramco’s touchless entry provides the safety assessment by recognizing face & voice and thermal scanning of temperature.”

Image from Ramco

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 34

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

“Since our solutions combine mobile device and web functionality, we didn’t have to change anything to allow customers to use the service once COVID-19 had an impact on normal office work” Ensuring that customers have received the same quality of service during lockdown has been an important part of most respondents’ stories. “Earlier in the year, when it became apparent that many people would at some point have to start working from home,” explained Rusada, “we made preparations for changes in working locations and as a result, it has been business as usual for Rusada’s customers. We have also made changes for our own staff that allow them to work more flexibly from home, so in truth our service levels to customers have been largely unaffected. Many of our implementation projects have continued to progress throughout the pandemic with our Client Services teams using services such as Zoom and Microsoft Teams to train users and configure their ENVISION environments… During this trying time we have made it a priority to be as flexible as we can be with customers, new and existing, especially those that have been hit hard by the pandemic, working with them cooperatively to make sure they come out the other side of this in as strong a

position as possible.” concluding, “This period of reduced operations for most would be a good time to look at how all aspects of their business are operating and to perform some general housekeeping. A solution such as ENVISION will provide easy access to the data and key information that will support such an exercise.” Seabury Solutions has also been thinking about how customers still need to work during the pandemic and how to support safe working environments going forward. “Through our global network of offices,” explained Seabury, “we have been able to provide 24/7 support to all our customers worldwide. Increased training of the system has also been offered remotely to our customers who have required it. Additional tools and applications have been requested by our customers throughout this time such as the Operational Oversight Optimization Tool and MRO Customer App. Shorter implementations, training & support have all been provided remotely, so we can enable our customers to maintain INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 35

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

managing their operations efficiently. Using Alkym, airlines and MROs now have the ability to create evaluation programs to assess their employees for fitness to work during the Covid-19 pandemic. Examination checklists can be configured and performed for each employee. Results can be recorded and subsequent follow–up actions can be prescribed.

Employee Evaluation Checklist from Seabury Solutions

Following successful completion of the Covid — 19 evaluation, each employee can have a special authorization attached, to their employee record. The user can then use reports/queries to obtain lists of employees who have successfully passed the evaluation.

Employee Authorization from Seabury Solutions

We have already alluded to the fact that, while some developers have been creating new solutions, others have been developing established solutions but some respondents reminded us that the now popular mobile and web-based structures of many solutions are already well-suited to the demands of what we anticipate will be the post-COVID order. “Since our solutions combine mobile device and web functionality, we didn’t have to change anything to allow customers to use the service once COVID-19 had an impact on normal office work. One day the customers accessed the service from the office — the next from home.” was how Nvable put it, adding, “These are not new features, but they are features that allow airlines to be agile in their response to the recent challenges.” TrustFlight shared that, “we have tailored our services due to COVID-19 in order for operators to use this time as an opportunity to implement new digital processes as well as identify areas to increase efficiencies and cost savings within their business. With reduced flying programs, now is the perfect opportunity look at implementing Electronic Tech Logs in order to reduce cost and increase efficiency. In order to assist operators, we are providing dedicated implementation support including remote training sessions. We are also offering price reductions to enable operators to start the transition with minimal cost until normal flying resumes.” There are also vendors already offering solutions that could cope well with the current crisis. “We haven’t made any specific changes to our solution that hadn’t already been planned.” explained Trax, “It is a very comprehensive package, and contains the majority of functionality that an airline/MRO would need. As our application is a pure web-based application — it is very easy for customers to use this remotely — all their employees need is a device with an internet web browser. That could be a tablet, phone, laptop, desktop, or device. eMRO and eMobility have been for remote working since day one (complete mobility).”

Image from Trax

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 36

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

“Airlines will be looking at returning aircraft from lease — our new ‘eContent Control’ software provides a complete facility to assist the Lease Return process — allowing leasing companies to have easy remote access to the data to provide faster verification process. All reports and data needed for the return is easily visible and Image from Trax when the aircraft is ready to go, the Spec2500 records transfer takes care of the immediate data return to the lessor.” Some airlines have assigned passenger aircraft to freight use, sometimes

removing and sometimes retaining the seating. In either case, this has meant a change to the operating rules and regulations and, in turn the operations manuals. As Comply365 put it, “We’ve seen many of our airlines… reconfiguring their passenger aircraft for cargo flights in the midst of COVID-19. Others have conducted special missions to repatriate stranded citizens. In both circumstances, updating your operations manuals is a necessary step in the process.” Looking to one of the practical aspects of addressing the COVID challenges, Honeywell, “has converted one of its Aerospace production facilities in Phoenix, AZ, and hired 500 people to create 20 million face masks per month.” plus, on a very direct matter, “Honeywell Aerospace has been working with its cargo airline customers to enable them to ramp up their operations: from protective equipment to FMS upgrades, from cockpit connectivity to data analytics predicting mechanical failures early. Air cargo has become an important lifeline as the COVID-19 virus shuts down communities and disrupts supply lines worldwide. Cargo aircraft are rushing medical supplies to hard-hit areas, supplementing food shipments and enabling people to stay safe by shopping from home. Some airlines are flying cargo in their passenger cabins due to the demand. Honeywell plays a key role in keeping cargo aircraft flying, and in recent years it has rolled out upgrades that are paying off now in increased capacity.” INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 37

AIRCRAFT IT 2020 SURVEY: COVID-19 AND THE RESPONSE OF AVIATION IT DEVELOPERS AND VENDORS FOR MRO

Image from Honeywell

Also, on a practical note, “Nighttime is peak time for cargo flights, so powerful and reliable lights are critical for these aircraft. Honeywell’s LED aircraft lights last longer than traditional bulbs, reducing maintenance costs by up to 70 percent. They also reduce fuel burn because of their lower weight and drag. Lab tests show Honeywell’s lights are also brighter than competing LEDs, increasing the visibility of planes in flight and boosting safety on the ground. Because of this, a major package carrier just chose Honeywell for its fuselage anti-collision lights.” Ultramain has improved its ULTRAMAIN ELB Mobile which, “fully replaces the paper technical log, cabin log, journey log and damage log, including signatures [and] enables flight crews to easily find accurate fault codes, thereby improving accuracy, reducing trouble shooting and simplifying analysis.” Looking firmly to the long-term, EmpowerMX has launched, “Touchfree Electronic Task Card (ETC), a contact-less solution for companies that are

“Touchfree Electronic Task Card (ETC), a contact-less solution for companies that are planning to resume post-pandemic operations. In the new reality, paperbased operations will subject multiple users to physical contact with a paper trail, leading to potential increased spread of COVID-19. ”

planning to resume post-pandemic operations. In the new reality, paper-based operations will subject multiple users to physical contact with a paper trail, leading to potential increased spread of COVID-19. The EmpowerMX Touchfree ETC is an elegant, mobile-ready solution that works seamlessly with any existing MRO solution to enable operators on the floor to digitally complete tasks without coming into contact with paper. As a fully integrated digital platform, Touchfree ETC offers engineers and field operators the ability to collaborate with remote support using built-in video technology in mobile devices. It can also record these support calls and permanently save them as part of the aircraft’s records. With many MROs launching drone inspections, Touchfree ETC delivers the ability to stream the drone footage directly into the mobile device and onto the task card, as well as photos taken with hand -held devices. This will allow the MRO organization to maintain a single point of storage for all aircraft maintenance activities. EmpowerMX Touchfree ETC is an industry-first electronic task card solution that helps MRO organizations migrate to digital operations in a very short time. Legacy PDF and images that are currently the norm are rapidly digitized with the Touchfree ETC conversion engine, which then makes all data available for any hand held digital device. “Powered by machine learning and artificial intelligence, Touchfree ETC can auto recognize the correct signatories, where they should sign, and if they are qualified to sign, irrespective of the document format. It can seamlessly deliver any technical document that engineers and field service personnel use today — including forms — through mobile devices and can be executed electronically, enabling a fully digital operation.”

SECTION 2: HOW SOLUTIONS ARE BEING USED DURING THE COVID CRISIS AND HOW VENDORS HAVE ADAPTED

Our next group of questions were designed to discover how different vendors are applying their solutions in the current circumstances and how the pandemic has influenced the ways in which they run their businesses. There were six questions in this part.

Question 1: Have you seen increased or reduced usage of your software during the pandemic?

While not all contributors could offer a specific percentage to any variations, most seem to have suffered a fall in the use of their solutions across as wide a range as 10% to 80% for those who had figures. Some of the fall was due to operational changes like, “Increased usage by Administrators but reduced usage due to reduced crew members staffing flights.” and, “To the extent there are fewer transactions being conducted by airlines and MROs, there are fewer transactions tracked in the our software.“ or, “ELB software usage is directly proportional to the number of flights occurring. With the grounding of many

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aircraft this has reduced the system usage by 80%... but we do have increased usage by Military and Cargo customers.” That last point was reflected in several responses, including, “We are seeing significant reduction (More than 70%) in Line maintenance MRO and Airline operators using our software. Defense MRO, Heli operators in EMS and SAR are unaffected and there is no reduction in usage. With major maintenance 3rd Party MROs, the usage has dipped considerably during April / May (approx 50%)” And, encouragingly, some vendors saw increases in sectors or even across the board, depending on their solution. Among increased usage reported, was the impact of the shut-down itself, “aspects of our software are being increasingly used for tasks such as parking planes and storage maintenance programs.” but, for most, the parking and storage programs have led to a reduction in maintenance activity. Typically, “With the storing/parking of aircraft less maintenance activities needed to be planned, executed and followed up.” Some respondents were upbeat about the whole thing either on use of their products, “We haven’t seen a reduction in the usage of our software. On the contrary, we have seen an increase in our Distribution Module (+10%) and our Tech Ops modules (+15%).” and, looking to the broader picture, “We have seen a big increase in the requirements for new software. Many airlines seem to be taking the opportunity of the quiet times to review their existing software products.” That last point is very encouraging.

Question 2: Which modules or aspects of your software applications are being most used during this period (the last 2 months prior to the June survey)?

Following on from the previous answers, this one offered some interesting insights albeit that, again, the outcomes varied according to the areas of the sector in which the developer or vendor was most involved. Three of the 17 respondents to this question have seen no change, “The modules that were previously used are still being used to the same degree, just with fewer transactions.” but others have seen changes that relate to the altered circumstances. Several reported that, while MRO production was down, planning has seen an increase. “Planning modules are being used more than those related

“Engineering & Maintenance Programs modules usage has increased as Tech Ops teams take advantage of some Flight Ops reduction to work on the aircraft.” INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

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to production.” and, “Engineering and Planning functions… were customers’ focus in the last two months, since maintenance planning could not proceed as planned in pre-Corona-times, but needed to be adjusted to the short- / mid- / long-term storage of aircraft.” There have also been sectors where MRO activities have increased with one respondent reporting, “Engineering & Maintenance Programs modules usage has increased as Tech Ops teams take advantage of some Flight Ops reduction to work on the aircraft.” while another reported, “We have seen increased activity on maintenance program areas due to obvious reasons for adjusting usage-based event triggers.” and yet another, “We see an increase in cargo-specific functionality as cargo airlines are operating at their full capacity.” Also, “We have seen a rise in questions on certain specific topics (e.g. how to manage the storage/parking of aircraft).” In a signal about the longerterm impact of COVID-19, one respondent reported, “The Lease Return functions seem to be the busiest at the moment. Closely followed by our eMobility products.” Also looking to the future, one respondent told us that, “Forecasting and scenarios” have been their most used software applications.

Question 3: Which of your services are in more demand during this period?

Of the 17 respondents who answered this question, nine mentioned training of one sort or another. One was as simple as, “Training and user support.” while another expanded that to, “Customers that reduced operations requested additional training and consulting.” It seems that many or most are using the enforced downtime to good effect. Another reported that they had received requests, “for refresher training on the existing modules.” and another still, “Demand for our services has remained high, particularly for implementations as customers are taking the opportunity to push on with data loading and training of staff.” Of course, training in the current circumstances cannot always be held on-site and so, as one respondent put it, “with the lockdown we now use a combination of video conferencing, email and instant messaging and this has proved very effective.” Also, “Virtual Classroom sessions on specific topics… [plus] e-Learning on all topics, and online consulting sessions (in the context of running implementation projects).” are being run by one respondent who continued to add, “VILT (Virtual Instructor Led Training) — a new concept was required to ensure the continued delivery of training primarily for ongoing implementation projects. This has proven to be effective and successful with a positive response from the participants.” Training is really looking to the future as the response, “We have seen an increase in the number of operators using this period to better plan new roll-outs by increasing training and working on process changes,” suggests IT developers and vendors are being inventive. Other services in demand have included, “implementation and data management services”, “Support services… to ensure we help customers maintain and shift

their aircraft fleet maintenance planning in accordance with a disruption in business as usual” and, “Customers are also leveraging this opportunity to move to the latest version of our software [as well as make] requests on the possibility of moving on premises infrastructure to fully cloud hosted and managed models.”

Question 4: How has the COVID-19 experience altered your product plan?

While this question also attracted 17 responses, they were very lengthy, too long to be reproduced here in full. Eight or so respondents said there were no changes planned. The ‘or so’ is because some said no change, only to then list what they were doing, some of which was expected to change to reflect changing times. So, typical responses included, “Our product plan has not changed. We expedited features that would now be more useful to customers and delayed our growth plan due to lower customer acquisition.” or, “Our product plan has changed very little. Implementation of our products increases efficiency by enabling fewer people to do more. Our model fits with anticipated downturns in staffing but heavy demands on dynamic requirements for frontline employees.” and, “It hasn’t altered it as such. Our plan is to allow airlines to adopt our solutions increasingly on a self-serve basis. This year we have introduced a full remote windows deployment solution (where an airline merely needs to sign in to the service to enable the device to be completely managed as part of our solution — allowing a truly flexible deployment experience worldwide whilst allowing airlines to retain control.)” Some have not changed yet but are planning to do so; such as, “We are awaiting the feedback from our customer advisory board members. We do expect there will be accelerated focus on remote collaboration, Digitization, and resource optimization areas.” Others are embracing change, “We see this as an opportunity to invest and move our product forward more quickly and aggressively. The industry is going to change, and suppliers will need to be more efficient to meet these changes.” while others still were already in a change or

“Our product plan has not changed. We expedited features that would now be more useful to customers and delayed our growth plan due to lower customer acquisition.”

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development process, “the Covid-19 crisis and its immediate need to avoid contact via paper trails and the use of shared computers falls in line with the development focus over the last years. Many MRO software solution providers… have identified business areas where digital processes instead of paper-based processes will ultimately increase the efficiency of maintenance operations.” In a similar vein, one respondent replied, “Well before COVID our product plan was to be able to provide fully paperless software, which we did. All of our implementations are paperless implementations. We expect to see an increase in market demand for paperless systems…” To summarize, IT developers and vendors are not all rushing to change but are all aware that developments over the coming months will require them to review their product plans and be prepared to change them were necessary.

Question 5: Most businesses globally have announced some reduction in staffing and size. Are you seeing the same in the software space? Is your company making any adjustments?

Responses to this question ranged right across the field from, “Yes the impact is felt is our Industry as well. As a company we have reduced significantly discretional spending and staff optimization as well.” to, “No, we continue to add staff worldwide.” with most options in between. One respondent told us that, “Staff hours have been reduced by 20%.” While another explained, “No staffing adjustments are required of us at this time.” One respondent, “did not reduce our headcount, but did cut our hiring plan by 75%.” which seems a sensible position and is shared by another respondent, “… we are not reducing staff. We have put a pause on hiring in Q2 but that’s it.“ Where possible, some vendors have put staff on furlough while others are having more staff work from home. One respondent reported that, “To date, no adjustments have been made in terms of staff reduction though currently around 20% of the staff (in particular those involved in implementation projects that had been put on hold) work short-time. We will constantly monitor the evolution of the pandemic and its consequences on the industry.” That cautious approach, as we’ve already said, seems sensible. Encouragingly, three respondents are continuing to hire during the pandemic… “We have actually still been hiring throughout this period, both in our software development and implementation teams.” and, “we have a constant growth that is likely to continue in the future.” to, “ [We] have taken on extra staff during Q2/2020.” So, it seems that, while not unaffected by the pandemic, aviation IT is not badly damaged by it either.

Question 6: Please share with us any additional thoughts you have regarding the use of your solutions at this time.

The responses to this question again varied making it difficult to identify a theme. One, identifying one of the challenges, explained, “We still have a double

“The aviation industry will still exist post COVID so software that supports the industry will still be needed. We see a greater demand for systems that support paperless operations, which is all we provide, and COVID will only accelerate that trend.” difficulty to overpass during this crisis: we cannot implement our solutions on site to our customers, so it delays some of our contracts.” On the other side of the coin, another answered, “This period still represents a unique opportunity to implement process improvements and new technologies where both the regulators are receptive and also there is less risk in implementing these changes due to reduced flying.” Both are correct inasmuch as that times like this do generate both challenges and opportunities. Another challenge was identified as, “The increased difficulty will be to have rock solid business cases for airlines in order to have department managers get approval for the required financial spend.” while another opportunity is seen as, “This COVID-19 crisis has led to some airlines realizing that the expensive IT infrastructure that underpins their aircraft maintenance is simply not agile and flexible enough to support drastic market changes. This could lead to more consideration of displacing legacy systems.” Again, both valid and not at all incompatible. Also looking to the opportunities, “We have long believed that technology has an important part to play in allowing airlines to operate flexibly and allow them to achieve more with fewer resources. Our solutions deliver that. The recent challenges have sharpened the focus on how important those two attributes are for any organization.” Some responses were prosaically practical and there’s nothing wrong with that. “Being a Multiproduct company has given a level of flexibility that allowed us to diversify where needed.” or, from another respondent, “Not only is it more efficient to go paperless, but it is safer and healthier.” Three respondents looked to the future and realized that aviation will still be around. “The aviation industry will still exist post COVID so software that supports the industry will still be needed. We see a greater demand for systems that support paperless operations, which is all we provide, and COVID will only accelerate that trend.” was one response, while another reminded us that, “MRO solutions are a critical part of the airline operation — even up to the point of returning aircraft — so it is important to keep the services available to customers as and when they need them.” However, perhaps we’ll leave the last word to the

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respondent who said, “As someone smarter said, Aircraft will continue to fly, that’s what they are designed to do. They might be in different structures (airlines) but they will surely continue to fly. So, solutions which help with optimizing operations — flight/maintenance — will continue to be relevant. We don’t see this as something that reverses trends towards more data and analytics, on the contrary, data and analytics are now seen as something that could save the world.”

SECTION 3: WHAT WILL BE THE FUTURE FOR THE AVIATION TECHNOLOGY SECTOR FOLLOWING THE COVID CRISIS?

