Aircraft IT MRO Autumn 2011

ISSUE 3 • AUTUMN 2011

To Build or Buy?

AirAsia MRO solution dilemma

Mobile devices and wireless

Where they come from; what they do

Business analytics and process modelling Better business through knowledge

Shop floor to regulator A look inside manage/mÂŽ

Case Studies: AirAsia, Lufthansa Technik, Turkish Technic White Papers: CKK Solutions LLC, Aviro AB, Hexaware

Increase Uptime Enigma InService MRO Integrated, Updated Maintenance Content Across the Enterprise Job Card Automation Enhanced PDF Content ATA & S1000D Support COC/OEM Revision Management

Enigma InService MRO Demo.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CONTENTS | 3

04 LATEST NEWS & TECHNOLOGY UPDATES

It’s always a challenge, staying abreast of the latest MRO IT solutions news. Those who know, check for the latest developments on www.aircraftit.com/MRO and in AircraftIT MRO e-journal.

10 CASE STUDY: New IT for MRO, the build or buy dilemma

Editor’s comment From strength to strength: Aircraft IT MRO just keeps getting better and now there’s an app for it.

There’s so much to tell you this month. We already know that our growing readership values the organised access in Aircraft IT MRO. Access to evaluate the products of some of the best MRO IT systems vendor’s; read the thoughts and research results of gurus and consultants looking into the future; and participate in regular vendor hosted webinars. But we want to deliver even more.

In this exciting issue the big question is asked, whether to buy or to build an MRO IT system? You’ll also find out about the application of IT throughout the MRO process up to reporting to regulators; what benefits a wireless sensor network brings to an MRO operation; and the history and current state of mobile devices in the business. We look at the process of choosing an MRO package; running a project; and the quality of data.

There are also exciting new developments to add interest and utility to your Aircraft IT. In this e-journal you’ll find a new Q&A feature asking the same questions of different people and businesses for each issue. We call it the Vendor Job Card and our first vendor is Dinakara Nagalla, President & CEO at EmpowerMX. The really big development reflects the fact that so many readers now use iPads. So we now have had an Aircraft IT iPad app.

Download it by clicking here. To find out more about this exciting development, click here. The app is now live and ready to read Aircraft IT e-journals.

And let us not forget the Aircraft IT live demonstration webinars which have already attracted hundreds of participants to find out about the software packages out there from the people who know those packages best. Readers can now access past webinars and add them to their own market intelligence library as well as being able to participate in future webinars – the schedule is already set until mid-2012.

That’s probably enough excitement for one issue but keep on coming back to Aircraft IT MRO website and e-journal for everything that’s new and important in MRO IT. Ed Haskey.

CLICK HERE: Send your feedback and suggestions to AircraftIT MRO CLICK HERE: Subscribe for free

Juswil Adriani AirAsia MRO liaison engineer at AirAsia Migrating to a new IT based MRO system is never easy; but a thorough evaluation of all possibilities and impacting factors can inform the decision whether to buy-in or build.

15 Upcoming live MRO software demonstration webinars

A preview of the live MRO Software Demo of Swiss AviationSoftware’s AMOS solution on the 27th of October 2011.

16 PAST WEBINARS: knowledge transfer and access for industry experts

View Video Recordings of our Past Live MRO Software Demonstration Webinars Full information on our past Live MRO Software Demonstrations, including: Trax, Mxi Technologies, Ramco Systems, Enigma, Lufthansa Technik (Manage/m)

18 WHITE PAPER: If you’re going to use it, use it properly

Byron Clemens, President/Principal Consultant, CKK Solutions, LLC Mobile technology and devices in the Supply Chain, ERP and related environments are not new but they’re more than simply buying cell phones and/or tablets. To get the best out of them, businesses need to integrate and exploit their capabilities.

24 CASE STUDY: Getting the right people in the right place for each job on the schedule Dr. Orkun Hasekioglu, CIO, Turkish Airlines Technic MRO technicians are at the heart of the operation but their time can be wasted on avoidable non-productive tasks. Turkish Technic has resolved this problem with a sensor node network that gets the right technician, properly equipped, to the job.

29 VENDOR JOB CARD: What works for EmpowerMX Dinakara Nagalla tells all

In our new series of Q&A pieces, we ask Dinakara Nagalla President & CEO at EmpowerMX to answer our questions.

30 WHITE PAPER: Continuing Improvement through process modelling and adaptation

Peder Falk, Aviation Systems Professional, Aviro AB Before embarking on a project to take the business forward it will be necessary to establish where the business is today, where it wants the project to take it and what resources will be available to carry the project through.

34 CASE STUDY: A look inside manage/m®

Dr. Falk Kalus, Director of the manage/m® division at Lufthansa Technik Operators may outsource MRO functions but cannot outsource accountability. manage/ m® from Lufthansa Technik integrates outsourced MRO with operators’ records and management system to ensure a seamless trail of information

42 WHITE PAPER: All the data you need in a warehouse that you can use

Lakshmi Narasimhan, Assistant Vice President – Travel & Transportation, Hexaware Technologies While data are at the heart of a successful MRO operation, much depends on how it is captured, stored and accessed or interrogated. A data warehouse with its associated systems can take care of much of that.

47 MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY

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

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 2011 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.

AircraftIT MRO

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Ed Haskey ed.haskey@aircraftit.com +44 1403 230 700 or +44 1273 700 555 www.aircraftIT.com John Hancock Dean Cook deancook@magazineproduction.com

4 | WELCOME | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Mxi Technologies grows its business, presence and client base Hong Kong Office July 2011 saw Mxi® Technologies, aviation maintenance management software specialist, opening their new corporate office in Hong Kong, close to major Asian markets and aviation and MRO hub for the region. This will support the growing demand for Maintenix software throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Mxi® Technologies has supported the Asia-Pacific region through an office in Sydney, working directly with customers and regional partners. The Hong Kong office will facilitate further building, while responding to increased demand for next generation solutions and increasing the firm’s global presence. Witono Lukman, named Managing Director for the new office, brings years of aviation maintenance expertise to current and potential Mxi customers in the region.

JorAMCo go-live Jordan’s leading Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) provider, went live in August with an upgrade to Maintenix® software from Mxi® Technologies, project TOGA. Building on JorAMCo’s vision for organizational optimization, this recent go-live further supports the company’s goals for maintenance and engineering excellence. The enterprise wide implementation was put into operation with all software modules going live simultaneously and was run jointly with JorAMCo operational experts, trainers, data migration specialists, and leadership of the project team.

In addition to the extensive use of maintenance planning and business analytic tools to reduce turnaround times, JorAMCo’s Maintenix upgrade offered enhancements to MRO invoicing, thirdparty maintenance and the further integration of materials, planning, purchasing, and execution.

BAE Systems Also in August, Mxi® Technologies announced that Maintenix® software had been selected the as the core enabling technology for BAE Systems’ aftermarket support programs.

The first phase of the project, currently in implementation, serves as a platform for the induction of military aircraft operated by the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence (MoD).

Following successful completion of this stage, a comprehensive Maintenix footprint will be rolled out in support of BAE Systems’ portfolio of defense after-market services for military aviation assets. The full project will culminate in a fully integrated maintenance management environment standardized for end-to-end asset lifecycle management across multiple customer fleets.

Maintenix® v7.2 available commercially The commercial availability of Maintenix® Version 7.2 (v7.2) was announced by Mxi® Technologies

Qantas installs Maintenix® Towards the end of September, Maintenix® software went live at Qantas in support of the first phase implementation of the organization’s engineering system replacement project. The project, with the Maintenix software at its core, represents an ambitious business driven IT transformation of maintenance and engineering operations at the airline.

The Maintenix software provides Qantas Maintenance and Engineering organization with real time access to maintenance information on any aircraft from anywhere in the world. In addition to real time data recording and reporting, detailed historical records and modeled future projections offer visibility into the use and maintenance requirements of the fleet, directly supporting high safety and compliance standards. in September, introducing the Electronic Logbook API. The API that Mxi has developed is in line with the Air Transport Association (ATA) DSE specification and can support any 3rd party electronic logbook product that conforms to this open standard. Further, Mxi has worked extensively to create the industry’s first logbook/ MRO pairing to actually implement the ATA DSE standard together with Boeing and their electronic logbook product line.

In addition to the Electronic Logbook API, Maintenix® v7.2 provides functional enhancements and updates to the entire technology stack to

further support the sophisticated maintenance business requirements of airlines, defense organizations, and Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEM).

New faces at Mxi® Technologies Finally, industry and market veterans Claude Haw and Robin Wohnsigl were appointed to the Mxi® Technologies Board of Directors in September 2011. Both men bring a wealth strategic experience to the Mxi board having previously worked with leading organizations in the fields of aviation and technology.