In this section, we wanted to discover some very practical ideas about what the future holds for aviation IT following the current crisis, yes, but also in broader terms. This is a fast moving, nimble and agile sector, so it is not unexpected that developers and vendors in the sector would be able to come up with some great and inciteful responses to this question. As with section one, the material relates to each responding vendor’s field of capability and so each was telling us about how they see the future in terms of their own product range. As we’ve seen in the previous sections, a number of respondents made the distinction between getting through COVID-19, the adoption of technologies, solutions and processes that will address the issues that this pandemic has raised and the longer-term business imperatives.

Question 1: Will technology need to adapt to meet a new industry post-COVID?

Everybody responded to this in one degree or another. Honeywell supplied the perfect introduction, “Everything that increases passenger confidence will have to be treated as top priority — from facemasks, to interactions with crew, to boarding procedures (slowed down not to overwhelm ECS for example).” And, of course, the aviation sector as well as aviation IT is, to use the current argot, ‘on it’. There is already a strong focus on paperless and, increasingly, touchless technologies and solutions. As Ultramain put it, “yes, we expect to see technology respond and adapt to COVID. Touchless interfaces will be desirable, no doubt. But even without them, operating with paperless systems where individuals are issued their own mobile devices to use provides an increased level of protection to individual workers.” But there are still some hurdles to be overcome. As Swiss-AS explained, “Whether voice interactive functions are a reliable option in a noisy working environment like the hangar needs to be proven.” This point was also mentioned by Ramco, “Technology needs to adopt and deliver the results in actual operating environments. For example, the ability of voice interactive functions [to function] in a noisy environment and the ability [of those functions] to understand the aviation specific language during conversations.”

There was a frequently voiced theme, albeit from different points of view. For instance, from Nvable, “Technology will place an increasingly important role in helping organizations operate flexibility, safely and whilst controlling their costs. Strategically this will remain important as fleets return to service and the world cautiously opens up. This may involve new monitoring of COVID-19 related data (such as passenger test statuses and staff test results) but will also involve the wider adoption of non-Covid related solutions that just improve processes because the priorities have shifted.” and from IFS, “COVID-19 and the subsequent social distancing measures are highlighting the importance of technology that can help facilitate tasks such as remote assistance and remote inspections. We see technology that can aid in collaboration, streamline processes, and create business efficiencies being a focus now and moving forward.” So, a mixed bag but all tending to the view that, while the post-COVID world might be different, the sector is equipped to step up to the plate.

Question 2: It is said that this era is an opportunity to accelerate digital transformations rather than slow them down. Do you share that sentiment?

Respondents to the survey generally shared the sentiment. Typical was 2MoRO, “Yes, at our level, as we can’t implement our solutions to our customers, we are able to re-prioritize some of our developments, and for example favor software technological improvements rather than new software functionalities.” Some respondents not only agreed but also saw the acceleration as inevitable. IDMR Solutions explained, “We do not doubt that. Digital transformation was ineluctable within the modernization of the aviation industry. Now, it has become increasingly imperative. Until recently, it was difficult for some decision-makers to clearly outline an ROI on digitalization (imagine having to give an ROI on using emails in 1994). This crisis proves that paperless solutions are more hygienic. Thus, the ROI becomes evident when we combine business efficiency

“The only way to produce changes in such a short notice as we’ve experienced during this Covid-19 is when all the data is digitally available, processes are digitalized and management understands the value of the availability of data in a digital format to produce significant changes in order to diversify the source of income.”

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with health benefits.” That sense of inevitability born of necessity is echoed by IFS, “We agree that digital transformation is very much a trend for the commercial aviation market. The goal for commercial airlines is to keep customers happy, so ensuring flight delays and cancellations are at a minimum is paramount. But when you consider the number of aircraft airlines have within their fleets — and the variety of models — when mistakes surface, finding out why can be a complex challenge. This is where Artificial Intelligence (AI) in predictive maintenance will be vital. AI technology has the capability to streamline the time-consuming task of ingesting, aggregating and analyzing raw data transmitted from aircraft.” In fact, a number of respondents noted the drivers of change as well as the trend. EXSYN added, “Yes. Cost savings on airline expenditure will fast track digital transformation of processes. Simultaneously it will weed out any solutions/providers that are not able to deliver this to airlines. [There will be] less acceptance within airlines for nice marketing stories but lacking functionality.” Also considering the drivers of change was Seabury Solutions, “The only way to produce changes in such a short notice as we’ve experienced during this COVID-19 is when all the data is digitally available , processes are digitalized and management understands the value of the availability of data in a digital format to produce significant changes in order to diversify the source of income.” Well, we’ve often spoken of the opportunities that accompany challenges and, it seems, that is the case here.

Question 3: We are all operating in a somewhat virtual world today. The consensus is that some of this is here to stay. What would you say are the virtual tools in your software or processes and do you think these will be more widely used once the industry emerges from the crisis?

Respondents were generally bullish on this one. Typically, and as a very confident opener, Comply365 told us, “The interesting thing about the Comply365 solution is it is built ground up to support a global, mobile workforce. While [some might be] racing to make their solutions adapt to the current environment, our solution is already there. We are seeing more companies find new ways to leverage our platform. Collaboration is built in. Mobile distribution is built in. Global availability is built in. Also, with the increase of usage, our robust platform has proven dependable and reliable.” This was echoed in Rusada’s contribution, “We expect that ENVISION’s mobile applications and user-specific portals will be heavily utilized going forward as many forms of information, such as tasks, directives and feedback, can be communicated virtually rather than in-person. These will reduce the need for physical interactions in the workplace and allow for a more efficient environment.” It was the same with Ramco, “Ramco Aviation Solution’s Mechanic anywhere has full-fledged remote collaboration capability. The mechanic on the ramp can chat over voice or video, attach any photos or

documents, and leverage the white boarding function to highlight key points. This paves the way for the technical support and engineering team to provide the required guidance remotely. As all the data and information is being exchanged over the framework of the application, data are stored and can be audited from a regulatory compliance standpoint.”

Image supplied by Ramco

IFS’s response took a similar line, “Prior to this pandemic the commercial aviation industry was already operating on razor-thin margins, so we feel that solutions that can bring about more efficiencies, reduce operational spending and increase maintenance savings will be adopted in the long term. For example, airlines will continue to look at maximizing their aircraft turnaround efficiencies, and the adoption of solutions such as IFS Maintenix eLogbook that help foster a connected workforce between pilots and maintenance technicians while reducing paper-based processes will continue to increase.” Ultramain did not dissent from the consensus, “We agree with the general consensus. Virtual tools provided and used in our software start with the fact our software is fully paperless allowing individuals to record and share data in real time. With respect to implementing our software, we have shifted to providing more implementation support remotely using collaboration tools, video training, and cutover support. In fact, we recently saw our first implementation go-live with no onsite support by our staff. It was all provided remotely.”

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Question 4: Do you believe that there will now be faster adoption of paperless, e-signatures, and other digital methods for execution?

For this question, it was Conduce who supplied the introduction, “The adoption of paperless e-authorization is moving from a stream to a river and will continue to be expanded in all industries, the current COVID-19 situation is not a significant factor to its expansion.” Offering a similar overview, TrustFlight opined, “Yes, for two reasons: Firstly, as more transactions happen remotely the need for alternate means of signing off/authentication increases. This is true for both remote maintenance sign offs as it is for digital execution of aircraft registration or purchase transactions. Secondly, as regulators have had to adapt to the new world, they are favouring systems which allow for greater oversight and ability to audit without requiring physical presence.” IDMR Solutions responded in a similar vein, “Paperless initiatives were in place pre-Covid, now with the need to physically touch fewer shared objects, work remotely, collaborate online, and still require to provide services, paperless is imperative. Removing the paper format, handled by hundreds of individuals across an organization, stops or slows the spread of a virus, and potentially saves lives. As well as the need to be touchless, there will also be other drivers in the tectonic changes COVID-19 has brought about in the sector. As Rusada put it in response to our question, “Yes we do, and particularly for MRO’s, as any contraction in airline fleets will likely be at the expense of older generation, maintenance intensive aircraft. This will add pressure to what was already a very competitive marketplace. To survive, MRO’s will need to accelerate efforts to introduce any measure which will improve their efficiency. ENVISION has already assisted many customers in transitioning to paperless processes and the use of e-signatures for sign-off. Comply365 came from a slightly different direction but with a similar response, “The adoption rate of new technology is generally tied to a definitive return on the investment. With the financial situation the industry is in, non-essential technology will go by the wayside. Technology that is required for compliance and safety or that helps airlines maintain or increase efficiency without adding headcount will get attention. The success of new technologies that support remote productivity will also be predicated on the ability of aviation regulatory agencies to modernize archaic regulations with provisions for digital execution of required tasks.” Again, while the overall view is in line with the consensus, Ultramain offers another variation on the theme, “Yes, for a couple of reasons. One is, it was trending that way before COVID. Another is, that trend will only be accelerated by COVID because paperless operations means operating in a safer work environment. Mobile devices can much more easily be sanitized upon check in / check out than paper records, which must be used by multiple people.”

Question 5: Do you believe that business analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence tools will become more pressing and prevalent?

The introductory response here comes from Nvable, “They [business analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence tools] will become more prevalent but not necessarily due to COVID-19. Aviation has a lot of scope to improve its use of data (particularly in the maintenance side) and the tools of analytics, machine learning and AI will be used as organizations properly engage with deriving value from the data they already have.” A lot of responses coalesced around the reality that business analytics, machine learning and artificial intelligence tools were already growing in prevalence before the COVID-19 issue. But that’s not to say that COVID has not has an effect. Swiss-AS sounded a cautionary note, “… competition after this crisis will be fiercer than before. With the debts aviation companies have accumulated in order to survive this crisis, the need to increase efficiency by saving money wherever possible will be a top-priority. Airlines / MRO providers in survival mode — with only the leanest and financially soundest able to survive on a long-term basis — might not primarily focus on ML or AI or data analytics topics.” Also, in a more cautionary tone, Seabury Solutions, “In the field of aircraft maintenance education, interest in augmented reality and virtual reality is growing. This technology allows trainees to participate more actively in training and to better understand how the aircraft system works, which makes it easier to apply the training to the field. However, in order to apply virtual reality and augmented reality technologies to the field of aviation maintenance, it is necessary to research restrictions and accreditation related to certification and regulation.” Aerostrat confirmed, “Yes, airlines will need to be more agile to adjust to the fluctuations in demand. Additionally, as fleets return, there will be more pressure to grow fleets without the addition of headcount requiring process optimization and automation,” adding, “that way there will be less swapping of paper. Technicians could use one device the entire shift, preventing the spread.”

Question 6: Please share with us any additional thoughts on the post-COVID aviation technology landscape and how your solutions can assist your customers and future customers.

This ‘blue sky’ section garnered far more responses than we have space for so we’ve included a few but readers can be sure that all respondents offered some super insights. Because it’s an open topic, there was less of a theme than with some other questions. We’ll let 2MoRO open proceedings with, “During the crisis, we accelerated the launch of an innovative tool, training and skills follow-up oriented for aviation maintenance job.” Conduce also kept a product focus, “Conduce expect that the airline market will substantially shrink, maybe by 50% in the next 2 years. In the Airline world it will be a case of ‘Survival of the fittest’ and only the strongest players will get through this. The most efficient airlines with

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effective electronic systems such as ELB in place are more likely to succeed.” Looking at the broader picture, EXSYN added, “Voluntary leave redundancy packages at airlines will drive out older generations of staff, increasing the willingness for widescale digital technology adoption with younger generations of engineers. High upfront license fees (capital expenditure) will not be tolerated anymore. Airlines will seek to lease digital technology on a monthly fee basis.” Also looking more widely, TrustFlight suggested, “The biggest change will actually be in the environment in which we operate. This is in two main ways: Covid has forced organisations to react quickly implementing new processes and systems through remote working etc. This demonstrated an ability for both regulators and organisations to move quickly and should accelerate the adoption of technology which was already happening; and during recovery of the industry we are likely to see new carriers starting to emerge and as new operations, these will likely adopt new technologies from the outset reducing the barriers to change that existing carriers have.” Some respondents, like Honeywell, are working on several fronts, “We are currently working in three directions: helping cargo airlines connect the world with mission critical supplies, goods, etc.; clean air initiative — help passenger airlines restore passenger confidence in air travel: from face masks to ECS health checks; and to accelerate Data — connectivity is needed not only to be able to react faster (pilots, crew, mechanics, etc.) but also because of passenger expectations, and the speed of changes as a result of the crisis.” But let’s take the closing comment from Ultramain, “Our solutions support fully paperless operations where real time visibility is provided of what’s happening as people do their work. This allows everyone to know what they need to know when they need to know it. Full paperless ops allow a safer working environment with respect to viruses such as SAR 2 and the resulting COVID 19 impact to humans. This unfortunate new world we are all having to adjust to will accelerate the end of the use of paper.”

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SUMMARY

One of the astonishing things about this survey was just how much vendors had already clearly been considering the subject of the COVID-19 pandemic, its impact and its aftermath, and how willing they were to share that thinking with our readers. Even within the very large space we have allocated for this survey, we have still had to exercise some editorial control but we believe that the information used has been representative of most or all streams of opinion on each subject. It has reminded us, as if we needed reminding, what a far seeing, innovative and resourceful sector it is in which we work. INTERACTIVE GIVE US YOUR OPINION CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR COMMENT

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WHITE PAPER: IFS

Digital processes, e-signatures and ETL/ELB promise better ways of doing business in the post-Covid world Kirk Strutt, Senior Product Manager and Dan Dutton, VP, R&D, both responsible for Aerospace & Defense at IFS, explain how ETL/ELB, e-Signatures and digital processes will help lead us to a more efficient post-Covid workplace AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 46

WHITE PAPER: IFS

here is no question that, emerging from the current Covid-19 pandemic, airlines and MROs will face not only the usual challenges inherent in the relentless drive for efficiency but also the additional imperative to be able to meet the quality standards of aviation, the most demanding economic activity, far into the future. In this article, we’ll discuss two technology enablers, electronic technical logbooks and e-signatures, that will support efforts to meet the above challenges but will also facilitate a leap forward in process efficiency and effectiveness to place the sector on a stronger footing for when the global economy recovers, as it will. Commercial aviation has felt the full force of the coronavirus pandemic, with airlines dramatically reducing their operations and some even stopping flying completely. In the immediate term, carriers, OEMs and MROs alike must adapt to meet social distancing measures as they try to continue business operations. Looking ahead, a combination of the trend to paperless and mobile working, increased remote working, social distancing and regulatory measures could improve the appreciation of electronic technical logs and kick-start the use of e-signatures in maintenance operations. We’ll consider some of the history of both technologies, what they offer the sector and how they will contribute to a stronger, more efficient future.

THE ELECTRONIC TECHNICAL LOGBOOK

The aircraft technical logbook plays a key role in aircraft turnarounds. It is the primary communication tool between pilots and a maintenance organization. Pilots can see the maintenance status of the aircraft and then report any faults back and forth with the maintenance team—but efforts to digitize this process have so far been ineffective. However, the next generation of electronic technical logbooks can strike a balance between pilot engagement, maintenance readiness and aircraft safety. More

“…the next generation of electronic technical logbooks can strike a balance between pilot engagement, maintenance readiness and aircraft safety. More importantly it is driving a new connected workforce, essential to integrate mission-critical personnel…” importantly it is driving a new connected workforce, essential to integrate mission-critical personnel on the day of operations; spanning the maintenance control center, mechanics, supervisors, engineers and pilots. AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 47

The Principal Director in the Accenture aerospace and defense practice, Craig Gottlieb, recently went on record to say that the latest research shows A&D companies are scaling more than 55% of their digital proofs-of-concept to production. However, fewer than

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may be using — regardless of the software provider an airline uses. These core maintenance systems are incredibly granular and complex, for good reason as they provide a view of all aircraft maintenance activity, right down to every nut and bolt. But the logbook itself exists as a simple way of interacting between maintenance organization and pilot to minimize turnaround times. It essentially acts as a micro maintenance system — with the ability to sign-off work, track deferred items and look at the history of what has recently been resolved and fixed on the aircraft. As such it is essential to improving and optimizing aircraft turnaround times. In a paper-based scenario, the pilot has to wait until they are at the aircraft before seeing what deferrals are associated with a flight. The pilot may have been handed a flight dispatch in a pre-flight briefing, but this may not reflect the current status of an aircraft, often meaning they wouldn’t contain an up-to-date view of anything last minute which took place on the inbound journey.

Tablets solve one problem

20% of them do so successfully to create lasting benefit to their business. Electronic aircraft technical logbooks would seem to be one such development. The over-arching benefit of a digitized electronic technical logbook (ETL) is to minimize silos of information between the day of operations workforce — enabling all stakeholders to work in unison to make the aircraft serviceable and ready to depart on time with passengers. ETLs can also reduce the needs for physical contact throughout the process between a fault occurring and the issue being resolved. This incredibly paper-heavy process of aircraft technical logbooks seems the obvious target to digitize yet attempts to do so have fallen far short of the mark, mostly due to problems with complexity of the solutions which have been brought forward. The result is an extremely low adoption rate of true electronic technical logbooks among commercial airlines. Why has this been the case?

Electronic technical logbooks historically provide complexity, not clarity, for airlines

The issue with a paper-based aircraft technical logbook is that all the information it houses essentially sits as a silo outside the core maintenance system an airline

Initial attempts to digitize this process saw electronic technical logbooks integrated into the aircraft itself, which proved a complicated and costly disaster as it required introducing flight proven hardware and software systems, not a viable solution. Following that, things moved forward with the advent of iPads and other tablets being introduced to the flight deck, which brought the possibility to house maintenance data on a portable mobile device. The main stumbling block here was that these ‘paperless systems’ actually mirrored the paper-based systems they were trying to replace. Simply logging tasks manually into an iPad rather than pen to paper does not make electronic technical logbooks a fully integrated system.

…but a new digitized approach is required

From a cost-saving perspective every airline has now provided a pilot with an iPad or tablet, to remove as much paper as possible from the flight deck. Delivering the logbook over a tablet transcends the paper-based platform and gives a pilot access to aircraft status anywhere anytime. But by just electronically mimicking paper-systems, airlines have to effectively integrate two separate maintenance systems together, making for a complex and complicated muddle. In order for an electronic technical logbook to function effectively it has to be an extension of the core maintenance system that an airline already has in place. But even this is not the silver bullet to logbook success — there are some core elements which should be contained within a truly electronic technical logbook which will provide airlines with a solution to enable easy collaboration and further shrink turnaround times.