Maintenix® in the Cloud In September, Maintenix® was launched within the Cloud to seamlessly support user training and complement the organization’s training and education service suite.

Response to the new, cloud based service has been overwhelmingly positive with course participants noting that the Cloud based delivery fully replicated a production environment while facilitating a more meaningful and flexible training experience than traditional computer based instruction.

Cloud accessibility and scalability allows Mxi® customers to experience Maintenix® in a fully interactive training environment true to a live maintenance production system. Using the Amazon Elastic Compute Cloud, Mxi® is able to deliver concurrent training to a virtually unlimited number of geographically dispersed attendees while benefitting from a reduction in training infrastructure setup costs.

This first, Cloud based instance of Maintenix® is the same full production software currently used post go-live by Mxi® customers and signals the advent of MRO software deployment in the Cloud.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WELCOME | 5

AircraftIT to launch an iPad app developed by Conduce Software I

n September 2011, Conduce Software confirmed its selection to develop an iPad app to complement the vendor neutral aviation IT website AircraftIT. AircraftIT, launched earlier this year as a spin-off from the highly successful series of Aviation MRO and Operations IT Conferences, is the brainchild of Aircraft Commerce’s Ed Haskey and was developed by Conduce Software’s sister company Dreamscape Design. Having analyzed the number of visitors accessing the website through iPads, it made perfect sense to provide an app with optimized content that would allow for offline access to media and resources that the website provides to its users.

The first version of the app will allow users to download and view the MRO and Operations eJournals which are published every two months.

Future versions will include access to the weekly software demonstration webinars and much more besides.

Ed Haskey, founder of AircraftIT said: “It seems that everyone in aviation is talking about iPads.

Visitors to the AircraftIT website are using iPads, they are looking for iPad apps, they are finding our website by searching for iPads and whenever there is a software demo of an iPad app there is a marked upturn in visitor numbers. It makes perfect sense to cater for that demand and release an iPad app of our own.

With more and more airlines equipping their staff with iPads we hope that ours will be one of the first apps to be on their download list.”

Conduce Software who have developed a number of aviation specific apps for iPhone and iPad advised AircraftIT to adopt a phased approach to development and release, to allow for a rapid deployment of an initially small but useful app which would be able to build a following as future versions and features are released. AircraftIT for iPad is planned for launch as a free app on Apple’s iTunes App Store later this year.

As well as the new app, AircraftIT has made

strong progress on several important fronts. First of all, two new Vendors, InfoTrust Group and AviIT, have joined the MRO Portal: readers can visit the website for more information on both of them.

The web site also now has the facility for AircraftIT members to sign up and view video recordings of all the Live Software Demo webinars to date, including demos from Mxi, Ramco, Trax, AeroSoft and Enigma. See pages 18-19 for more information.

Readers who have not already done so can join over 4000 other key executives in signing up as AircraftIT members. Membership is free and allows members to take part in all the website’s interactive features such as participating in the Live Software Demonstration Webinars and asking questions of authors: it will also guarantee they receive their copy of the eJournal on the day of publication direct into their inbox. Click here to order your membership.

Looking at the Live Software Demonstration Webinars, they are going from strength to strength. With the Webinar calendar now set until June next year, these sessions provide airlines, MROs and operators with a great chance to view a live online demo of the major systems on the market with no sales pressure and from the comfort of their own home or office. See page 17 for details of upcoming Webinar sessions.

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6 | NEWS & TECHNOLOGY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Go live of Aero-Webb® Fleet Data Management of civil aircraft for Snecma (Safran Group) A

ero-Webb® civil aircraft Fleet Data Management went live at the end of June 2011 for Snecma (Safran Group). The solution, used by Snecma in France and by its partner in Russia, is based on the v5.0 release of Aero-Webb® on the functional scope of the Fleet Management (FM) and Master Configuration Hub (MCH) modules. Snecma is now able to track and control configurations, update usage and manage all event types attached to its new civil engines (SaM146 program).

Aero-Webb® offers workflow oriented transactions with better data traceability and status tracking, and the ability to link operational events to configuration or maintenance events in order to track performed actions on engines with their original causes. The research capabilities on events or assets table apply multi criteria (criteria held in memory) to simply retrieve information and get feedback on fleet data. Failure, Malfunction and Defect forms are available in PDF or Excel formats.