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The paperless experience starts way before boarding — forewarned is forearmed

The advantage of having data available at the fingertips of pilots as they travel to the airport means they can see anything which was raised during the inbound flight, even if it hasn’t necessarily been dispositioned yet. They can start thinking about how a certain type of fault might impact the flight they have, for example the aircraft may require extra fuel because of a performance penalty. A pilot arriving at the aircraft no longer needs to physically walk onto the flight deck to sign-off the logbook. They can be down on the ground, outside the aircraft, signing-off tasks by sending a push notification through their tablet to the airline maintenance department, indicating whether they are happy to begin the flight.

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Faults logged in real-time means maintenance on arrival

Once the pilot is flying the aircraft, if they encounter any problems, they should be able to log the fault in the app, which should be able to push updates to the maintenance department, either in real-time or when the aircraft touches the ground. On aircraft with in-flight internet connectivity the maintenance organization will immediately receive a push notification outlining the fault and start preparing work orders and parts, so they are ready to address it the moment the aircraft lands.

Pilot UX becomes crucial

Another area where previous electronic technical logbooks have often failed is overloading the pilot with information in a format they are not used to dealing with. It makes no sense to simply expose the complete core maintenance system to a pilot. They require a slim and tailored interface which provides quick and easy access to the information they need, without the need to go digging around. This new approach to a true electronic technical logbook, extended from a core maintenance system, relies on a simple and elegant user interface for the pilot and maintenance technicians. No complex integration to aircraft systems or other separate maintenance systems; just the right core information delivered between pilot and maintenance organization, at the right time. A pilot-driven user experience means the electronic technical logbook developer must build into the UX (user experience) an understanding of the flight deck environment where pilots are operating. Many pilots are already using in-flight apps, so an electronic technical logbook should look and feel like an extension of those. This includes built-in dark modes for operating in night-time environments for example, and other unique requirements which come from working on an aircraft flight deck: seemingly obvious but not often done.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 49

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“…uses for electronic documents in maintenance include airworthiness releases, maintenance releases and documents that support getting aircraft ready for release, such as job cards and technical logbooks. Here e-signature capability takes away the time-consuming activities associated with paper…” Benefits beyond the flight deck — the connected workforce…

The widespread benefit of next generation electronic technical logbooks is an increasingly but digitally connected workforce. Airlines are striving towards connectivity across their operations, from check-in, to in-flight connectivity, right down to a connected and fleet-wide maintenance system. This is the goal, and an effective electronic technical logbook allows pilots to communicate clearly and quickly with the whole team involved in flying an aircraft on the day of operations — mechanics, maintenance control centers, engineers and more.

…and improved safety and real-time compliance

There are also benefits which extend into aircraft safety. When dealing with a paper logbook, mechanics have to wait for an aircraft to land, taxi and have passengers disembark before even accessing the paper log. The mechanic records the faults then manually inputs them into the core maintenance system. Core systems then run a complex compliance analysis and validation, which flags any faults — sometimes delaying the turnaround time or, even worse, flagging after an aircraft has left for its next destination. With an electronic logbook inputting data into the core system in real-time, compliance discrepancies can be caught immediately, preventing the release of an aircraft in a non-compliant state.

Maintenance digitization directly impacts profit

According to Frost & Sullivan, Tier I airlines in particular, take a holistic view of digital transformation, viewing it as an umbrella term that embraces changes to culture, business models, people and products, as well as advanced technologies. The adoption of electronic technical logbooks should be considered a key part of the digitization of airline processes, because maintenance should be a focus point for them. By arming the pilot with logbook information well in advance, and connecting the entire operations workforce, airlines can significantly minimize the last-minute surprises which contribute to longer aircraft on ground (AOG) scenarios — keeping planes in the air, passengers happy and looking after that bottom line.

e-SIGNATURES

The desire for remote technology to play a greater role in aviation maintenance is something inspectors have supported for several years. So the news was well received when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced policy at the end of March 2020 which will allow video links and other remote technology to help conduct inspections and validate regulatory compliance moving forward. The policy is in addition to an increasing set of procedural changes that have been implemented to accommodate social distancing during the coronavirus pandemic, but the aviation industry will be thinking longer term, hoping that this change of AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 50

direction is a sign of things to come. With digital and mobile maintenance very much top of mind for the FAA, inspectors and airlines, the use of the already existing technology of e-signatures is perhaps something that has gone under the radar in recent times. A number of IFS customers have indeed been using the technology in their maintenance operations, but we foresee e-signatures now hold more value than ever given the current circumstances we find ourselves in. Here is why the industry should take full advantage of e-signature capability both during and after the coronavirus pandemic.

A logical step on the journey to paperless operations

The core purpose of e-signature technology is to ultimately eliminate the amount of paper in the maintenance process and help streamline critical processes inside maintenance operations. Organizations can enhance their overall efficiency when paper is removed from the equation and work is managed electronically. Typical uses for electronic documents in maintenance include airworthiness releases, maintenance releases and documents that support getting aircraft ready for release, such as job cards and technical logbooks. Here e-signature capability takes away the time-consuming activities associated with paper in terms of data entry, the re-keying of inaccurate information into the Management Information System (MIS), and inefficient search and retrieval. Paper-free maintenance planning, labor, parts and tool scheduling, and work assignment mean that if changes occur, there is nothing to print, shuffle or distribute. All stakeholders can immediately see their new assignments as planners push electronic job cards out to a mechanic’s device. It is this level of functionality that is helping organizations make great strides to achieving paperless maintenance operations in the future — while limiting the social interaction between workers in the short term.

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Shed paper documents and reap financial benefits of an ecosystem

Paper in any process is a bottle neck — it is a ‘single user’ medium. Take an aircraft release for instance. The cash and goodwill cost incurred when a plane full of passengers is waiting to leave while a mechanic fills out a paper form, walks it to the cockpit for a captain’s signature and then returns it to maintenance operations can be significant. Now consider an electronic technical logbook as an example of how airlines can minimize aircraft turnaround times by reducing reliance on paper. Pilot to maintenance interaction could be digital, faster and safer — given the current need to adhere to social distancing measures. An app-based, next-generation logbook approach is how IFS is helping airlines address aircraft turnaround times while reducing paperbased processes. When accessible on a mobile device, this technology eliminates the need for pilots to physically sign-off logbooks and the enhanced data available from this capability means faults raised during an inbound flight can be seen in real-time. A pilot can then consider how a fault might impact flights ahead of time, preventing issues being unaddressed after an aircraft has left for its next destination. There are similar benefits in terms of shift handover. A standard work order for some operators could be up to 200 pages long. The mechanic must then to go through every page to identify the open tasks and build a separate list for the next shift: this manual process takes time and it is easy to miss key details. Now let’s add e-signatures. This provides a real opportunity to help operators refine their shift turnover activities, they can save potentially double-digit hours per day and hundreds of thousands of dollars from a labor standpoint.

All singing from the same digital hymn sheet An aviation maintenance management software system should have integrated functionality that

ties materials, technical records, engineering and maintenance execution together. With e-signatures and the support of an effective aviation maintenance management software system, maintenance tasks can be carried out in one system and designated as requiring digital sign-off. Software ideally will provide alerts to any errors or conflicts in real-time, ensuring all relevant information is available to the signatory before a record is signed. When a document is electronically signed by a technician, inspector, supervisor or other maintenance personnel, it becomes an electronic record, encrypted and permanently stored in the aviation maintenance management database. These records can then be viewed and verified at any time but cannot be altered. Audit trails become much more efficient and the ability to instantly search for and retrieve a specific set of records to perhaps respond to a regulator’s request is hugely beneficial, potentially saving thousands of hours a year. Non-repudiation on a document and a digital trace means someone cannot deny that they have signed something, while quick searches, reports by date and the level of auditing provided by system automation enables technicians to focus on their core job of maintaining aircraft.

DIGITAL SOLUTIONS TO HELP TODAY AND IN THE FUTURE

Neither electronic technical logbooks nor e-signature technology are new in commercial aviation, but regulation has been significantly lagging behind the pace of technology change. It would be foolish for regulators, airlines and MROs alike to ignore these capabilities in the current climate where even the smallest of advantages can make a huge difference to help from a business standpoint, and safeguard the welfare of the workforce and customers during undoubtedly testing times at present and into the future. AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 51

KIRK STRUTT

Kirk has spent the last 20 years working on aviation maintenance management software solutions. He is currently senior product manager within the IFS aerospace and defence portfolio, working to understand how IFS software solutions can deliver long term value. Prior to that, he has held a variety of professional services, sales and product development roles at Mxi Technologies, a leading provider of aviation maintenance management software that was acquired by IFS in January 2017.

DAN DUTTON

As Vice President, R&D — Aerospace & Defense, Dan is responsible for overseeing all facets of the IFS Aerospace & Defense product go-to-market strategy and roadmap. He leads a team of product experts charged with understanding business issues and how IFS software solutions can best deliver long-term value. Prior to IFS, Dan held a variety of senior marketing and services leadership roles at Mxi Technologies.

IFS

With over 400 Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) or Maintenance Repair & Overhaul (MRO) companies using IFS solutions today, IFS delivers flexible, modular business solutions that manage the entire commercial aviation lifecycle of contracts, projects, MRO, assets and services. IFS offers functionality for contract and project management, risk management, budgeting and forecasting, engineering, material management, sub-contracting, document management, fabrication, service and maintenance management, as well as financials and human resources. INTERACTIVE GIVE US YOUR OPINION CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR COMMENT INTERACTIVE SUBSCRIBE HERE CLICK HERE TO READ ALL FUTURE EDITIONS

SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: SEABURY SOLUTIONS

Real life essentials in five minute case studies Leandro Correa, Senior Vice President, Seabury Solutions shares some recommendations to reduce NFF (No Fault Found) rate AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 52

SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: SEABURY SOLUTIONS

he problem of erratic failures in aircraft equipment has long affected operators who receive questionable components back from shops labeled ‘NFF’. For this reason, operators need to be aware of NFF (No Fault Found) rates. If a maintenance action results in a part removal from an aircraft due to an existing system or component diagnostic fault, but the repair/overhaul process did not validate the fault, this results in the replacement of the part being considered as not technically justified. This condition is called NFF and should be avoided in order to minimize the maintenance cost. The reliability process allows an airline to explore reliability information for its airplanes and their components, during a specific period. An airline can compare its reliability to the overall fleet reliability, understand the cost of schedule interruptions, analyze solutions, and prioritize service bulletins based on the impact to its fleet. In accordance with this information, there are multiple factors that impact the reliability of components and, consequently, the costs associated with component maintenance. Data released from some airlines in the Americas have demonstrated high levels of NFF. Around 15% of components, across all workshops, were found to have NFF. Along with that, certain avionics equipment also experienced up to 20% NFF. An operator and client of Seabury Solutions, that used the reliability module within the integrated aircraft maintenance solution, Alkym, established that 12% of the overall NFF are avionics components. These figures will obviously be different from operator to operator, as those who have their own shops (or at least service and test facility) would not be as worried as those who have a component exchange program.

Figure 2 — Bar Charts

IMPACT OF NFF

The impact of NFF on maintenance costs are not confined to civilian airline operators. According to military data from some Air Forces in South America they had a 20% of unscheduled removals reported as NFF. Wasteful maintenance will cost a great deal of money for valuable resources, e.g. transportation costs of moving removed units to the appropriate workshop or manufacturer, especially for operators not located in USA or Europe, which also includes the additional time spent on further testing and diagnostics. Other logistical activities also include the costs of processing activities and storage of the removed LRUs. A fault that re-occurs often doubles the costs, not to mention producing great frustration for managers, engineers and the operators who rely on a reliable, working and cost-effective product. It is hence widely acknowledged that reducing NFF events has the potential to reduce overall maintenance costs. These costs can be realized in terms of optimization of spare parts, increased logistic efficiencies, reductions in workshop time improved test equipment and personnel training

“…Around 15% of components, across all workshops, were found to have NFF. Along with that, certain avionics equipment also experienced up to 20% NFF” Figure 1 — Confirmed Failure Chart

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 53

SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: SEABURY SOLUTIONS

Another factor is when numerous products exhibit NFF problems (or a single product has a regular occurrence of NFF), the supplier or workshop that performs the repair may receive an unfavorable reputation for unreliability. This can be very costly if the product is warranted and returns are much larger than forecast.

• • • • •

Inaccurate in-flight or line maintenance diagnosis; Multiple component removals to address a single failure; Inaccurate or incomplete bench testing at repair shops or by the equipment OEMs; Inability to accurately duplicate the circumstance in which a component fails; Rogue units — a specific serial number that produces the same fault within a short timeframe when installed on wing. Effective fault identification by the line mechanic is a prerequisite. Only confirmed failure should be included. NFF is a major issue that results in high administrative burden and wasted expenditure.

IMPROVING THE NFF RATE

Figure 3 — Component Reliability

Figure 4 — Component Reliability

FACTORS CAUSING AN NFF

Today, highly complex aircraft are equipped with more and more electronic sensors, computers, control functions and wires; not all conditions can be replicated on a test bench. Many factors can cause an NFF. Here are just a few examples:

Some recommended practices to improve NFF rate are detailed below: • Optimize troubleshooting processes: learn from experience and the sharing of best practices with other interested areas to get better results. The best way to avoid high NFF rates is effective troubleshooting, using your own or other airline’s experience in order to optimize certain troubleshooting steps. If component maintenance is outsourced to a service provider, it is important to have a feedback loop with the line or base maintenance provider. Alkym has tools to record and manage the troubleshooting process sharing information between line maintenance, maintenance control and logistics management. Alkym also allows reliability reporting and troubleshooting summary reports that can be shared with other airlines and the OEM. • Be aware of vendor warranties, component pooling agreements, aircraft leasing contracts, etc. Alkym includes online warranty monitoring applied to all avionics components and allows management of different pooling agreements. • Ensure accurate and maintainable reporting by line mechanics. The Alkym Mobile tool allows comprehensive reporting by technicians providing effective fault identification. • Track cost effectiveness. Alkym Dashboards allow users to track and monitor all component costs, identifying costs related to NFF. • Track high NFF components, issue maintenance tips to avoid re-occurrences. NFF Alerts and automatic notifications are generated from Alkym to heighten the awareness of maintenance and procurement managers about different NFF cases. • Make use of the On-board Maintenance System (OMS) to reduce NFF. Alkym can interface with different OMS to allow online data collection and analysis. • Use Maintenance Control for technical support. The Alkym Planning tool and Fleet Monitoring tool provides the required information in a friendly way to deal with NFF cases that could impact on the operation. • Educate cockpit crew on specific items to better understand what affects components’ life-on-wing, e.g. heavy landing’s impact on landing gear life; high speed taxiing’s impact on wheels and brakes; sharp steering angle’s impact on wheels, etc. Writing up detail defect information in the logbook may help line mechanics to fix problems more efficiently. Alkym is interfaced with several ETL solutions to optimize the recording of defect information by crew.

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 54

SOLUTIONS IN PRACTICE: SEABURY SOLUTIONS

• Provide feedback to training departments in order for them to revise course content. The Alkym training module allows interaction with other modules to create and manage different training requisitions that could be related to NFF cases. In the process of troubleshooting an aircraft system problem, certain airframe, engine or avionics components are replaced. However, in some instances, the first component change does not correct the problem. Some airlines implement a SOS policy (Ship Or Shelf), which is designed to reduce excessive shop costs of components removed for troubleshooting that do not correct the problem and are not physically damaged. A unit determined to be in this category may be classified as serviceable and retained at the maintenance station for future use. The policy consists in placing a removed unit (eligible for SOS policy) in the SOS quarantine and monitoring the aircraft behavior during a few flights: 1. If the fault does not re-appear, the unit replacement corrected the problem. The removed unit is then declared unserviceable and shipped for test/repair. 2. If the fault re-occurs, the removed unit is declared serviceable pending results of a physical inspection. Alkym allows the management of SOS policy providing alerts, notifications and creating automatic movements of parts in accordance with the predefined criteria set by the SOS policy. Predictive maintenance tools can help operators to cut costs and reduce downtime. Airlines can take better advantage of the increasing amount of aircraft operational data available to support decisions and adjust maintenance planning. These tools use real-time access to aircraft data to provide enhanced fault forwarding, troubleshooting, and historical maintenance information. They allow operators to analyze data

remotely, anticipate failures and procure spares. Predictive maintenance processes can also result in higher NFF rates, since a higher number of components are introduced into the repair/overhaul cycle based on predictions of impending failure of the component. However, once bench-tested in the shop as part of the repair cycle, the component may not demonstrate failure modes in the bench test procedures as when installed in the dynamic on-wing conditions resulting in an NFF score. The component is returned to the operator’s inventory along with the invoice for repair shop testing of the component. Alkym is interfaced with On board systems to get real-time access to aircraft data, but then the Reliability module — taking all the available data — allows a smart and integrated analysis that improves the management of NFF considering also NFF costs as an important factor in the predictive maintenance strategy. Another factor is if numerous products exhibit NFF problems (or a single product has a regular occurrence of NFF), the supplier or workshop (that perform the repair) may receive an unfavorable reputation for unreliability. This can be very costly if the product is warranted and returns are much larger than forecast. Alkym allows users to track supplier, record repair reports and rank shops using different ranking criteria including a weight due to the NFF rate. In conclusion, it is recommended to implement methodologies based on MIS (Maintenance Information System) data to minimize overhaul and repair costs and to monitor for components with the highest NFF rates. The proper use of data provided by an MIS system like Alkym helps operators to minimize NFF rates and pay attention to the NFF fees in the contracts. Reliability analysis requires the synergy between a systematic approach that has clear definitions of the reliability parameters, and a comprehensive collection of analysis techniques and procedures that can be managed using Alkym. AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 55

“Predictive maintenance tools can help operators to cut costs and reduce downtime. Airlines can take better advantage of the increasing amount of aircraft operational data available to support decisions and adjust maintenance planning.” LEANDRO CORREA

Leandro Correa, Senior Vice President, joined Seabury Solutions as Operations Manager in 2006, becoming Operations Director in 2010. Mr Correa holds a BSc (Electronic Engineering) and MSc in Project Management. With over 30 years of experience in aviation, Leo has carried out evaluation, design, execution and consulting activities in various aircraft maintenance software businesses. Starting as a Maintenance Licensed Engineer, he moved to senior management, acquiring experience in different business processes and assuming senior roles within Airlines/MRO companies.

SEABURY SOLUTIONS

Seabury Solutions is a global aviation software development and consultancy company that has built its reputation in the market by delivering world class aviation IT solutions from the smallest operator to the largest airlines across the world. The business has built upon decades of aviation expertise in-house, to leverage this knowledge into a suite of products that enhance the decision making process for airlines, regulators and MROs.