Also, Aero-Webb® data loaders are XML format compliant.

Module FM is able to fully import assets and events information from external information systems. Customers can now easily take advantages of the FM added value functionalities.

Next steps that will come within the scope of the project in early 2012 will be to get feedback based on analysis of data acquired by the system and integrate military engines.

Empower MX signs SaaS agreement, signs expanded product licensing and adds to team

I

n June 2011 the corporate leadership teams of NS Aviation and EmpowerMX jointly announced the signing of a software-as-a-service (SaaS) licensing agreement.

Under the terms of this agreement, NS Aviation will employ the EmpowerMX-hosted FleetCycle® Execution Suite - MRO Manager (FCXM) product as its enterprise-level MRO software solution at all of its maintenance facilities.

EmpowerMX also signed an expanded product licensing agreement with United Continental Holdings (UCH), Inc. in July. Under the terms of this agreement, EmpowerMX will expand its employment of the FleetCycle® Execution Suite - Production Manager (FCXP) production-coordination system to all of the carriers’ Houston-Intercontinental, HoustonHobby and Orlando-based maintenance facilities with subsequent expansion to their San Francisco-based facilities.

And finally, Terry McNicholas joined the leadership team of EmpowerMX as its Chief Business Development Officer in October. Terry has more than thirty-five years of operational and leadership experience in the aerospace and software industries with the air transport carriers Continental Airlines and UPS, the IT company Record Imaging Inc., and the aerospace companies Boeing CDG and InfoTrust Group. Prior to joining EmpowerMX, Terry held the positions of Manager of Standards, Director of Publications, Chief Pilot, Director of Flight Crew Training, Senior Director of Technical Operations and VP of Operations.

Terry most recently served as Executive Vice President and Chief Business Development Officer at the InfoTrust Group. In this capacity, he led both the Commercial and Defense Aerospace divisions in growing the company’s globally based revenues and adding several customers.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS & TECHNOLOGY | 7

Icelandair Technical Services joins AeroSoft Systems

AeroSoft Systems Inc. announced in July 2011 that Icelandair Technical Services had joined its customer family as a DigiDOC CMS application user. At Icelandair, DigiDOC is being integrated with Mxi’s Maintenix, in a Task Card solution to be followed by MPD and other OEM Manuals.

Airstream Aviation signs five-year deal for Commsoft’s OASES

Aviation management consultancy and airworthiness specialist Airstream Aviation signed a five year deal in September 2011 to use Commsoft’s OASES maintenance management software.

U.A.E. headquartered Airstream Aviation operates from the new Dubai World Central (DWC) airport and also has operations in Nigeria. Airstream Aviation will use OASES to support its CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization) and inventory management operations. The deal marks an important expansion for UK headquartered Commsoft into the Middle East region.

The OASES CAMO module provides the necessary tools to efficiently manage continuing airworthiness processes, providing confidence that an organization is complying with increasingly stringent local and international regulatory obligations.

manage/m: engine lifetime control from Lufthansa Technik

Lufthansa Technik announced in July 2011 that, with the introduction of the new m/jobcontrol/ engine WebService, it is creating a new system for time control of life limited engine and APU parts (LLPs). Replacing the former system of the Engine Lifetime Control, it is designed to fit seamlessly into the internet-based Technical Operations WebSuite manage/m® and is the basis for reliable engine and APU compliance reporting.

The new application comprises scheduled and supplementary maintenance and will provide end-to-end reference of required documents such as engine manuals, ADs or SBs up to maintenance tasks. Users get information on engine configuration as well as a back-to-birth parts history and specific removal forecasts in relation to fleet and tail sign (MSN). Thanks to the ‘Master Parts List’ m/jobcontrol/engine is able to support the engine assembly and build up the current parts list and offer flexible and customized reporting is available.

Even where an aircraft does not have an automated recording system for flight hours and flight cycles or special counters, manual entry is possible via a user friendly input mask.

Thus the operator always has up-to-date counter information. Lufthansa Technik customers will benefit from this additional information and functionality once the customer data has been successfully migrated into the new system. Thereafter, the old system will be taken out of service.

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8 | NEWS & TECHNOLOGY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Swiss-AS adds new European and African users, its 100th customer plus first US client

S

wiss-AS announce in July 2011 that PGA, Portugália Airlines, has chosen AMOS to provide maintenance management for their entire fleet. Implementation is scheduled for ten months and the process will commence without delay.