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CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

Using digital solutions to drive efficiencies at APLUS Wilfredo E. Regalado, Director Corporate Finance, Strategic Planning and Information Technology at Aviation Partnership Philippines (APLUS) shares a successful digital MRO project

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 56

CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

efore going into the detail of this case study, it will be useful to share some information about the business to which it refers. Aviation Partnership Philippines (APLUS) is a joint venture between Singapore International Airlines (SIA) Engineering Company (SIAEC) and Cebu Pacific. The business serves more than thirty airline customers supporting some 8,500 flights per month in normal times and 9,500 flights per month in peak season. There are two peak seasons in the Philippines, Christmas season in the months up to January and summer season from March to April. With thirty different airline customers, servicing them is a big challenge for the business with stations located on five different islands on the main tourist spots around the Philippines (figure 1). The partnership is an MRO for line and light maintenance with, as its major customers, the shareholders SIA Group and Cebu Pacific.

Engineering Personnel Cross-Deployment

Engineering Personnel Attachments & Secondment

About APLUS MRO

MANILA CEBU DAVAO ILOILO KALIBO

275 Average Transit Services in a day 8,300 Average Flights Handled/month 9,500 Flights Handled in a month during

Operating in Five Major Airports in The Philippines

Common Training Syllabus

Joint Evaluation & Purchase of Special Equipment

Working together through our Line Maintenance Network Figure 2

Servicing over 30 airline customers in addition to Cebu Pacific and Singapore Airlines aircrafts

That means the MRO can just concentrate on the core business of providing the service. If there are any issues, SIA is just a phone call away and not too far away in real terms. APLUS currently enjoys approvals from the Philippines (CAAP), Singapore, Malaysia, China, Taiwan and Qatar. At the time of writing, we were applying for EASA Part 145 and 147 (figure 3).

Approvals

peak periods

Figure 1

Civil Aviation Authority of the Philippines Achieved in 2005

Being a joint venture with a subsidiary of SIA, APLUS has the full support of SIA Engineering Company with regards to technical engineering personnel, crossdeployment, training with a common training syllabus, working together with APLUS’s line maintenance network and even parts management (figure 2).

“…the business has to deal with both wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, different engine types and different configurations. There is also diversity in contracts with operations in PBH, fixed price, blended, ground handling and aircraft certification…”

Civil Aviation Authority of Singapore Achieved in 2006 Civil Aviation Authority of Malaysia Achieved in 2014 Civil Aviation Administration of China Achieved in 2015 Civil Aeronautics Administration of Taiwan Achieved in 2015 Qatar Civil Aviation Authority Achieved in 2019 EASA PART 145 In progress Figure 3

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CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

BUSINESS CHALLENGES

As an MRO company, APLUS has some business challenges as do most businesses. Because it works with a diversity of fleets and regulations, APLUS handles twelve types of aircraft across eight regulatory authorities. It’s a diverse business which also makes it difficult to operate in a manual and paper based environment. Multiple systems were in place for Planning, Operations, Finance and HR making the process cumbersome and error prone. The operation is spread across different islands with those five major bases across the Philippines, and handles an increasing number of aircraft every year (figure 4).

Business Challenges Diversity in Fleet & Regulation

12 Types of Aircrafts 8 Regulatory Agencies

5 Major Bases Across The Philippines Increasing Number of Aircraft Wide Body / Narrow Body Different Engine Configuration

over which to accumulate data in a paper format. However, since 2014, APLUS has migrated Ramco’s cloud based Aviation solutions to face these challenges with a system that was more able to deal with complex operations.

PROCESS IMPROVEMENT OPPORTUNITIES

Business improvement opportunities abound, but what the business needs to do is segregate customer statistics and provide serial numbers: APLUS tries to track each part from purchase, to warehousing, to installation on the aircraft and putting it on record. There are customer level preferences on every alternate part which represents a big process improvement because previously everything was being done on paper with hard copies. It relied on the memories of mechanics and some tasks were being deferred because the mechanics could not figure out what to do and had to physically go back to the manual. Every time there was a task to be completed, the mechanics had to refer back; or if there was a need for a new part they would have to return to the warehouse to see whether there was available stock for that particular item. With the integrated system that APLUS has implemented, and which we’ll look at in more detail below, the mechanic only has to encode and enquire from his iPad to see whether the part is available from the warehouse (figure 5). Process Improvement Oppor tunities

Diversity in Contracts

FP/ PBH / T&M / Blended Ground Handling / Aircraft Certification

Segregating Customer Stocks / Internal Stocks - Physically and Digitally

Parts Support

Component Support Consumables and Expendables Support

Figure 4

To give an idea of some of the complexities that APLUS faces, one of the major customers is planning to increase their fleet by thirty aircraft in the next two to three years plus the business has to deal with both wide-body and narrow-body aircraft, different engine types and different configurations. There is also diversity in contracts with operations in PBH (Power By the Hour), fixed price, blended, ground handling and aircraft certification… all things that a customer wants APLUS to do. There is also full support and parts support on components and engines as well as expendables and consumables. It’s a significant task to seamlessly integrate all of these different elements because, especially in the diversity of the contracts, each customer has their own SLA (Service Level Agreement), APLUS offers different levels of rates with even the escalation dates being different; so using a standard spreadsheet, as in the past, was a challenging task. APLUS started in 2005 and operated in standard form until 2013, a good time

Serial Number level tracking of ownership and certificates

Customer level preferences on Alternates Part

Matrix warehouse setting for automatic scanning and picking

Contract control on parts provided by customers and responsibility of MRO

Barcodes for Data Entry / Picking

Figure 5

That done, the mechanic can notify the warehouse that he needs the part and the warehouse will dispatch it to where the mechanic is working; so time walking to and from the warehouse has been saved, and deferrals of tasks have been significantly minimized. There is control on contracts, and parts provided for customers as well as responsibilities because parts have to be defined in the APLUS system as to whether they’re customer owned, owned by APLUS or still in transit… everything can be tracked in the system. These are the business

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CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

“Every time there was a task to be completed, the mechanics had to refer back; or if there was a need for a new part they would have to return to the warehouse to see whether there was available stock for that particular item.” opportunities that APLUS has in mind, having come from a very basic, hard copy driven environment. The company wanted to minimize the need for manual interventions and to make the business seamless. The objective for an airline is to fly the aircraft on time and the goal for an MRO is to make the aircraft available in time, every time. The goal for APLUS is to minimize the time an aircraft is out of service being worked on. One purpose of this article is to help readers to give a good reason for their respective CFOs to support digitization and a digitalization project, because most CFOs’ minds are fixed on the bottom line. Also, we will later see the impact of the transformation from the basic IT system to an integrated one resulting in a significant improvement in profitability at APLUS and in the return for shareholders.

This (figure 6) is a sample of what APLUS has.

D e m a n d P la c e m e n t Check Availability Place Parts demand from the Ramp Track status on Pick Up / Delivery

Figure 6

The mechanics can check availability and get the parts that they need at the ramp using the iPads provided and on which they can see the task to which they have been allocated with a progressive accomplishment; each time the mechanic INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

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CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

receives a task and work order, as each stage has been completed they can mark with the time stamp provided by the system. It’s all driven by the system and done in real time. And since most tasks are, for example, for event-driven contracts, this is needed to make sure that every event, and every task is properly billed to the customer. Relying on the memories of mechanics as to whether they used that particular part of carried out that particular activity on a job order was not very good for the business because sometimes people forget to report it on paper. The job will have been done but they might forget to report it then remember after a day or two, which can cause a query from the customer as to why the bill is changing after a delay. Also, aircraft reliability is the most important thing here. This (figure 7) is a snapshot of what the user can see from the system, from the portal; in this case, whether a part is company owned, customer owned or still in transit? Tracking Serial and Part Number at Customer / Aplus Owned level

Figure 7

Users can choose from a number of options, can see the part number and everything that they need on their iPad. The objective is to minimize and/or eliminate paperwork from the mechanics, leaving them free to concentrate on their expertise, which is to fix the aircraft. Documentation, references and availability are all handled by the system to ensure mechanics have the tools, the parts, everything they need. Through the system, APLUS supports the mechanics to enable them to do their job efficiently, as expected, and deliver the specific SLA to the customers. The system also shows which is the aircraft in question, at which base it is located, what the mechanic is doing on a particular job and where is the part actually located. For example, if the user is in Manilla and needs a particular part but the part is located on another island, that part can be sent to Manilla so that it doesn’t need to be ordered. In the central warehousing, APLUS initiated a minimum/maximum ordering system in which the company identifies that when the stock quantity of a particular part number reaches the specified level, the system will automatically generate a purchase request. Anything that can be automated — approval, purchase, everything — will be automated, dependent on the confidence of the CEO or CFO who have previously had the confidence of signing hard copies. But the system can handle paperless approvals which can be tracked by email. The notification can be defined so that the system will AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 60

CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

handle everything efficiently, especially for those items that are regularly recurring where the system can re-order at regular intervals based on use. The key is that everything needs to be defined such as economy of scale, what quantity needs to be stored, the space that is needed to be used, so that it will also be profitable.

THE PATH TO SUCCESS

The key thing to come out of figure 8 is that there has to be a lot of collaboration from the time when APLUS defines the very basic needs that a customer has up to the time when that customer pays and the money is collected.

Path to Success

Process Automation

Streamlined Process

Clear contractual Terms Strong Collaboration Overstocking to SLA Driven Figure 8

“…whatever items or rates are in the contract are entered into the system, line by line so that the system can refer back to the contract every time it is processing a task.”

APLUS defines from contract level, whatever items or rates are in the contract are entered into the system, line by line so that the system can refer back to the contract every time it is processing a task. For example, with transit checks there are tasks that are non-deliverable if the part is not available; so what was done was to eliminate the need for the mechanic to identify whether a particular task is deliverable or not because, sometimes they’ll just say, ‘Oh, this is not deliverable so I’ll just do it very quickly’. That is now eliminated and the decision making process from the supervisor has also been eliminated. Once the contract is encoded to the system ,it allows the mechanic to concentrate on finishing the work per work order while the system decides whether the work he completed is billable or not based on the contact. A lot of paperwork that has been eliminated because the system just refers to the contract and checks the actual accomplishment, how many minutes it has taken, is it within the agreed SLA... everything can be defined, and then a lot of things can be automated. The system can actually print the invoice immediately after the task has been completed and accepted by the customer. AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 61

CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

SAVING TIME: SAVING MONEY

KEEP UP WITH MRO IT DEVELOPMENTS

Six years ago, it used to take two days for a task to be completely documented: mechanics handle a lot of tasks in the day and used to complete all their paperwork at the end of the day, sometimes forgetting something: then there was a day for the customer to approve the work. Today, that whole process takes just minutes and the customer can see what activity has been completed or what part was put in place. These are just a few of the improvements that we have gained using the principle that every five minutes makes a difference (figure 9).

Where Ever y 5 Minutes makes the Difference Reduction in the average Transit check time by 10 minutes Reduction in the Material Availability Waiting time by 15 minutes Real Time Approval of the Service Provided in the System Increase the efficiency by minutes and days and assists the Company in avoiding revenue leakages by minimizing manual encoding.

SUBSCRIBE HERE FOR FREE… IT TAKES A FEW MOMENTS

AIRCRAFT IT MRO

Figure 9

But, in reality, we’ve cumulatively saved a lot more than that. There has been a reduction of ten minutes in the average transit check time. That is a big number when we’re talking about finance. There has also been a reduction of fifteen minutes in the material available waiting time because there is no more need to hire an expediter to let the mechanic go to the warehouse, send a request, prepare the paper and then wait for the storekeeper to release the item. Within a minute, the storekeeper will send the mechanic a notification and send the part to the mechanic at the aircraft. For example, in the Philippines, in Manila, there are four terminals but the APLUS warehouse is at the company’s office so it takes a lot of time if the mechanic has to go back to the warehouse: they need to

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CASE STUDY: AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

WILFREDO E. REGALADO

A Certified Public Accountant with more than 20 years of CFO-role experience from hybrid to full IT environments, Wilfredo is proficient in developing and implementing a variety of management functions. He has an excellent IT vision and leadership skill in designing, implementing, executing and enhancing computerized environments to lead companies into digital transformation in order to meet various business requirements, provide new ways to generate revenues and improve the profitability.

AVIATION PARTNERSHIP PHILIPPINES

cross the runway, there’s a lot of waiting whereas, with this new system, the warehouse will just schedule the dispatch immediately and send the part to the aircraft. It saves a lot of time.

CONCLUSION

APLUS has been running in a Ramco Aviation Software Cloud environment for five years, i.e. since the Cloud was still in its infancy, but the board of the company was convinced to go straight to Cloud because there is no need to buy a lot of computer frames; everything runs on the Internet. APLUS uses iPads and a simple server in the office but it’s important to have very strong internet connectivity: APLUS processes a lot of data from iPads to the Server because mechanics refer back to the manuals every time they do a job. Mechanics take photographs of the aircraft and everything they do, then they can sign digitally in the iPad and everything is in the system and being handled by the system but users can print and sign manually, if they wish. APLUS included that because some mechanics were not sufficiently confident in the system. In fact, after the first year, APLUS decided to remove some of the legacy spreadsheet software and all the paper from the system so that users had no option but to use the new system and work on the screen. I hope that this article has provided readers with some ammunition to convince your CFO and the board to make the change to digitalization by showing them what digitalization can do for the business. INTERACTIVE GIVE US YOUR OPINION CLICK HERE TO POST YOUR COMMENT INTERACTIVE SUBSCRIBE HERE CLICK HERE TO READ ALL FUTURE EDITIONS

Aviation Partnership (Philippines) Corporation (APLUS) is SIAEC’s line maintenance joint venture with Cebu Pacific based in the Philippines. The joint venture provides line maintenance services to Cebu Pacific Air and third-party airline customers at four major international airports as well as secondary airports. The joint venture provides line maintenance services for Boeing 777, 737NG, A320, A330, ATR42 and ATR72. Services include technical ramp handling, light aircraft checks, engine change and other valueadded services.

SIAEC

The SIAEC (SIA Engineering Company) Group provides aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services to more than 80 international airlines carriers and aerospace equipment manufacturers worldwide. With certifications from more than 20 airworthiness authorities, SIAEC provides complete MRO services in airframe, component, engine, aircraft conversions and modifications plus has component, engine and modifications joint ventures forged with the world’s leading engine and component manufacturers.

CEBU PACIFIC

The Cebu Pacific Group is a Filipino airline group that operates subsidiary low cost-carriers; Cebu Pacific and Cebgo. The group aims to create the largest budget airline network between Asia and the Philippines. CEB’s 72-strong fleet is comprised of 52 Airbus (one A321neo, seven A321ceo, 36 A320 and eight A330) and 20 ATR (eight ATR 72-500 and 12 ATR 72-600) aircraft, one of the most modern aircraft fleets in the world.

RAMCO AVIATION

Ramco Aviation software offers Maintenance solutions on cloud and on premise with multi-tenant capability and next-gen mobility, catering to the needs of Heli-Operators, MROs, Airlines, Defense and Charter operations. Next-gen mobility solutions for maintenance operations are available through an app ecosystem where MRO supervisors, mechanics, pilots, storekeepers and customers can seamlessly execute critical operations on the go, from anywhere, anytime.

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AIRCRAFT MRO: VENDOR JOB CARD

VENDOR JOB CARD: AVIATION INTERTEC SERVICES INC (AIS)

Eric Hansen explains how Aviation InterTec Services Inc (AIS) are helping customers get the most from their aircraft maintenance operations Eric Hansen serves as CEO for Aviation InterTec Services Inc (AIS), in addition to co-founding the company in 1997. Previously acting as Technical Director and primary design engineer, Eric has a background in systems application definition and design together with related technical development. He has 30 years of experience in aviation maintenance planning and enterprise systems development, and served as a narrow body maintenance planner prior to moving to AIS. Aircraft IT: Your name, your job title and the name of the business? Eric Hansen: Eric Hansen, Chief Executive Officer, Aviation InterTec Services Inc. Aircraft IT: How did AIS get started? EH: AIS was established in 1997 with the specific objective of developing a suite of highly functional, enterpriselevel, browser-based products for the aviation maintenance management industry. Product commercialization began in 2002 and since then AIS has

established a customer base across North America, Europe, Africa and Asia. Aircraft IT: What is the attraction of aircraft-related software? EH: AIS was born from personal experience in the challenges of achieving comprehensive data collection and analytics within aviation maintenance processes, and the need for software that enables maintenance personnel rather than standing in their way. We all come from aviation or

technology backgrounds, and we want to make a difference for our peers in the wider aircraft maintenance community. Aircraft IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives AIS? EH: RAAS was developed to combine comprehensive integrated functionality at a cost within reach of the mid-tier market with the quick deployment, ease of support, and low TCO (Total Cost of Ownership) inherent in cross-platform browser-

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based information systems. Our goal is supporting those involved in aircraft maintenance with highly functional, cost-effective systems that hold a clear value for the future. Aircraft IT: What has been AIS’ greatest technical achievement to date, and why? EH: The standard answer is continuous innovation, every day, year after year. It’s true that our only constant is change, and overcoming one technical hurdle is just a prelude to tackling the

AIRCRAFT MRO: VENDOR JOB CARD

“Immense efficiency gains can be realized by dispensing with wet ink signatures … instead receiving real-time electronic receipt of maintenance compliance details from all maintenance locations…” next. However, completion of a paperless maintenance management workflow in RAAS does standout as an achievement on the journey towards digitalization. Immense efficiency gains can be realized by dispensing with wet ink signatures and the related requirement to retain paper-based aircraft maintenance records, and instead receiving real-time electronic receipt of maintenance compliance details from all maintenance locations, eliminating transcription errors, increasing technical records and QA efficiency, allowing for finer-grained reliability analysis, and enabling real-time aircraft status reporting for flight operations. Aircraft IT: What has been AIS’ greatest business achievement to date, and why? EH: Philosophically, AIS and RAAS are oriented toward specialized installations involving deployment of inter-system integrations with other key software solutions within the airline. The natural tendency to encourage inter-system data integration and product customization coincidentally

defines our target market: operators large enough to be challenged by sheer volumes of data and related work flow process, to the extent that the opportunity to introduce procedural and business efficiency becomes a primary criterion for maintenance software system selection. Generally, AIS is interested in extending RAAS to help our customers gain business advantage. Successfully executing this strategy is a demonstration of AIS’ close working relationship with clients, and the ability to translate their needs into business solutions. Aircraft IT: What have been AIS’ disappointments and what have you learned from them? EH: By design, RAAS has always been an integrated on-and-off-wing inventory management solution, enabling simultaneous visibility of all assets as well as the difficult-to-attain objective of cradle-to-grave component history accumulation. Barcode and QR code scanning is a natural complementary technology for facilitating inventory tracking tasks, but our initial approach of developing

solutions around a set of select scanning device makes and models limited flexibility and has been a barrier to acceptance. Recently developed BYOD (bring your own device) features for RAAS allow operators the choice of hardware to match their own particular circumstances, from rugged-use scanners for challenging environments to staff personal devices for ad-hoc checks. Aircraft IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what AIS does for aviation customers? EH: AIS provides powerful but straight-forward aircraft maintenance management software solutions and work-flow consulting services for fixed-wing and rotary fleet operators, MROs and CAMOs around the world. Aircraft IT: What is new on AIS’ development horizon? EH: BYOD capability for barcode and QR code scanning is currently being expanded in RAAS. There are many applications of the feature, job card handling and labor entry tracking to name just two, though the area of

greatest benefit will be inventory tracking. Faster workflows for inventory counts, part pick lists, and other stores related tasks lead to productivity gains, while increased hardware selection brings cost savings. Aircraft IT: What will be the next big thing in Aviation IT? EH: Underlying trends are more important than any individual technology. The road to full digitalization and paperless processes requires integration of ever more systems, with ever more information being produced by each. Key challenges include management of the resulting complexity and data volumes, as well as smoothly interfacing between many different platforms or solutions. Aircraft IT: What do you want your customers to say about AIS? EH: AIS makes aviation maintenance operations smarter. Aircraft IT: Eric Hansen, thank you for your time.

“Underlying trends are more important than any individual technology. The road to full digitalization and paperless processes requires integration of ever more systems, with ever more information being produced by each.” AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 65

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Aviation Maintenance and Covid-19 Allan Bachan, VP, ICF and Arun Navneethakrishnan, Aviation Solution Adviser, Ramco Systems explain how to leverage digitization to meet industry challenges AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 66

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his article addresses the very real and present challenges facing the aviation industry as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic and will look at some coping strategies. We’ll also consider how maintenance organizations can leverage digital technology to improve process efficiency through a mix of automation, integration and optimization.

CHALLENGES

At the time of writing, the aviation space, including MRO, was mostly at a standstill. The question now is, as we emerge from the pandemic, how can we use digitalization and modern technologies as a catalyst to help achieve effective advancements for the sector? We’ll consider this issue from three perspectives: people; assets; and money (figure 1).

Significant challenges now exist for aviation…

90% of the world population Live in countries with travel restrictions PEW Research Center

-52.9% Revenue Passenger Kilometers YoY in March 2020 IATA

“…how maintenance organizations can leverage digital technology to improve process efficiency through a mix of automation, integration and optimization.” Money

Year on year, March 2020 saw a 52.9 per cent reduction in Revenue Passenger Kilometers. This has contributed to a $314 billion loss across the industry (Figure 1). There is no recovery playbook for this pandemic. No recipe exists which mirrors anything that has happened before. This does not resemble 9/11, SARS, MERS or any other past Black Swan events. History offers little guidance as to how we might recover. A recent Oliver Wyman forecast (figure 2) projects that in December 2020, when some normalcy might be restored, the total number of aircraft in operation is likely to be many fewer than pre-Covid-19.

Adjusted Fleet forecast & MRO spend Segment spend 2020(USD $B)

16,000

jets representing 62% of the world’s commercial aircraft fleet is now grounded (April 17) Bloomberg

An estimated $314 Billion Airline revenue loss for 2020 Statista

ORIGINAL AND ADJUSTED FLEET FORECAST

Segment spend 2021(USD $B)

$40B

30,000 25,000

$30B

20,000 15,000

$20B

10,000 5000

$10B

Figure 1

People

Adjusted

The world’s population is largely confined to their homes. With global border restrictions and business closures, there is really nowhere to go anyway. Also, the airlines that are operating must abide by government and health protocols to maintain medical safety.

Assets

Aircraft make up a large portion of aviation assets most of which, are grounded and/or stored. With the likelihood that markets might not return to pre-Covid levels for two or three years, what will happen to these aircraft? How many will return to service? How will that impact operators and the wider community?

12/31/2019

06/30/2020

12/31/2020

Original

06/30/2021

12/31/2021

$0B Engine

Original

Airframe

Components

Line

Adjusted

Source: Oliver Wyman

Figure 2

Aircraft maintenance is primarily driven by flight hours and cycles: if aircraft are not active then maintenance demand and MRO spend will be lower. Operators today are delaying and deferring maintenance events into the future. These events, however, can only be pushed so far and some are calendar mandated. Once flying restarts, demand will rise in 2021 but to lower levels than original pre-Covid19 projections across airframe, engines, components and line maintenance. The rise in 2021 will be largely driven by the maintenance events that have been intentionally rescheduled.

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COPING STRATEGIES

No doubt, recovery will be complex. There are a number of different paths that airlines, operators, MROs, suppliers and OEMs may follow. We identify several key coping strategies which are shown in (figure 3). Guarantee personnel safety

Coping Strategies a n d B usi ne ss Objectives are now redefined…

Create liquidity & Conserve cash

Also, revenue is being generated from alternate sources: we have seen passenger aircraft being flown with seats in and with seats out for cargo operations, especially PPE equipment.

KEY BEHAVIORS:

The above coping strategies are driving key organizational behaviors (figure 4).

…Which are driving key behaviors…

Right-size facilities, materials and other resources

Maximize staff productivity

BE NIMBLE Generate revenue from alternate sources Figure 3

Guarantee of personal safety is first. Everyone has to feel one hundred per cent certain that they will not contract the virus from traveling and that their family will be safe. Each touch point and interface must be safe. Secondly, generating liquidity and conserving cash is high on everyone’s agenda. This means that investments previously planned are no longer a priority and any expense is scrutinized with the utmost diligence. We also see that facilities have to be right sized along with materials and resources: buildings, spaces and material assets. For example, there is a lot of capital tied up in spare parts. With less aircraft flying, that value can be leveraged to carry the business forward through this trough. Staff productivity is a key issue. We’ve seen many working from home during the pandemic, but how do you maximize staff productivity in such a situation? There are two schools of thought. People tend to spend more time working when at home especially if the work involves desk-based activities; but then there’s also speculation that if people aren’t out there mingling, if they’re not in a physical as opposed to a virtual community setting, productivity suffers. Sometimes, just sharing ideas, communicating with each other can optimize productivity: so, finding ways to maximize staff productivity as we emerge from Covid-19 is key for organizations and how they are adapting or needing to change.

BE AGILE

CROSSUTILIZE

COOPERATE / COLLABORATE

BE ADAPTIVE

Figure 4

These behaviors, starting from the right, will be familiar throughout different organizations. • Be adaptive: Coming out of Covid-19 requires everyone to adapt. There is literally no going back to the ‘old way’ since many things around us have changed. • Cooperate and collaborate: Leveraging the strength of teams, qualitatively and quantitatively, is seen as a core behavior moving forward. No one organization has all of the elements needed for effective progress. • Cross-utilization: Most organizations will be leaner. More has to be done with less, and roles and responsibilities will span the vacant spaces. A more versatile workforce will develop and physical resources will be multipurposed. • Be Agile: This is a term that has been bandied about and is popular when speaking to transformation or adoption of technology. Being agile though is not just about ideas and innovation. It also has to apply to strategic and tactical execution; which has been lacking in Aviation MRO IT. • Be Nimble: This defines how to execute. Some of the largest and most complex airlines in the world are operating decades old MRO IT. That demonstrates that we were not nimble enough even before Covid-19. Acting on change initiatives in a manner which provides quick benefits in a consistent manner is being nimble.

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ENABLEMENT

How best can these strategies be achieved consistent with the behaviors? We believe that an integrated Technology and Processes approach built around 6 key points should be implemented. These are illustrated in (Figure 5).

…To Be Enabled By Technology And Processes Accelerate digital adoption

Integrate disconnected applications

Deploy standard applications rapidly

Automate as many tasks and activities as possible

Decommission legacy cost and resource prohibitive software

Figure 5

Use real-time data to analyze, make decisions and act

Of necessity will be the re-engineering of business processes. Redefining all of the tasks which each staff role has to fulfill, taking full cognizance of the revised objectives and behaviors, will be a key action. For example, having in-person meetings for distributing work tasks on the front-line in Line Maintenance is not currently practical or safe. Workflow and notifications will therefore become more prominent. To go beyond just emails for such a task will incorporate all the 6 listed items to realize a workable solution. Integration is the key; such as having a mobile device integrated into the back-end system. And that also has to occur in a collaborative environment: you might not have all the applications and you have to integrate within the organization and with outside organizations and services. It will also be necessary to accelerate digital adoption. We are just not as nimble as we need to be. Using real-time data to analyze, make decisions and act is something we always do in our personal lives today. For instance, would you go to the grocery store when the number of Covid cases within your county or city is increasing? Again, in our professional lives, in the aviation space, who makes decisions on how the aircraft is connected to downline systems and, on seeing the information that delivers, making good decisions. There’s also deploying standard applications rapidly: we don’t see many long-term projects on the immediate horizon. New applications have to be up and running as quickly as possible and, of course, they have to be built for INTERACTIVE Click here for full product details

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USE CASES USE CASE 1 Aircraft maintenance Technician (AMT) – Advanced Mobility Access

“With constraints around staff and cost, it will be important to automate as many tasks as possible: so, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning (ML), will come into play. How do you achieve beyond Predictive with a Prescriptive Maintenance philosophy?” purpose; there have to be modular offerings. With constraints around staff and cost, it will be important to automate as many tasks as possible. So, technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML), will come into play. How do you achieve beyond Predictive with a Prescriptive Maintenance philosophy? We imagine a mechanic who, on his phone, his own device, can receive instructions as to: ‘where to be, what to be doing and how to do it…’ That’s more prescriptive. The challenge is, how do we get the applications that support that philosophy? And, of course, it all has to be done in, as far as possible, a touchless environment. Finally, legacy and resource prohibitive software will have to be rapidly decommissioned. The challenge with all the above is how to do that? We believe that these changes will occur not with wholesale steps (a ‘big bang’) but in small, modular steps and with deploying applications rapidly. This is a holistic approach and these are tenets as to how you’d operate but, moving forward, we see digital transformation using AI and ML as 10 times, not 10 percent, better. It will be massively transformational. To illustrate all this, we’d like to show you a few use cases with Ramco software to demonstrate what we have covered already focusing on key roles who have direct impact on the aspects covered above like maximizing productivity, using the right skills and materials and, of course, to conserve cash and increase revenue. This will help when actualizing the digitization process. Some of the use cases that we’ll show are in production use with many operators, MROs, business aviation operators and defense agencies, helping them achieve their digital transformation goal.

In this use case let us look at how mechanics and technicians can use software to collaborate virtually with improved productivity while also satisfying regulatory compliance requirements. We’ll use Ramco’s Mechanic Anywhere Mobile App as an example to demonstrate the potential (figure A.1)… RAMCO MECHANIC ANYWHERE Touchless assignment and Notifications

Use Case 1: Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) – Advanced Mobility Access

Electronic job card access and sign off as per regulatory compliance AI/ML Driven Decision Support

Highly Integrated Process with other functional areas (materials) Collaborate through Virtual Support

Figure A.1

… for performing touchless assignments and instantly notifying the mechanic electronically rather than with a paper document. Mechanics get access to the job card and also can sign it off, all electronically within the mobile app and in accordance with regulatory compliance. Also, machine learning technology will help with decision support where AI is going to play the key role in this process

“…machine learning technology will help with decision support where AI is going to play the key role in an automated process, integrated with other functions, like supply chain, for tracking parts availability and getting parts issued using the auto-allocation strategy.”

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that is automated, integrated with other functions, such as supply chain, for tracking parts availability and getting parts issued using an auto-allocation strategy. Finally we’ll look at collaboration through virtual support for audits, inspections and any clarifications that will need relevant persons to be present in person. So first, touchless assignment and notification (figure A.2.1).

Use Case: Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) – Advanced Mobility Access

Touchless assignment and Notifications Electronic job card access and sign off as per regulatory compliance AI/ML Driven Decision Support Highly Integrated Process with other functional areas (materials) Collaborate through Virtual Support

Supervisors can also look at the live availability of all mechanics, and their respective shifts so they can determine which mechanic to pick for the job, based on proximity. If the supervisor wants to assign the job to Daniel (middle left on the screen) he can select Daniel and look at his information, which will come up on screen with his availability and skills: if a mechanic does not have the right skill for the job, the system will not allow the supervisor to allocate that job to that person. In fact, the assignment process could be completely automated using the software scheduling and assignment capability. But, if the supervisor is able to assign the job to Daniel, that can be managed from the screen by clicking the icon. The system will allocate the job to Daniel and send a notification to his mobile app or smart watch. This is similar to an instant messaging app, avoids any paper handover and provides a complete touchless experience. After the job has been assigned (figure A.3.1) the mechanic will be granted electronic access to the job card within the mobile app. The digital task card feature allows any scanned PDF or OEM task cards to be rendered electronically within the mobile app itself. The mechanic also has instant access to the job card information. In the screen of the mobile app (figure A.3.1)…

Figure A.2.1

In figure A.2.2, you can see the assignment page in the mobile App that can be used by supervisors to review all the unassigned jobs based on input from the Maintenance Planning Department.

Figure A.3.1

Figure A.2.2

… the mechanic is assigned access to the electronic job card, is able to review the steps and procedures within the job card and then sign-off by just selecting the check box on the job card. On selecting and checking these boxes and providing the sign-off information, the system will provide a dual authentication pop-up as per regulatory requirements for keeping electronic documents. In order for a AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 71

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mechanic to perform an electronic sign-off they’ll need to provide duel authentication with a password and PIN, the system will then electronically sign-off the steps the mechanic has selected. After sign-off, the system will send an electronic footprint (figure A.3.2) of the signature (green circle 000007) as a digital footprint for any future compliance references.

Use Case: Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) – Advanced Mobility Access Touchless assignment and Notifications Electronic job card access and sign off as per regulatory compliance

AI/ML Driven Decision Support Highly Integrated Process with other functional areas (materials) Collaborate through Virtual Support00

AI / ML | Discrepancy Reporting

Figure A.4.1

In the discrepancy screen (A.4.2), when the mechanic starts typing the content, say, ‘dent on the rotor blade’, as the word ‘dent’ is entered, the AI will automatically list probable discrepancies based on the historical data of this aircraft. Figure A.3.2

From the same screen, the mechanic can also gain virtual access to any reference documents or even launch an appropriate training video. This ensures that the mechanic has instant access to reference information without having to visit an engineering or a maintenance room to access training documents. For discrepancy reporting (figure A.4.1) Ramco’s machine learning powered tool helps mechanics expedite the resolution process by automating the form filling, suggesting the next step, like corrective action, and requesting the required parts.

“…if a mechanic does not have the right skill for the job, the system will not allow the supervisor to allocate that job to that person. In fact, the assignment process could be completely automated using the software scheduling and assignment capability.”

Figure A.4.2

The system will not only help fill in the data about this discrepancy but will also suggest corrective action and, again, help in ordering the parts to resolve the discrepancy. This will help to improve mechanics’ productivity where they would

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otherwise have spent a lot of time filling out the resolution procedure and requesting the parts. Ramco’s mobile app is highly integrated with other functions such as supply chain where it allows mechanics to request a part and, upon request, it automatically notifies the inventory team (figure A.5.1) and allocates the part from the request

Use Case: Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) – Advanced Mobility Access Touchless assignment and Notifications Electronic job card access and sign off as per regulatory compliance AI/ML Driven Decision Support Direct Inventory Access

Highly Integrated Process with other functional areas (materials)

Also, mechanics can track part availability in the inventory from the screen: not only parts in the warehouse, but also parts currently on parked aircraft. This will help the mechanic choose whether to use a part from the warehouse or cannibalize an existing aircraft to help conserve cash. If the choice is a part from the warehouse, that can be selected, added to the request and then the request created from the same page. When the request is placed, the system will automatically generate a material request, notify the inventory team, automatically allocate the part for this request and notify the mechanic once the part is available to pick-up from the warehouse. One of the key challenges that will remain in the Covid-19 situation is to determine how effectively mechanics can manage their work with minimal face-to-face interaction and manual process, while maintaining regulatory compliance. To this end, Ramco offers a Virtual Support feature along with co-browsing capabilities to allow mechanics to interact and share their work in a live mode with their supervisors and colleagues (figure A.6.1).

Use Case: Aircraft Maintenance Technician (AMT) – Advanced Mobility Access

Collaborate through Virtual Support

Virtual Access through online chats and video calls

Touchless assignment and Notifications Electronic job card access and sign off as per regulatory compliance

Figure A.5.1

That helps avoid the manual process of communication between mechanics and the inventory team and reduces the time to source parts. In figure A.5.2, the mechanic can type the required part details either by part number or just with a description — the system provides a smart look-up.

AI/ML Driven Decision Support Highly Integrated Process with other functional areas (materials) Collaborate through Virtual Support

Figure A.6.1

Figure A.5.2

These capabilities can also be used to perform virtual inspections and sign-off by inspectors. This is a trend that readers will have noticed recently in the industry where even regulatory authorities are performing virtual inspections and audits of maintenance facilities due to the pandemic situation where they cannot do an on-site visit. With respect to remote collaboration in Aircraft maintenance, lets say a mechanic wants to review a damage notice while performing a job; they can instantly take a picture from a page in the app and share that information with their supervisor as well as making markings or annotations (figure A.6.2) on top of the image. AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 73

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appropriate to the job; and manage assignments with no paper hand-off. Ramco’s advanced planning tool includes (figure B.1) a holistic view of the maintenance forecast along with any dependencies that might impact the turnaround time (TAT) for an aircraft undergoing maintenance.

Use Case: Maintenance Planner – Auto Scheduling and Assignments Auto Scheduling of jobs based on capacity and constraints

Auto Crew Skill Validation

System corrects all the dependencies and provides the best TAT plan

Auto Assignments involving no paper hand off

Figure A.6.2

The supervisor can base a recommendation on this information and will receive an instant notification where they can respond within the chat window or, for further investigation, the mechanic can share their page or screen with the supervisor and show live details of the work they are currently performing, allowing the supervisor to review and even perform a virtual sign-off using the co-browsing capability. Mechanics can even hold a video call with their supervisor and live relay the hangar floor through that video call so that the supervisor can look at the information and then provide a recommendation which will make the communication more effective. This will help to minimize person to person interaction and help mechanics manage their work efficiently while helping to increase productivity even with the current limited workforce availability. This virtual support platform feature can be extended to any other role in the organization.