During the pre-sales, PGA was concerned about the implementation phase since the roll out of an MRO software is always a complex and time consuming task whose changes impacts the entire maintenance organization. Swiss-AS was able to allay these doubts due to its immense implementation experience and throughout the history of the company, no project has ever failed.

Additionally, both companies closely cooperated to define and confirm all implementation steps in the run-up to To familiarise its 80 mechanics with AMOS, PGA decided to use the train-the-trainer approach, meaning that internal trainers help to replicate the training originally delivered by Swiss-AS. Traditionally, the end user training will take place during the final weeks prior to Go-Live.

Also in July, Southern Air became the first USAmerican customer to join the AMOS customer community. It is expected that Southern will be the first of many after the recent setting up of a SwissAS USA office through a partnership deal with its sister company Lufthansa Systems Americas.

After an extensive software evaluation process Southern Air selected AMOS as the MRO software solution to manage their M&E activities. The cargo carrier has a substantial growth plan and, in order to meet the demands of this positive growth plan a replacement MRO system was required.

It is expected that the implementation project will takes approx. 10 to 12 months to complete and will culminate with a Go-Live that will see all of the core modules running in the company.

Southern Air has already decided to implement the system ‘as-is’ because the system already has the knowledge and know-how gained from working with almost 100 customers incorporated into the procedures and processes, there is no point reinventing the wheel.

At the Euro Airport Basel/Mulhouse, Swiss-AS’

neighbour FARNAIR went live with the advanced M&E system AMOS in July 2011. The crossover from the legacy system was smooth without any operational impact and all modules went live simultaneously. AMOS is implemented enterprisewide and for all types of aircraft at FARNAIR (including all eight outstations).

Data cleansing, mapping and transfer turned out to be the major challenge within this implementation. FARNAIR’s decision to hire experts that were exclusively dedicated to the data transfer task, turned out to be a good one as it meant that this normally time consuming process was considerably faster than usual.

In September, Swiss-AS welcomed South African Airways (SAA) as its 100th customer. By issuing a ‘Request for Proposal’ in 2008, South African Airways (SAA) was screening the market for an MRO software system and was searching for a community product that would quickly respond to industry changes and challenges and equip SAA with a future-proof software solution.

Once the decision for AMOS was taken by SAA, subject to later confirmation, Swiss-AS and SAA performed a proof of concept project in 2010 which allowed both sides to combine the airline’s requirements with AMOS’ capabilities. Numerous opportunities for future improvements were identified and a set of customizations, mainly related to Production Planning & Control, were defined. These enhancements will not only add a sustainable competitive edge to SAA’s maintenance organization but will also strengthen the position of AMOS as an industry-leading MRO system. Go-Live is expected to happen in about 18 months.

Rusada signs group agreement with Eurocopter and announces new start-up package E

urocopter, a division of EADS, the world’s number one helicopter manufacturer in the civil and parapublic market, and Rusada, a company specializing in complex assets management software for the Aviation Industry, announced the September 2011 signing of a Preferred Supplier Agreement for Rusada’s Envision system.

Envision is an advanced and integrated range of software specifically designed for the aviation industry bringing functional and technical benefits to organizations involved in Airworthiness Management, MRO, Fleet Management, Airline Operations or Performance Based Contract. The Agreement sets out

the modalities under which Rusada grants to Eurocopter Group the right to use Envision software for its maintenance, CAMO and fleet availability/fleet management activities. It also covers the granting to Eurocopter of preferred conditions to market and distribute Envision software to its worldwide customer base.

Rusada’s Envision system will complement Eurocopter’s catalog of Helicopter ground support solutions and will also be used as a key enabler by Eurocopter Group to develop its range of Fleet Availability Services, dedicated to maximizing customer mission readiness.

Later, in October and following conversations with leasing

companies, finance houses and prospective start-ups, Rusada announced a new start-up package.

In the current economic climate new operations face considerable financial challenges to start operations irrespective of the compliance issues necessary for a quick entry into service. With this in mind Rusada launched a new service specifically aimed at new operations.

The service uses two principle products; Professional, a highly respected menu driven system for the management of technical records, maintenance, logistics, document management and job control; plus Envision, an SQL based ERP that also includes quality, safety, flight operations and crew training.

Start-up organizations will be able to use a hosted copy of the Professional system on a competitive start up rental fee for the first four months of operation whilst they seek approval of their AOC and operation. In month 5 and onwards an additional per tail fee will become applicable. After 24 months clients will be given the option to upgrade to Envision with preferential rates or, if they wish, remain on Professional with the option to purchase the software for installation on their own server.