USE CASE 2 Maintenance Planner – Auto Scheduling and Assignments

In this next use case, we’ll consider how maintenance planners can contribute to digital adoption using technology tools. Maintenance planners play a major role in minimizing cost and that can be better controlled with effective planning tools. With the current Covid-19 situation, planners have to think out of the box to effectively use the available resources and manage the maintenance facilities with very little margin for error. This use case shows how a maintenance planner using MRO software can manage auto scheduling of jobs based on available capacity and daily changing constraints; ensure skill validity to have the right resources

Figure B.1

Based on the optimization algorithm, the system can automatically clear constraints or any dependencies that fall under the critical path of the forecast in the figure, allowing the maintenance planner to manage by exceptions which enables a highly automated process and ensures a high level of productivity. The forecast is not only determined based on familiar utilization parameters like flying hours, cycles, seasonal variations, etc. but, with the current situation, the parts on the aircraft should also be taken into consideration. The planning tool considers those parameters to provide the constraint visibility to the planner so that, based on that information, the planner can effectively manage the currently operational fleet. Also with the current Covid-19 situation, in addition to regular resource constraints, the organization needs to ensure that the pandemic does not spread within the organization (figure B.2.1) which might impact the operation.

“With the current Covid-19 situation, planners have to think out of the box to effectively use the available resources and manage the maintenance facilities.”

AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 74

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Use Case: Enabling touchless access entry for mechanics and time reporting Consider the Mechanic Hangar Walk-In Use Case

Contact Tracing & Assessment Initiated

Mechanic Recognized & Thermal Scanned

Mechanic Enters the hangar facility

Access Restricted due to symptoms

Administration Notified

Identification

Assessment

Mitigation

• •

• • •

Recognize Face & Voice Thermal Scanning

Determine the Severity Contact Tracing & Spread Recommend Isolation & Testing

the planner in case of any restriction. The mechanic also gets notified in advance in case they have to get re-certified for a respective skill. This helps to avoid resource non-availability and, in turn, helps save the cost of cancellation. After the job is assigned, the system automatically notifies the mechanic in their mobile app with electronic job card access (figure B.2.3). This will help minimize the lead time in paper document hand-off and brings process efficiency.

Use Case: Maintenance Planner – Auto Scheduling and Assignments

Restrict Access Notify Admin / Security Notify Authorities (If Threat confirmed)

Auto Scheduling of jobs based on capacity and constraints

Figure B.2.1

Keeping this aspect in mind, Ramco has introduced a touchless access control system that will scan mechanics for both facial and voice recognition and temperature, then, record their attendance: and it can be integrated with an existing HR system. The solution restricts access if a mechanic is found to have a temperature outside of a given range and, in case of an asymptomatic but Covid-19 infected individual, the system can identify that by using self-certified questions and a chatbot in line with health authority guidelines. Contact tracing can also be enabled by integrating with the mechanics’ calendars to identify the potential contacts that they’ve had in the past, and then help mitigate any further risk. This system can also notify the administration or security, using the workflow engine, to mitigate any risk and take the necessary precautions. The input from this solution is integrated into the planning tool where the system automatically reschedules and reassigns resources for the forecasted job in light of this constraint. Ramco’s touchless access control system can be deployed as a standalone or it could integrate with an existing IT or security system. You can see the system in use at Ramco’s Global office (figure B.2.2) where it is Figure B.2.2 integrated with IoT door sensors and can restrict access in case of elevated temperatures. The set-up can be deployed at multiple hangar access points. With multiple constraints evaluated automatically, the system also validates if the mechanic has the right skill and certification to perform the task and notifies

Auto Crew Skill Validation

Auto Assignments involving no paper hand off

Figure B.2.3

The system also keeps track of actual work done by mechanics and updates the maintenance schedule in real-time.

USE CASE 3 Material Planning and Buyer activities

This last use case is about material planning and buyer activities, the larger part of cash conservation but still needing to meet the demand for the parts. As more than seventy percent of aircraft are currently parked, visibility into the parts that can be cannibalized from those aircraft will help in meeting current demand and also help in conserving the cash for organizations. Historical data on demand might be of little or no use to forecast and manage stock in the current situation; planners must continuously work with the maintenance and operations teams on an almost real time basis through planning the parts and determining the best sources for purchases. In the long-term, automating the entire planning and procurement process by EDI connection between customers and suppliers is expected to introduce efficiencies and cost reduction for the procurement process. This use case will show how materials planners or buyers can get global visibility of inventory across locations and parked aircraft, perform dynamic

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demand planning and enable frictionless procurement with EDI. Aircraft currently held in long-term parking (figure C.1.1) with no near-term plans for reactivations, are expected to help with conserving cash as parts might get removed, re-certified and used to fulfil the demand from the current operational fleet.

Drilling down further (figure C.1.2), details such as the serial numbers, and other technical parameters like flying hours, cycles and also the quantity are shown to the materials planner. Here, graphical visibility helps the planner to determine the best source to fulfil the demand with the least logistic cost to the organization. With a growing need for consolidation of resources to manage and centralize supply chain activities, assignment of a specific demand to the material planner will help achieve accountability, until the part is acknowledged with proof of delivery. The demand management hub screen in Ramco Assignments can be managed based on predefined groups by supplier or part type. This process can be further automated through the machine learning algorithm based on historical data available. Based on demand characteristics like part information, quantity required, location, technical requirements such as certificates, stock availability, inventory and in-transit movements in the warehouse or from suppliers, the planner gets the recommendation to fulfil the demand automatically from the system. In this case, the recommendation to manage the demand offers four sourcing options as can be seen on the screen (figure C.1.3).

Request Planning Figure C.1.1

Allocable Stock Qty/Free Order Qty identified in the order of MR Priority/Need Date/Created Date

Ramco’s MRO software is expected to provide this global visibility to all the key stakeholders such as inventory planners, warehousing and maintenance teams. As you’ll see on the screen in the figure, visibility is extended to the level of the parts currently attached to parked aircraft as well as the aircraft’s location.

Visibility for Non-Allocable Stock/Order Qty availability

Use Case: Material Planning and Buyer Activities – Global Inventory Visibility Modification of the Allocated Simulation Confirmation of the Planning options and display of Generated documents

Parked Aircraft Inventory

Figure C.1.3

Figure C.1.2

The recommendation parameters can be set based on a target objective. For example, lowest turnaround time in case of AOG (aircraft on ground), demand and lowest cost for replenishment: also, planners can over-ride recommendations from the system. Ramco Demand Management can also be configured using API (application programming interface) calls to consider the stock availability from the supplier or part traders. In addition, carriers like FedEx will seamlessly provide information on the part movement from pick-up to the delivery along with any delays in this hub. AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 76

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“Automation, not only within the organization but over the larger eco-system, enables the organization to reap the ten times the benefit.” Automation, not only within the organization but over the larger eco-system, enables the organization to reap the ten times the benefit as opposed to 10% incremental benefits. One Ramco customer who is primarily in the part trading business supporting one of the largest MROs in the world, has increased revenue over ten times with very marginal additional cost by automating the standard process, around 70 to 80 percent of the business, and bringing in exception based-only manual interventions. This automation (figure C.1.4) is powered using EDI (electronic data exchange) connectors by partners like AeroExchange where the sale order is issued through the EDI and processed for the demand fulfilment.

Before

Frictionless procurement (Automation) Receive PO On EDI

2 hrs / order 50 + orders / day

Identify source as Inventory or Procurement & Finalize the vendor

8 Buyers

2 hrs / order 20 + orders / day for any changes to order due to MOQ or MOV

Manual Order corrections

2 Days Wait for Customer Approval

Customer Approval

Avg. TAT - 3 Days

Now

Order creation to approvals

2 hrs / Order Via EDI – Zero touch

Review only exceptions

Receive the Exception PO (20%)

2hrs/ Order Work on exception

Review & submit Orders

Avg. TAT less than a Day

ALLAN BACHAN

Allan is a Vice President at ICF responsible for MRO Operations and IT practice and he manages the Aircraft Commerce Consulting relationship with ICF. His experience includes managing application design, development, and implementation for strategic clients in the MRO industry using different commercially available MRO IT products. In his career, Allan has fulfilled the following leadership roles: MRO IT practice and technical lead; MRO systems Product Principal; M&E and MRO Solutions Director and Manager of Technical Records, Maintenance Planning and Production Control.

ARUN NAVNEETHAKRISHNAN

Arun has over 12 years’ experience in business transformation, project management and solution consultancy in maintenance, supply chain, production planning, flight operations and financials for several aviation segments. He has domain and industry knowledge combined with IT expertise. Arun has been with Ramco for over 10 years, involved in several project implementation and product development phases. He heads the solution advisory group in the Americas for new accounts and existing projects and holds a Masters in Aeronautical and Airport management

ICF AVIATION

ICF works across the aviation value chain to help clients navigate the complexities and uncertainties of the changing aviation industry. Whether helping airlines and airports reinvent how they engage with customers, assembling the world’s largest leasing transaction, speeding up aircraft turn times and improving on-time performance, or helping an international airport achieve its goal of doubling capacity, ICF has a deep understanding of the forces that can impact success in an era of unprecedented change.

RAMCO AVIATION

Order creation to Approvals

Figure C.1.4

If the decision is to buy then the system can apply the supplier based rule or the machine learning algorithm can initiate the purchase order which gets transmitted to the supplier automatically. Manual approvals are triggered only where the supplier is not in the recommended list or where the price is different from the contracted price. The entire value chain is automated with the shipping note from the supplier sent to the customer instantly and the status of the shipment transmitted to the customer as well. With 70 per cent of orders automated, the lead time has reduced to minutes for an order with no exceptions and less than a day for an order that requires approval or with some exception. This is considered as a true digital transformation for an organization.

Ramco Aviation software offers Maintenance solutions on cloud and on premise with multi-tenant capability and next-gen mobility, catering to the needs of Airlines, Heli-Operators, MROs and Charter operations. Next-gen mobility solutions for maintenance operations are available through an app ecosystem where MRO supervisors, mechanics, pilots, storekeepers and customers can seamlessly execute critical operations on the go, from anywhere and at anytime.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 77

DIRECTORY

MRO Software Directory Key ‘at-a-glance’ information from the world’s leading MRO software providers. IT is a powerful force but, to leverage its greatest value, it must be harnessed and directed. It must also be able to handle huge and growing data streams that record every aspect in the lives of aircraft and the processes by which they fly. This challenge has attracted the best brains and most innovative enterprises to create IT solutions for one of the most demanding working environments, Aircraft MRO and M&E. Inevitably, there are many such developers and vendors offering solutions ranging from single function `Specialist Point Solutions’ to complete `End-to-End’ solutions covering the whole process. Only readers will know the specific requirements of their businesses but we have assembled a directory of the best MRO software providers and listed them alphabetically to make it easier for you to undertake a brief-ish (there are 35 providers and the number continues to grow) survey of the market, as a preliminary to starting on any specification and selection process. Or you might simply read it to keep up to date with what is available today.

2MoRO

ADSoftware

W: www.2moro.com T: +33 (0)559 013 005 E: sales@2moro.com

W: www.adsoftware.fr T: +33 (0)4.50.89.48.50 E: contact@adsoftware.fr

Locations: France (HQ), Canada and Malaysia

Location: France, Thailand, South Africa, Brazil

ADT: Applied Database Technology W: www.adbtech.com T: +1 (425) 466-5013 T: +1 (614) 377-9644 E: sales@adbtech.com

Location: Bellevue, Tampa USA; Istanbul, Turkey

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Aero One, Aero-Webb, BFly

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • AIRPACK

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Wings NG

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • MRO: Line, Base, Engine maintenance • Airworthiness and Fleet Management • Flight and Crew management • Material Management • ERP: Finance, Purchasing, Sales, HR

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • AIRTIME — Fleet management & CAMO • AIRSTOCK — Inventory control & Logistic • AIRDOC — Documentation management • AIRSTAT — Reliability and statistic reports • AIRWORK — Time Tracking Software

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Fleet Management • Maintenance Engineering • Material Management • Production Planning • Labor Collection, Billing

2MoRO is a software development company dedicated to the aviation market. Our teams are located in Europe, America and Asia. We work with partners and resellers worldwide and our software solutions are used in more than 20 countries. We propose 3 different software solutions in order to fit every type and size of Aviation, Aerospace and Defense companies. Our solutions have been chosen by aircraft and engine manufacturers such as Airbus Helicopters, Dassault Aviation or Safran Group but also by aircraft operators, airlines or independent MROs. We also have a R&D department and can help you in data migration. Aero One® and Aero-Webb® have been designed to complement your ERP solution regarding aviation and MRO specific needs. They are certified by SAP®, and Aero-Webb® can also be used as stand-alone. BFly®, our latest software, is a new way to create customized software for aviation and enables users to collaborate, design personalized screens, workflows and business processes.

ADSoftware has developed an integrated fleet management system and logistic package called AIRPACK. This 6 module system answers to the needs of aircraft and helicopters operators, as well as MRO and CAMO centres. It meets all requirements in terms of functionality, traceability, performance, aviation legislation and regulations. Today, ADSoftware counts more than 54 clients worldwide. The strength of ADSoftware is the simplicity of its products; they are Microsoft Windows® ready, Web-enabled, available in various languages and a complete training program can be done in just five days. The company also provides a 24/7 online technical support and extremely competitive pricing conditions.

APPLIED DATABASE TECHNOLOGY (ADT) is a professional services and software development firm that provides MRO software solutions for aircraft operators as well as aircraft repair and overhaul organizations. Our commitment to this business segment is proven with our software package, WINGS, designed specifically for aerospace companies. ADT has been in the software business since 1992 and has built an excellent customer reference base. Our first priority is always customer satisfaction; thus we have obtained 100% customer satisfaction since 1992. ADT has a proven record to develop reference accounts in the Aviation industry along with other high technology companies which are considered to be leaders in their fields.

At 2MoRO, we are proud to offer a very dedicated customer service, as reflected by our 95% retention rate. We work mainly on a fixed-price base and we are ISO 9001 certified for aviation software development, maintenance and support.

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DIRECTORY

AeroSoft Systems

Aerostrat

AirInt Services

AMC Aviation

W: www.aerosoftsys.com T: +1 905.678.9564 E: sales@aerosoftsys.com

W: www.aerostratsoftware.com T: +1-888-558-2860 E: info@aerostratsoftware.com

W: www.airintservices.com T: +33 6 14 39 81 55 E: mlopez@airintservices.com

W: www.amc-aviation.fr T: +33 6 33 27 80 38 E: contact@amc-aviation.fr

Location: Ontario, Canada; Miami, FL, USA; Austria

Location: Seattle, USA

Location: Bordeaux & Paris (France)

Location: France and Dubai

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • DigiMAINT, DigiDOC, WebPMI/DJM

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Aerros

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Cabin App, RFID App, Cargo App

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • iCare AMS, iCare SMS, iCare iTech

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Maintenance and Engineering Management • Digital Document Content Management • Business Intelligence Reporting • Business 2 Business transaction interface • Interface to Financials / Flight Operations

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Heavy/Base Maintenance Planning • Capacity/Workload Planning • Maintenance Schedule Optimization • Maintenace Event Performance Tracking • Heavy/Base Production Schedules

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Cabin Maintenance • Data Management & Analytics • Digital Solutions & Mobility • Safety Equipment Inventory (RFID)

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Full Operator / independent CAMO management • Full Operator / independent AMO/MRO management • Full Logistics / Purchase Management • QA Conformity and SMS management • Costs and invoicing management

AeroSoft Systems Inc. is unique in MRO IT, born in 1997 out of aircraft OEM digital document systems and the evolution of ATA iSPEC2200 and SPEC2000 standards. AeroSoft has two distinct MRO IT products: DigiMAINT and WebPMI sharing a common set of optional modules for BI, B2B, Finance and Flight Operations, plus DigiDOC, a state of the art digital content management system. AeroSoft has the unique expertise to integrate DigiDOC with any competitive MRO IT system. Strategic partners include Hexaware Technologies Inc. who are jointly going to market internationally offering large IT capacity at competitive rates.

Aerostrat is based in Seattle, WA and offers one product called Aerros, a one-of-a-kind program that manages an airline’s or MRO’s aircraft maintenance schedule. Aerros enables users to optimize the maintenance program by managing various maintenance and operational constraints, which maximizes event yield, drives costs down, and enables the organization to plan proactively, not reactively. Aerros provides robust ‘what-if’ scenario capabilities that allow users to see the effect of different variables. This aids in making sound business decisions concerning the maintenance and fleet plan. Some of these variables are maintenance programs limits, min/target/max yield, aircraft hr/cy utilization, track/requirement compatibility, and maintenance allocations. To forecast an optimal maintenance plan within an operation, Aerros also provides a Capacity Planning feature. This feature allows users to input and view vendor capacity available and labor hour demand to better manage the labor force. Aerros also provides easy-to-navigate scenarios with drag and drop event movement and manipulation. Scenarios can be published so others (including vendors or operators) can view the plan. Aerros provides excellent system stability and reliability with standard IT practices. It is also integrationready and designed to work as an extension of a user’s existing information systems.

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AirInt Services is a French aviation software provider created in 2011 and specialized in developing digital maintenance solutions for Airlines & MROs. Our headquarters are located in Bordeaux in the South of France, and we do also have sales offices in Paris to easily connect with all our customers. We exclusively work in the aerospace industry because our background and our DNA is cabin maintenance. Indeed, we have accumulated decades of experience in: • Equipment removal, installation, modification and overhaul

With 20 years of experience, AMC Aviation is an EASA CAMO PART-M, EASA PART-145 and Cosulting company. We offer an important range of services to airlines and leasing companies such as Maintenance support, engineering services, airworthiness management, civil aviation trainings, software solutions and flight operation services. Our Moto is “Your sucess is our comitment”

• Spare part logistics, purchase and supply • Shift for A & C checks in MROs, daily & weekly checks with airlines • EASA Form 1 issue in PART 145 workshop At AirInt Services, we strongly believe that, in a challenging environment where competitivity and performance are always more important, having the modern and adequate tools to perform your missions are key to success. This is why we are here. This is why we developed our softwares. And this is why we have several Airlines, MROs and OEMs trusting our solutions and daily using them to facilitate their maintenance activities.

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DIRECTORY

APSYS

ASQS (Advanced Safety and Quality Solutions)

ATP

Aviation Intertec Services

W: www.asqs.net T: +43 1 306 1234 E: sales@asqs.net

W: www.atp.com T: +1 (905) 364-3604 E: slightstone@casebank.com

W: www.aviationintertec.com T: +1 807-625-9260 E: info@aviationintertec.com

Location: France

Locations: ASQS GmbH, Vienna, Austria, ASQS Ltd., Bangkok, Thailand

Location: Brisbane, California; Toronto, Canada; Austin, Texas; Brussels, Belguim

Location: Canada, Thailand, India, Greece

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • AMASIS, IBIS, Simfia and Simlog

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED IQSMS (Integrated Quality and Safety Management System) Flight Data Monitoring (FDM) Service The IQSMS Suite consists of a total of 10 modules, varying according to the operator. (Airlines, Business Jets, Helicopter, Airports, MROs...)

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ChronicX, Spotlight • ATP Maintenance • ATP Operation Manuals • ATP Libraries

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • RAAS & RAAS Express

W: www.apsys-airbus.com T: +33 (0) 5 61 30 99 00 E: gesine.varfis@apsys-airbus.com

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Consulting Services • Enterprise Risk Management • Digitalization and Analytics • Airline and MRO Excellence • Maintenance and Risk Management Solutions As an Airbus subsidiary APSYS serves customers worldwide in determining leading risk management standards in close cooperation with our customers. Deeply rooted in aerospace engineering, the company’s experts are involved throughout the entire lifecycle of an aircraft from design to in-service operations guaranteeing reliable and safe aircraft operations (Product Assurance & Safety). APSYS supports its customers in achieving highest security standards for their operational and Information Technology to reduce vulnerability, making sure that clients have state of the art tools and processes established to manage attacks and threats (Product Security). On behalf of customers, APSYS has defined and implemented processes and tools for controlling technical, human and operational risks. With more than 450 employees APSYS supports the aerospace industry, but also the defense, transportation and energy sectors.

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KEY BUSINESS SOFTWARE AREAS Quality Management Module Reporting Module Risk Management Module Document Distribution Module Emergency Response Planning Module ASQS (Advanced Safety and Quality Solutions) is a global supplier of highly innovative QMS and SMS software for the aviation industry, supporting more than 200 large and small operators, including airlines, business jet and helicopter operators, groundhandling agents/FBOs, airports and maintenance organizations, in creating a safe and productive work environment. The company specializes in intuitive, integrated, web-based solutions with exceptional customer support. ASQS’s core product IQSMS allows clients to manage operational data 24/7 online and offline with a single integrated tool which significantly simplifies daily tasks. The easy handling of the software creates a positive reporting culture, enables comprehensive quality management and proactive risk management to maximize productivity, reduce operating costs, and optimize internal and external working procedures. IQSMS automates laborious processes like the submission of ECCAIRS or IDX compliant incident reports which, combined with a consolidated, up-to-date regulations database, ensures legal compliance with national and international requirements and standards.

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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Maintenance Operations Solutions • Reliability Tools • Aircraft Troubleshooting • Business Intelligence for Aircraft • Recurring Defect Analysis ATP provides troubleshooting, reliability and defect trend analysis, so engineering and service teams can accelerate equipment repair, increase uptime, reduce warranty costs and enhance product support and performance. ATP is focused on maximizing the value of aircraft and aviation operations by providing tools, information and insight that optimize aircraft availability and operational compliance. Over 40+ years in the aviation industry ATP has developed expertise in managing and analyzing content for maintenance, operations, and compliance. ATP adds value through smarter reference content and historical documentation, integrated into decision support, productivity and advisory services to deliver efficient operations.

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Production Planning and Management • Inventory and Procurement • Inspection Document Management • Reliabiliity and Performance Analysis • Financial and Flight Operations Integration AIS’s RAAS system is a best-of-breed M&E solution for the evolving operator, MRO and CAMO. Our solution is 100% browser-based and tablet friendly, compatible with all major browsers including Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. RAAS includes industry-leading paperless functionality such as task-step level signature, parallel inspection program management per type, digital part certification handling, iPAD/Android /Windows tabletbased EML, electronic maintenance status board, centralized document library, wireless barcode scanning, and much more. RAAS offers flexible pricing and system hosting options making it suitable for a wide range of customer types and sizes.

The ChronicX® innovative solution for detecting and managing recurring aircraft defects, identifies, consolidates, and ranks recurring/chronic defects to uncover hidden trends. It employs advanced NLP and fuzzy logic to analyze PIREPS and MAREPS and generate ‘clusters’ of potential recurring defects to help prioritize costly and critical problems.

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DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT The Boeing Company

CloudCARDS

Comply365

W: www.boeing.com/supportandservices T: +1 206-655-2121 E: BoeingSupportandServices@Boeing.com

W: www.cloudcards.ie T: +353 (0) 61748767 E: sales@cloudcards.ie

Location: Over 65 locations around the world

Location: Limerick, Ireland

W: www.comply365.com T: +1 (800) 206-2004 E: info@comply365.com

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Airplane Health Management • Business Consulting • Maintenance Performance Toolbox • Optimized Maintenance Program

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • CARDS (Civil Aviation Remote Delivery System) • AMS (Asset Management System)

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Technical Content Management • Vehicle Health Mana gement • Maintenance Optimization Consulting Boeing is the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems. Boeing Support and Services combines airplane design and manufacturing expertise with unique access to fleet-wide operational data to offer optimization solutions. With these offerings, Boeing addresses the evolving need for integration and optimization of data and information across the aviation ecosystem to empower smart decision-making. The portfolio includes services and solutions for flight operations, maintenance & engineering and procurement organizations to optimize the operational efficiency of airplanes and operations. Boeing has more than 250 customers for its optimization solutions. The portfolio draws on solutions from a family of Boeing companies: AerData, Inventory Locator Services and Jeppesen, serving operators of Boeing and non-Boeing airplanes.

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Aircraft Asset Management • Aircraft Delivery and Re-delivery Management • Aircraft Annual Inspection Management • Aircraft Project Management • Aircraft Technical Services CloudCARDS Ltd. an aircraft delivery and asset management software provider, formed in Ireland April 2013, has an experienced team of aviation experts working together to seamlessly deliver its exceptional software products to both Airlines and Leasing Companies around the globe. The long-term objective in CloudCARDS Ltd. is to dramatically reduce the cost of aircraft asset management and improve the oversight the owner and operator has on the asset. CARDS® — Civil Aircraft Remote Delivery System is a software platform designed to financially manage the asset and fully project manage the technical review, aircraft physical & records audit. AMS — Asset Management System is designed to manage the day-to-day management of the asset including utilization, maintenance reserves, alerts, forecasting, invoicing and reporting. All CloudCARDS Ltd. products are securely built using the latest cloud based technology. After all, your aircraft operate in the clouds, so why not manage them there too?

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Operations

Location: USA

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED ProAuthor (XML-Based Authoring Solution) Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Digital Briefing Document & Communication Manager Training Solution (LMS Learning Manager) KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS XML-Based Authoring Solution (ProAuthor) Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) Digital Briefing Flight Release Document Mgmt. and Distribution Platform Targeted Distribution w/ Compliance Tracking Comply365 delivers secure, cloud-based solutions, focusing on Authoring, EFB and Digital Briefing Solutions, as well as Targeted Distribution of Mobile Manuals. The Authoring Solution, features ProAuthor: the aviation industry’s first and only XML-based solution for authoring, revising and distributing publications. Comply365’s proven Electronic Flight Bag (EFB) solution lets crews access mission-critical information throughout each phase of flight. Digital Briefing helps turn planes faster for more on-time departures with instant feedback to dispatchers when the flight crew accepts a release and signs Fit for Duty. Comply365’s full-featured Document Management and Targeted Distribution Platform boosts productivity by delivering any type of manual or document directly to any mobile device or stationary workstation.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 81

Webinars eJournals Software Conferences News Advisory Unit Want to be involved? Simply email scott.leslie@aircraftit.com for more information

www.aircraftIT.com

DIRECTORY

Conduce

CrossConsense

EmpowerMX

eTT Aviation

Location: Nuneaton, Warwickshire

Location: Frankfurt Germany; Heusenstamm Germany

W: www.empowermx.com T: +1 866-498-3702 E: info@empowermx.com

W: www.ettaviation.com T: +1 208-424-9424 E: info@ettaviation.com

Location: Frisco TX, USA

Locations: Boise, ID, USA

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • eTechLog8 • eCabinLog8 • eTraining8 • eCentral8

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Aicraft Fleet View • ACSIS

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • FleetCycle® Execution Suite — MRO Manager (FCXM)

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • MISA: Complete Aviation Management Information System

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Support • Consulting • Business Intelligence solutions • App and dashboard development

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • FleetCycle® Execution Suite: Production Manager (FXPM), MRO Manager (FCXM) and Line Manager (FCXL) • Maintenance Program Manager (FCMPM), Planning Manager (FCPM), Reliability Manager (FCRM), Material Manager (FCMM), and Maintenance Intelligence (FCMI), Electronic LogBook (FCELB) • Coming Soon: FleetCycle® Executive Suite — Shop Manager (FCXS))

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Accounting • Maintenance • Inventory Management • Purchasing • Human Resources/Payroll

W: www.conduce.net T: +44 333 888 4044 E: info@conduce.net

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Electronic Tech Log • Cabin Log • Document Viewer Conduce specializes in producing mobile applications for the aviation industry, writing native Win8/10 and IOS tablet “Touch” solutions and integrating these with responsive modern connected websites. The current flagship product eTechLog8 enables an airline to eliminate the traditional paper based tech log/cabin log and deferred defect books and is currently in differing stages of contract, trial & acceptance with various airlines. Several NAA’s are also now involved with respect to monitoring these projects, enabling the necessary approval for the eventual roll out of paperless tech log systems with multiple EASA approved airline fleets.

W: www.crossconsense.com T: +49 69 4035 7600 E: contact@crossconsense.de

CrossConsense’s portfolio stretches from AMOS Support, BI-Management, Data Migration and Hosting to the products Aircraft Fleet View (progressive web app for up-to-date fleet status) and ACSIS (tool for predictive maintenance). AMOS Support: CrossConsense has a long tradition in providing support for AMOS with one single point of contact for 1st and 2nd level. CrossConsense realizes well-planned and perfectly organized data migration projects for airline customers; plus offers Reporting and Business Intelligence Analytics for AMOS customers. Aircraft Fleet View is a user-friendly Progressive Web App (PWA) developed by CrossConsense that gives you an always up-to-date view on your airline’s fleet status. It indicates AOGs, delays and other important information. It provides the right level of detail to be useful but not crowded with information. ACSIS is a powerful software tool developed to assist any airline, aircraft operator, MRO facility and OEM to avoid AOGs, delays and turnbacks, as well as improve aircraft utilization, and enhance safety. ACSIS integrates with any MRO / M&E Software solution to deliver better insights into aircraft health and potential future problems to be dealt with during scheduled maintenance.

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EmpowerMX is an aviation industry-recognized software development/consulting-services business. We are purely focused on empowering our customers with the ability to decrease the costs of making air travel safer by equipping their decision makers with reliable, real-time/globally available intelligence for minimizing maintenance turn times/ OpEx while maximizing airworthiness/profits. FCXM allows MROs, airlines, and lessors to effectively control the entire maintenance lifecycle or only the portions for which they are responsible. Airlines can jointly manage their outsourced and insourced activites like engineering reliability, QA and maintenance programs at the line, heavy and shop levels with an expected reduction in cycle times and increase in labor productivity on the magnitude of 16-30 percent. Third-party MROs can run their entire operation from bidding through contracting to invoicing.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 82

The Management Information System for Aviation (MISA), is a fully integrated, and expertly supported product that provides extensive tools for an aviation company to manage all aspects of their business, including accounting, maintenance, inventory management, purchasing, flight operations, employee training, human resources, payroll, labor collection, government contracting, and flight school management. It is a common practice for aviation companies to use multiple applications to manage their operations. Often, such applications have limited interfaces necessitating duplicate data entry — a recipe for inducing errors and decreasing efficiency. And even when interfaces exist, they can be difficult to manage and require resources to build, maintain, and support them. MISA provides the solution for these issues by standardizing, streamlining, and integrating business processes across all the various departments and functional areas within the company; and this integration improves the bottom line while providing employees a user-friendly and consistent application experience across the whole organization and access to real-time, comprehensive, and relevant information from a single system rather than from disparate sources. MISA boasts impressive customer loyalty as evidenced by a number of aviation companies who have used MISA as their ERP system for more than two decades.

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DIRECTORY

EXSYN Aviation Solutions

Flatirons Solutions

Gamit

IDMR Solutions

W: www.exsyn.com T: 0031-20-760 8200 E: hello@exsyn.com

W: www.flatironssolutions.com T: +1.303.627.6535 E: info@flatironssolutions.com

W: www.gamit.co.uk T: +44 1279 818800 E: roam@gamit.co.uk

W: www.IDMR-Solutions.com T: +1-347-565-4367 E: sales@IDMR-Solutions.com

Location: Amsterdam

Locations: Europe, Asia, USA, Middle East

Location: London UK (HQ), Basel Switzerland, Beirut Lebanon

Location: New York/Tel Aviv

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Avilytics, TITAN

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED CORENA Suite

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • InForm

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Aviation Analytics solution • Aircraft Reliability Management solution • Predictive Maintenance solution • Robotic Process Automation • Data Migration • Consulting Service

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Content Management System (CMS) • Interactive Electronic Technical Publisher (IETP) • Maintenance & Engineering • Flight Operations • Tablet Solutions & Mobility

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ROAM — Online digital airworthiness records archive and records complance manager. • RDOC — ROAM Document OCR & Classification engine, through the use of configurable algorythems RDOC can recorgnise your documents easily, accuratly and fast.

EXSYN Aviation Solutions is specialized in the field of aircraft data, analytics & processing and provides user-friendly and innovative aviation IT solutions for aircraft reliability management and predictive maintenance. Also offered are data processing and managed services for data migration, interface design and software implementation management. They also build customized solutions and software tools if off-the-shelf products do not meet a customer’s needs.

Flatirons provides consulting, technology, and outsourcing for content lifecycle management (CLM). For more than 20 years, we have served global Fortune 1000 customers in aerospace, automotive, electronics, financial services, government, healthcare, and publishing. Our customer engagements help organizations efficiently deliver the right information, at the right time, to the right people by leveraging structured content and digital media — Turning Content into Knowledge®. The CORENA Suite by Flatirons is the leading content lifecycle management (CLM) solution developed specifically for organizations that rely on missioncritical data to design, manufacture, operate, or maintain complex assets over their product and service lifecycles as well as across multi-echelon business networks. For more than 25 years, the world’s leading airlines, aerospace manufacturers, OEMs, and defense organizations have relied on the CORENA product suite to create, manage, and deliver large volumes of technical information throughout its lifecycle. Today, CORENA customers rely on the CORENA suite to modernize their IT infrastructures, improve customer satisfaction, and maintain their competitive advantage.

Avilytics is EXSYN’s Predictive Maintenance, Aircraft Reliability, and Engineering & Maintenance KPI Solution, reducing AOG’s through informed decision making to prevent delays, cancellations and save costs. TITAN is a source independent data processing solution for data migration purposes during an MRO software implementation and for aircraft phase-in & phase-out. Because of its unique technological framework TITAN eliminates most human intervention during migration of aircraft airworthiness & maintenance data and allows repetitive usage to directly migrate fleets between MRO software systems.

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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Airworthiness records archive • Status Builder • Document Indexing • Communication module • Outsourcing

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Technical Publication • Engineering Orders • Task Cards • Planning • Maintenance Programs IDMR is a global provider of easy to use and all encompassing Technical Documentation Management Solutions which have been designed exclusively for Fleet operators, MRO providers and OEM organizations. IDMR’s Technical Documentation Management Solutions have proven success in increasing operational performance and decreasing operational cost while ensuring airworthiness, safety and regulatory compliance.

Gamit was founded in 1990 to provide technical support for operators, MRO’s and leasing companies, including on spare parts, technical support, records auditing, on site representation, and technical consultancy. Through years of experience, Gamit developed ROAM, airworthiness records management solution and an online enterprise solution that is more than scanning a document into a PDF and storing on the company server. It uses advanced technologies to deliver an aviation specific document management solution. ROAM is highly scalable making it beneficial for an engineering team looking after 5 or 500 aircraft. One of the key benefits is allowing users to have full access to an entire library of records from birth, online. This means its users can simply navigate and identify key documents and prepare an aircraft for sale, lease or lease redelivery. The user can package up records quickly and easily, either themselves, or outsourcing the task to the ROAM support team.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 83

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DIRECTORY

IFS

Laminaar Aviation InfoTech

W: www.ifs.com T: + 613-576-2480 E: AndInfo@ifsworld.com

W: www.laminaar.com.sg T: +65 6239 0150 E: contact@laminaar.com.sg

Locations: 60+ Worldwide

Location: Singapore, Denver, Bangalore, Mumbai

Location: Germany, Switzerland, USA

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • IFS Applications, IFS EOI, IFS Maintenix

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ARMS®2.5, ARMS®NS, ARMS®on the TAB, InfoPrompt 2.5

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • DocManage Product Suite, DocSurf Mobile, EFFOM, DocCreate

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Fleet and Asset Management • Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (incl line, heavy, complex assembly, component repair) • 3rd-party MRO bidding, quoting, invoicing, product lifecycle management, enterprise operational intelligence

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Network / Commercial Planning with Optimizers • Flight Operations / Fleet Following • Flight Planning & Dispatch • Crew Operations Management with Optimizers • Maintenance, Engineering & Logistics

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • IT Solutions and Process • Consulting for MRO • Electronic Flight Operation Manuals • Airline Job Card Content Management • Predictive Analytics and Maintenance • RFID

IFS is a globally recognized provider of software solutions for global aerospace & defense (A&D), including airlines and fleet operators, A&D manufacturers, defense in-service support and independent MROs. IFS’s solutions support project and program-centric manufacturing; a complete spectrum of maintenance management capabilities for sea, land and air assets, from heavy, complex, and component MRO, to line maintenance or at-platform/asset support; as well as all types of procurement models. IFS’s innovative enterprise solutions are designed for the regulated A&D industry and markets where manufacturing, MRO, project and service functionality are business- and operationally-critical whilst also supporting global, core enterprise capabilities for managing finance, inventory and human resources. With flexible, modular and enterprise breadth, IFS solutions empower A&D organizations to quickly adapt and manage change whilst delivering bottom-line value, increasing efficiencies and cost savings, and safeguarding compliance. IFS customers include BAE Systems, Lockheed Martin, General Dynamics, SAAB, GE Aviation, Pratt & Whitney, HAL, Emirates, LATAM, Qantas, China Airlines, Air France-KLM, and Southwest Airlines.

A future-ready and fully integrated software applications suite for the aviation business: airlines, non-scheduled operators, MROs, airport operators, regulators and training facilities, with in-built optimizers, business intelligence (BI) & Data Analytics. Our offerings may either be accessed as a complete suite covering the full spectrum of operations, or as a stand-alone module addressing a specific functional area, e.g., Network Planning, Flight Ops, Crew, Maintenance, Logistics or Safety or Analytics. The suite has a unified database that allows a seamless flow of data and information between operational functions. Our product is highly customizable and designed to adapt to clients’ specific requirements. We do our own implementations, on a turnkey basis, and also provide prompt, reliable and economical technical support in-life.