Professional is extremely fast to commission: on average an organization can expect to be live on the system with the first aircraft within four weeks.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS & TECHNOLOGY | 9

Alkym® (by Volartec) project complete at Air Seychelles and system selected for Enter Air August 2011 saw Volartec announce yet another successful implementation of Alkym Management and Control System for Aircraft Maintenance. Air Seychelles are the latest customer to have enjoyed a successful delivery. In just five weeks the onsite implementation team completed the installation to ensure Air Seychelles quickly benefitted from a return on investment.

Also, after a long and precise tender process Volartec proudly announced in September 2011 that Enter Air have selected Alkym® Management and Control System for Aircraft Maintenance to look after the Technical Management of the expanding B737 fleet.

The five week implementation began at the end of September with the preparatory work already under way. Enter Air will begin with 10 concurrent user licenses with an option to quickly grow to 15. The selected modules that they will start with include Planning, Engineering, Maintenance Control, Reliability, Inventory, Purchasing & Repairs, Receiving & Shipping, M-Transfer and M-Files. There are other modules they can add seamlessly as their operation requires.

Gen2 and Virgin Atlantic sign long term agreement for deployment of FLYdocs Virgin Atlantic Airways and Gen2 Systems have entered into a long term agreement for the deployment of FLYdocs - Gen2’s advanced intelligent Document Management System.

The agreement was reached after an intensive year long trial during which Virgin Atlantic collaborated with Gen2 to make aviation history by using FLYdocs as the web-based software platform delivering the world’s first fully electronic Aircraft Records Returns, with Virgin Atlantic instrumental in breaking new ground by adopting a cutting edge and environmentally friendly paperless returns strategy.

As well as the embedded End of Lease Returns system now being used for all future returns, FLYdocs are taking over the day-to-day management of Virgin’s electronic document management across the entire fleet, co-ordinating records scanning, indexing and tagging as well as many other highly advanced and automated features designed to bring Virgin’s records to life in an intelligent way to give the business the type of real time functionality not available in other more basic ‘read and retrieve’ type document management systems currently in the marketplace.

Adrian Ryan, Managing Director of Gen2 Systems said, ‘The process of integrating with Virgin over the last 12-18 months has been a pleasure. We’ve worked together as equal parties with common goals, solving problems and pushing boundaries along the way. Virgin, as our flagship development partner, will continue to have our total support throughout our working agreement during which FLYdocs will deliver company wide benefits in Aircraft Re-deliveries, Document Management, Aircraft Management, Repair Management, Engine Management, Gear Management, APU Management, Airworthiness Management and much more.

‘We’ve only just begun the extensive deployment of highly advanced functionality that Virgin will come to enjoy as standard in all departments across the entire business on a worldwide basis. We are very client oriented at Gen2- we like to look after all of our clients every step of the way. The synergy between Virgin and Gen2 is tangible –brand strength and the creation of the quality of that brand allied to a progressive, forward thinking and incredibly flexible approach.

‘This is a very exciting period of growth for FLYdocs and we are looking forward to leading the way in finally bringing some long overdue e-tech know-how into Aircraft Documentation.

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10 | CASE STUDY: AIR ASIA | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

New IT for MRO, the build or buy dilemma Selecting and implementing a new MRO IT package is, as Juswil Adriani, Schedule Maintenance Analyst at AirAsia explains, a complex process with a number of factors in play.

E

arlier this year (2011) AirAsia was awarded ‘Sky Trax Low Cost Airline’ of the year, the 3rd consecutive occasion (2009 thru 2011) on which the accolade had been awarded to the carrier. This achievement, and the wider success of AirAsia, can be attributed to a number of factors: how the business was founded; one individual’s vision to build the airline into the world’s leading low cost carrier (LCC); its formative years and, the subject of this case study, how an MRO system was selected.

Technology has been a mainstay of the company. The drive to apply and optimize the use of IT has been one of AirAsia’s key successes with one department, Innovation Communication and Technology, responsible for the continuing growth of this area in the business; and this department has won many awards for creativity. AirAsia was the first airline in the world to introduce on-line and SMS booking. The carrier was also ranked among the top 50 most innovative companies in 2009, alongside Google, Sony, GE and many other multinational organizations. This reflects a determination to keep abreast of the pace of IT development.

So, when it came to selecting an MRO system for the airline, the choice was straightforward. It had to be easy to use, adaptable for low cost airline operations and be able to be implemented in the shortest time possible. The reason for the haste was to minimize the resources occupied in the project in order to concentrate on early years’ growth for the company.

As has already been mentioned, from the outset AirAsia has set its sights on becoming the largest company of its sort in the world, testimony to which is the ordering of 300 Airbus A320 NEOs (New Engine Option) at the recent Paris Air show. This expansion in terms of fleet size is deemed necessary to beat off fierce LCC competition in the South East Asia region. There are also plans to open new routes and hubs, including AirAsiaX (long haul), as well as extending services to new destinations in places such as North America, Africa and Continental Europe.

when it came to selecting an MRO system for the airline, the choice was straightforward. It had to be easy to use, adaptable for low cost airline operations and be able to be implemented in the shortest time possible.

How it started No airline company in Malaysia had ever had a fully integrated MRO IT system until AirAsia introduced software from Denmark in 2005. Before then, airlines in Malaysia were not too concerned about how they kept their data. The usual pattern was for each department to have their own methods for gathering data and generating reports but without any coordination or connection with other areas. As a result, a great deal of effort and resources were needed just to capture and put together the information needed for even a simple management report.

The departmental software choices were often MS Excel and Access; both were popular and easy to use programs but had drawbacks when used in the MRO environment. They created islands of information across the Engineering departments, resulting in confusion. For example a part number with duplications (dashes, spaces) would be misleading and this had, on many occasions, contributed to delays or aircraft on ground (AOG) events when an incorrect part was requested using these spreadsheet references. The situation was getting out of control and aircraft operations were experiencing problems as a result of inaccurate data being provided.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: AIR ASIA | 11

It was realized in AirAsia that this process could not continue as it was for very much longer. Major cracks were beginning to appear in the system (or lack thereof). Work processes now involved a complex series of linked spreadsheets that lacked data integrity. The process had outgrown its current database; the legacy system was no longer able to provide the meaningful analysis that the organization required. There was no formal system in place for the internal processes so it was decision time on how to proceed; either to purchase commercial off-the-shelf software or build a customized system. If the decision was to build, would it be outsourced to a third party vendor or would the system that was specified be created within the company?

During its early years, AirAsia always made engineering software a high priority. CEO Tony Fernandes has a keen interest in the system and sat in on some of the discussions during the implementation to lend his support to the project. The company regards the system as a means to cement cooperation between the three AirAsia entities in three different countries. As the company grows and expands to other countries such as Japan, The Philippines and Vietnam, a solid integrated system will be an essential component for the engineering department.

AirAsia’s initial strategic growth was dynamic. There were discussions about possible cooperation and joint ventures in several countries within South East Asia.

But high on the list before any such tie up could materialize was how to streamline processes between the different hubs in order to achieve maximum efficiency. It seemed clear that, by investing in a single software tool, it would be possible to standardize the flow of information between countries. The software required also had to be flexible in order to handle the complexities of running engineering operations in these countries which raised various issues resulting from the different regulations applied by the authorities in each place.

What was needed was software with a good track record and wide international exposure to be able to deal with cultural and cross border issues: the system now in place in AirAsia boasts over 100 customers around the world.

Low cost operations may be essentially the same everywhere but there can also be idiosyncrasies specific to particular airline operators. AirAsia’s decision, in the early days, to change their fleet from B737 to all Airbus, was a significant milestone for the company. This event has had some impact on the choice of software required to handle the new state-of-the-art Airbus planes. It was necessary to consider the system’s ability to support Airbus aircraft operations and to deal with the number of aircraft in the company fleet, which will be 175 planes by the year 2015.

AirAsia’s first attempt at MRO software engaged a local vendor who tried to build the system from the ground up. That approach failed, due to a lack of knowledge about airline engineering processes.

There was no development team which could create applications on the scale expected, and there was a worry that if a local team attempted to develop the software, they would underestimate the time

Work processes now involved a complex series of linked spreadsheets that lacked data integrity. The process had outgrown its current database; the legacy system was no longer able to provide the meaningful analysis that the organization required required. The consequence might be a lengthy delay in deployment of the application. The project did not last long and was deemed a complete failure after three months. Subsequently, in 2004, AirAsia engaged Scandinavian MRO software company AMICOS. At the time AirAsia had an ageing B737-300 fleet; aircraft leased from all over the world.