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Lufthansa Industry Solutions

W: www.lufthansa-industry-solutions.com T: +49 40 5070 30000 E: marketing.sales@lhind.dlh.de

Lufthansa Industry Solutions is an IT service company for process consulting and system integration. This wholly-owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Group supports its customers with the digital transformation of their company. Its customer base includes both companies within Lufthansa Group as well as more than 150 companies in various other industries. The products EFOM and DocSurf Mobile were developed together with Lufthansa Airlines based on 15 years of common experience and excellence in electronic flight operations manuals and processes to fulfill both current and future requirements. EFOM — A manufacturer independent Content Management System. Functionally mature and based on 17 years of experience, EFOM makes it possible to fulfill FlightOps requirements, e.g. expandable for new publishing backends; flexible to integrate new documents; open for customized enhancements or to integrate business processes such as Compliance Management. DocSurf Mobile — A Library Viewer for MRO and FlightsOps documents is available as a native iOS app or Windows application. The revision service allows change lists to be checked and content to be compared with a previous version. Navigation is intuitive and includes a fast and easy search. A user independent management of favorites and notes is provided, keeping this information revision safe and available.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 84

MRX Systems W: www.mrxsys.com E: contact@mrxsys.com Location: Luxembourg/Monaco

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Blue EYE, Blue MRO, Blue STOK KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Quotation & Invoicing • Project Management & Reporting • Work Report Automatic Generation • eJobCard iPad App • Logistics & Inventory Management The MRX Systems software solution is a fully-integrated digital platform enabling aviation professionals to access real-time data and take control over their fleet and their operations. Thanks to more than 10 years of customer feedback and perpetual development, MRX Systems brings a complete, secure and scalable solution to challenges faced by operators, CAMOs and MROs. The system is divided into three modules, each of them designed to meet the specific operational needs of their users. Blue MRO — designed for MRO management, this module enables you to digitalize maintenance process from issuing quotations, assigning jobs to technicians, reporting repairs and findings until compiling all related paperwork into one exhaustive and automatically-generated full work report. Multi-User, 100% paperless, always up-to-date, and Cloud based, all data is accessible at any time worldwide enhancing operation and maintenance efficiency

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DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT NVable

Orlando

Ramco Systems

W: www.nvable.com T: +44 141 280 0050 E: contact@nvable.com

W: www.orlandotechpubs.com T: +33 (0) 534 362 971 E: contact@orlandotechpubs.com

Location: Glasgow, UK

Location: France

W: www.ramco.com/aviation-suite/ T: +91 44 2235 4510 E: contact@ramco.com

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ConNVerge for Aviation

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Orlando Suite for Tech Pubs

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS Electronic Techlog Electronic Forms (Assessments) Document Management Operational Analysis Station Operational Compliance

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Cloud Aviation Document Management • OEM and company manuals XML authoring • Controls & Data Analytics • Publishing and Distribution • Web & Mobile & EFB document viewer

The concept behind our CoNVerge platform is simple. We believe that businesses should have the flexibility to easily innovate and add new applications to their toolbox, without being stifled by legacy technology or a single technology brand. CoNVerge is all about minimising risk, fuss and capital costs and maximising efficiency. Provided as a service, it combines a hosted environment and web portal with mobile applications and data interfaces to virtually any system. The platform is easily integrated into your existing business systems and brings together the best tools to handle data acquisition and data analysis — all on scalable infrastructure. Best of all, we even take the day-to-day management off your hands. Our CoNVerge platform is blazing a trail in the aviation sector. In a hi-tech industry, where the stakes are even higher, long-standing clients such as British Airways Cityflyer know they can rely on NVable and our custom-designed software to make things simple, safer, more secure and streamlined. We provide airlines with technology solutions that reduce effort, improve processes and produce useful information, with one simple goal — to change things for the better. Bring everything together and do IT better when you bring onboard CoNVerge and NVable.

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Operations

Location: 21 offices worldwide

Orlando Suite for Tech Pubs is an XML-based cloud Document Management System designed for airlines, MRO and manufacturers. It is the unique solution capable of managing Company, Flight Ops, Maintenance and Engineering manuals in one system. It is natively compliant with OEMs’ proprietary electronic data schemas and with the main aviation technical data standards (ATA Spec 2300, ATA iSpec 2200, S1000D). Orlando Suite features are in 7 modules to streamline the manuals lifecycle: Library (Cloud CMS), Editor (Web based WYSIWYG editing, content reuse), Merger (automated OEM/ airline manuals reconciliation), Analytics (data checker, compliance to regulations, revision report), Publisher (HTML, PDF and XML), Dispatcher (Distribution of publications, Mobile Content Management), Explorer (Web & Mobile & EFB viewers). It also supports interoperability with other systems, and (manuals can be exported to their native XML standard. Our customers benefit from the best in class secured Cloud offer as well as premium support services delivered by our Tech Pubs experts committed to assisting users at every stage of the process. Orlando is the sole off-the-shelf solution approved by the leading turboprop manufacturer ATR to manage the ATR Flight Operations XML manuals.

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NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Ramco Aviation M&E Solution, Ramco Aviation MRO Solution, Ramco Anywhere Apps, Ramco flyMORE KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Maintenance & Engineering • Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul • Mobility Solutions Ramco Systems offers Aviation Maintenance solutions on premise and on cloud, with multi-tenant capability and nextgen mobility for Airlines, Heli-Operators, MROs and Charter operations. Its comprehensive scope spans the spectrum of organizational needs, including Finance, HCM, Manufacturing, Planning and Optimization, in one integrated platform. Ramco Aviation’s latest Next-Gen digital technologies include: Mobility Solutions: Ramco’s next-gen mobility solutions for maintenance operations are available through an app ecosystem wherein everybody involved can seamlessly execute critical operations on the go, from anywhere, anytime; The BOTS Revolution: Ramco intelligent CHATBOTS deliver parts data, manage AOGs, and perform daily admin tasks for a more personalized and immersive ERP experience; HyperConnected Ecosystem: B2B integrations with AeroXchange, Gains, Logistics providers and OEMs bringing Suppliers, Customers and Logistics providers together on ONE platform Ramco Series 5 reduces Turn Around Time (TAT) while increasing operational performance and compliance through user-friendly interfaces. Ramco has always been an innovator in maintenance IT — enabling clients to focus more on business-critical activities, while the solution processes transactions and decision support, based on intelligent rules. Powering 4000+ aircraft and 21,000+ end-users, Ramco is used by more than 75 operators world-wide.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 85

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DIRECTORY

Rolls-Royce Controls and Data Services

ROTA.technology Inc.

Rusada

Seabury Solutions

W: www.controlsdata.com T: +44 (0) 1332 777 100 E: info@controlsdata.com

W: rota.technology T: +1 321 710 7682(ROTA) E: info@rota.technology

W: www.rusada.com T: 03333 440730 E: information@rusada.com

W: www.seaburysolutions.com T: +353 61 749 010 E: mkt@seaburysolutions.com

Location: Germany, UK, USA, India, New Zealand

Location: Melbourne, FL USA and global

Location: Switzerland, USA, UK, UAE, India, Singapore, Australia

Location: Ireland; Argentina

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • VisiumDIAGNOSTIC, VisiumFUEL, VisiumAQD

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Consulting, MXF Software, PDS(Process Development System) and custom applications

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Envision

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • Alkym, EPAS, eAuthority

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Fleet Management • Base Maintenance • Line Maintenance • Flight Operations • Materials Management

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Technical Operations • CAMO • MRO • Performance Analytics • Regulator Applications

Rusada develops ENVISION - an industry leading MRO and Flight Operations solution. With over 100 customers worldwide and a combined fleet of 2,000 fixed wing and rotary aircraft, ENVISION is used by aircraft operators and MRO’s to successfully manage their operations.

Seabury Solutions is a leading global aviation software development and consultancy company. It was established in 2002 and forms part of the Seabury Group. Seabury Solutions has built a reputation in that time as the vendor who delivers cost effective world class aviation management software. The integrated product range includes solutions for Airlines, MRO Organizations, Aviation Regulators. Enterprise Performance Analytics Systems (EPAS) includes models used for Maintenance Analytics, Contracts and Invoicing, Flight Profitability, Budget Planning, Fuel Planning, Market Analytics and Sales / Distribution Analytics.

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Equipment Health Management • Fuel Efficiency Management • Emissions Monitoring • Fleet Reporting • Safety, Quality and Risk Management • MRO Business and Parts Management Today, in the aerospace sector only, over 1,300 customers are benefiting from Rolls-Royce digital services globally. Through our EHM services, we monitor around 10,000 engines, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, 365 days a year, analysing billions of data points on-board per flight, and millions every day on the ground. Our digital services complement the Group’s TotalCare® Service Solutions of Maintenance, Availability, Efficiency and Asset Value, allowing our customers to increase availability of their critical assets, minimising risk and operational disruption to ultimately improve their operational efficiency.

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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • MRO IT Software Implementations • MRO IT Software Upgrades • MRO IT Software Support/Managed Services • MX Long Range Planning • MRO IT Custom Software Development With MRO systems projects and support spanning both the military and commercial markets ROTA brings proven experience to all sides of aviation. Our team has been embedded for years in the business functions we support. In both military and commercial. Specializing in system implementations and upgrades ROTA brings deep knowledge of aviation business processes, integrated into custom built software, to provide not only all testing documentation but also leave customers with a full manual of SOPs moving forward. Aside from upgrades ROTA has completed a number of data projects from cleaning up aircraft configuration to system security overhauls. After these upgrades or projects, training and ongoing admin support can be provided for any MRO IT needs.

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The latest version of ENVISION is web-based and deviceagnostic with an intuitive and user-friendly interface. Modules, which can be purchased individually or as part of an integrated solution, include: Fleet Management, Base Management, Line Maintenance, Component Maintenance, Materials Management, Financial Management, Resource Management, Quality & Safety Management and Flight Operations.

With our software products serving over 80 customers in 35 countries globally they are suitable for the largest to small / medium sized operations. Alkym Management and Control System for Aircraft Maintenance is a modular solution where each organization can select which tools meet their requirements. This proven solution brings the top functionality in market leading implementation time scales. Typically, the average time to GO LIVE is between 8 and 15 weeks. With 24 / 7 professional support services to make sure your teams are getting the best from our systems Seabury Solutions should be on every short listing to compare the value proposition against the market.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 86

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DIRECTORY

AIRCRAFT IT Swiss Aviation Software

TRAX

TrustFlight

W: www.swiss-as.com T: +41 61 582 72 94 E: marketing@swiss-as.com

W: www.emro.com T: +1 305.662.7400 E: sales@trax.aero

Location: Basel, Switzerland; Miami, FL, USA; Singapore

Location: Miami, FL, USA; West Sussex, UK; Tokyo, Japan; Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

W: www.trustflight.io T: 44 (0) 330 229 0219 E: info@trustflight.io

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • AMOS

NAME OF PRODUCTS MARKETED

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Material Management • Engineering • Planning • Production • Maintenance Control Swiss AviationSoftware unites over 25 years of IT experience with profound MRO expertise and offers its customers the functionally unsurpassed and technologically state-of-theart maintenance system AMOS. AMOS is a comprehensive, fully-integrated software package that successfully manages the maintenance, engineering and logistics requirements of modern airlines and MRO providers by fulfilling demanding airworthiness standards. Today, over 140 customers worldwide steer their maintenance activities with AMOS, which makes AMOS one of the industry-leading MRO software systems worldwide.

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• eMRO • eMobility KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Engineering & Planning • Production & Shop • Technical Records & Reliability • TRAXDoc Document Control • Supply Chain Management • E-enabled Aircraft Capabilities • Aircraft Mobility apps • Maintenance Mobility apps • Warehouse Mobility apps TRAX is the global leader in the aviation industry for MRO ERP software, with almost 190 airlines using their products. TRAX has the most advanced maintenance software solutions available for airlines and MROs worldwide with fleets consisting of all types of aircraft. TRAX eMRO is a completely integrated product, in addition, the eMobility suite offers a range of iOS apps to provide mobile accessibility. Organizational efficiency gains can be substantial when using TRAX eMRO and eMobility, and ROI is quickly realized. TRAX maintains its advantage over the competition by developing software that works for customers through modern technology, world class support and strong customer relationships.

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Operations

Location: Leamington Spa, UK; Edinburgh, UK; Luton, UK; St Helier, Jersey

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED Tech Log, Task Cards Digital Logbook CAMO (service) Aircraft Registry (service) KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS Aircraft log books Aircraft maintenance task cards Digital and paperless working CAMO support Aircraft Registry support From inception, TrustFlight has been ingrained in the aviation industry. Founded by two commercial pilots with a proven track record at the intersection of technology and business, the business has grown considerably and with stability, having recently celebrated the opening of a fourth office. Throughout, TrustFlight gained an incredible team with backgrounds spanning different areas of aviation and technology, ensuring a solid presence in the industry. Now offering a range of products and services within the sector, TrustFlight helps to remove costly paperwork and associated errors, preserve aircraft value, and increase efficiency and safety in aircraft operations. Five values shape TrustFlight’s culture, guide the business’s work and the way it grows. Integrity Transparent and open: offering trust to partners and assuming it from them. Responsibility Owning the work they do and taking responsibilty for it: striving to make it the best possible. Leadership Leading from within: providing support for the team to do incredible work and drive the industry forwards. Innovation Products are crafted for the future needs of the industry, going beyond what exists in the market. Excellence Every one of TrustFlight’s values contributes towards the excellence in their products.

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 87

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www.aircraftIT.com

DIRECTORY

Ubisense

Ultramain

Vistair Systems

Yonder

W: www.ubisense.net T: + 44 (0)1223 535170 E: GLOBALenquiries@ubisense.net

W: www.ultramain.com T: +1.505.828.9000 E: sales@ultramain.com

W: www.vistair.com T: 01454 550663 E: info@vistair.com

W: www.yonder.info T: +41 43 215 27 94 E: contact@yonder.info

Location: Cambridge, UK; Denver, USA, Düsseldorf, Germany; Paris, France; Tokyo, Japan; Vancouver, Canada

Location: Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA

Location: United Kingdom

Location: Zurich, Switzerland

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • SmartSpace, enterprise location intelligence platform

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • ULTRAMAIN® v9™ M&E / MRO • ULTRAMAIN Mobile Mechanic™ • ULTRAMAIN Mobile Inventory™ • ULTRAMAIN ELB™ • ULTRAMAIN M&E / MRO: 31 modules including: Configuration Management; Line/Base Mx Planning; Line/ Base Mx Scheduling; GATe; Quality Assurance; Asset Management

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED • DocuNet, CrewNet, SafetyNet, QualityNet, RiskNet

NAME OF PRODUCT MARKETED Yonder Mind

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • SmartSpace Production Logistics Monitor • SmartSpace Asset Monitor • SmartSpace Audit & Compliance • SmartSpace Compliance Monitor Digital transformation is driving a fundamental change in the Aerospace, Defence and MRO sectors. By focusing on their culture, processes and tools, companies will leverage new technologies to become smarter, more productive and lay the foundations for greater competitiveness in a digital world. Connecting manufacturing systems to real-world business process is fundamental to realising this vision and Ubisense’s SmartSpace provides a foundation platform for our customers’ Industry 4.0 strategy. SmartSpace enables OEMs and MROs to create a real-time digital twin of their environment, connecting activities to manufacturing, execution and planning systems, making real-world processes involving moving assets visible and measurable. Offering in-depth knowledge of the sectors in which it operates, Ubisense has long standing relationships with many customers across target markets including aerospace and defence, passenger and commercial vehicle manufacturing, communications and utilities. Since inception in 2002, we have built up a strong customer base including 6 of the top 10 Fortune 500 manufacturers, 9 of the leading 10 automotive manufacturers, 2 of the top 3 aerospace manufacturers and 5 of the major telecoms network operators around the world use our solutions including 3 of the top 4 in North America.

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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Maintenance & Engineering • MRO • Military Maintenance • Maintenance Planning & Scheduling • Paperless Customer Care on Mobile Devices • Electronic Technical Logbook Ultramain Systems, Inc. develops M&E / MRO and ELB software for the aviation industry and is the only aviation software provider with customers running full, end-to-end paperless operations from the cockpit to the ground. ULTRAMAIN v9, featuring Mobile Mechanic and Mobile Inventory enables real-time paperless data collection for the full maintenance and inventory process. Combine ULTRAMAIN v9 with ULTRAMAIN ELB, the easy-to-use electronic logbook, and the entire maintenance process becomes paperless. Contact us to learn what you need to equip your organization with customer mobile devices and see why elite aviation customers around the world are choosing ULTRAMAIN to reduce costs and increase aircraft up time.

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KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS • Aviation Document Management Solution • Aviation Safety Management Software • Aviation Quality Management Solution • Crew Notices and Bulletins Software Vistair provides document, safety and quality management technology solutions to support the delivery of improved safety, compliance, and operational efficiency that results in significant commercial savings to airline organisations. Combining technology, development delivery, Vistair’s solutions provide both airlines and ground operations with an approach that helps demonstrate a clear link between increased reporting and a change in procedures and behaviours, to drive a safer organization Document Management: DocuNet™ is a powerful document management and distribution solution, capable of delivering a complete operational library of all mission-critical content across multiple platforms and fleets. It provides a process for airlines to control the intellectual content of manuals, handling processes relating to data, publication and delivery, enabling airlines to focus on core business operations. Safety/Quality Management: SafetyNet™ is an aviation reporting system and investigation solution that drives real change in the management of safety-related occurrences. It is currently deployed by a number of global airlines including Delta and also counts the military among its user base. Complementing this is RiskNet™ an advanced, change and aviation risk management solution that provides hazard identification. Integrating with both, QualityNet™ is a comprehensive aviation compliance software that enables Quality Managers to manage audit schedules, checklists and non-compliances through an intuitive interface. Yonder

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AIRCRAFT IT MRO • JULY-AUGUST 2020 • 88

KEY BUSINESS/SOFTWARE AREAS Content Management System Workflow-based Content Distribution Compliance Tracking Content-based Learning Stay in control of your content and bring reliable, rolespecific information to frontline employees — with one fully customizable content management solution. Yonder Mind is an easy-to-use content management solution designed specifically for controlled information like operation manuals, guidelines, rules, or regulations. Our unique approach allows users to work with dynamic content instead of static documents. Dynamic content will display the right information at the right time, depending on the user profile and on the context of use. A powerful search function further improves end-user satisfaction. Yonder Mind brings operational documentation and manufacturer manuals together in one solution. Pilots work with the easy to use YM Offline App and enjoy role-specific revision updates instead of having to go through hundreds of revised pages. Editors create and enhance content in the YM Editor while revisions become manageable again thanks to the fully integrated YM Workflow. Company guides (e.g. Winter Ops Guide) can be created without having to worry about duplicates anymore since information is only contained once in Yonder Mind. And never miss a change in regulation again thanks to our IQSMS Connector. We have over 15 years of experience with electronic documentation in aviation that we can leverage to our customers’ benefit. Our team has a diverse background ranging from a former EFB administrator for a large international airline to a long-haul captain knowing, from his own experience, what crews need.

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