Their original data were dubious and questionable; also, these planes had an average age of about 20 years. After leasing them from various leasers the data of these aircraft were maintained manually by the company.

Changing to a new system Also at the time, AirAsia was in expansion mode with all available resources and manpower geared to this purpose. Multitasking was common and it had also impacted the implementation project of the second engineering software package introduced to the airline.

The resulting problems cascaded to all engineering departments causing the project to overrun and not meet the deadline.

12 | CASE STUDY: AIR ASIA | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

How the build or buy decision was made The build or buy decision is important and complex. AirAsia wanted the most cost-effective, functional and feature rich solution, but it was not always clear which decision was right for its process.

AirAsia does not have a development team and the skill set required; hence it could not develop an application in-house.

The IT department does not have core competency for building complex software applications and would not have been able to build it better than if it was bought. There is no development team which can create applications on the same scale that is expected, and there was a fear that if a local team attempted to develop the software, they would underestimate the time required to build the application. Because its IT resources were limited, the obvious decision was for the airline to acquire proven software from a reputable company.

The main rationale for using off-the-shelf software is lower initial costs and a reduced time to deployment. But there was a study, not empirically proven, that the on-going costs of per user licensing and maintenance until end of system life may make off-the-shelf a very expensive option over the long term. Also AirAsia was wary that the support package for bought software, if it stopped generating enough revenue to support the running costs for a software business, might cease completely. It’s unlikely that another company would pick it up.

In a crowded marketplace where MRO IT software is a radical industry, AirAsia had to do a careful due diligence to identify and evaluate the software solutions available. This can be a very time consuming process and was particularly so for AirAsia, a novice at this game that did not know the landscape very well.

Many MRO IT software companies came to AirAsia tendering their products: they provided free evaluations of their software and they all made sure that a cross section of future end users was able to test the functionality of the evaluation versions.

Most MRO IT software is rich with features, bells and whistles.

They have to be, to try to meet the requirements of a very wide ranging group of users. However this meant that AirAsia wound up using only two thirds of the features in the software, but had to pay for all the modules even though some were redundant.

Since the software is intended for a wide user group, it was not absolutely perfect for the operator’s engineering department.

However, AirAsia found that the MRO IT modules, met enough of its requirements to make it still an attractive option.

The company was also cautious that it should not be negatively

Most MRO IT software is rich with features, bells and whistles. They have to be, to try to meet the requirements of a very wide ranging group of users.

affected by having to drastically change its processes to fit the software. Some users had opined that it should work the other way around. The system should work for you.

As most low cost airlines in Europe were already using a topline off-the-shelf MRO IT software package, this presented the quickest and most cost-effective solution. Considerations about which the company took a very thorough approach were some very common off-the-shelf traps. It had to make sure of the real costs before proceeding. AirAsia evaluated several software modules before purchasing to determine whether they required extensive customization to fit the organization’s needs; it was important that the costs associated with any such work should be factored into the price. Some customers who had purchased a similar system found that they had to pay costs up to three times the purchase price in order for consultants to come in and customize the application. What looked like an attractive option because of lower initial costs had turned into a very expensive low, or negative return on investment (ROI) option.

Among possible risks in deciding to proceed with off-the-shelf software were that AirAsia would be at the mercy of the software vendor as far as future product features were concerned. Changes in aviation or the airline industry could have significant implications for software requirements. If a paradigm shift started to occur in the ever changing aviation environment, how much

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: AIR ASIA | 13

influence would AirAsia have on the software vendor to make extensive software modifications, and at what could be the cost?

In dealing with MRO IT vendors at the time AirAsia was a very small portion of the software vendor’s revenue, so the odds were they would tell us that we must wait until enough of their customers have requested the feature(s) in order for development to make economic sense for them. There is not much that can be done at this point. Software vendors also have to run their businesses profitably: in fact, AirAsia would want the selected software vendor to be profitable. A failed software vendor would not be available to support their product. It is a frustrating feeling being locked into a product financially without any development influence so it was an important factor that AirAsia choose the software vendor carefully. It made a lot of sense to choose a vendor who was responsive and willing to work as a partner with AirAsia. Our guiding principle was to ask the right questions right from beginning; it’s all part of doing due diligence.

Build In-House The decision to build a software application in-house might seem obvious when you have access to your organization’s development team. The arguments for doing so are often as follows: • The IT department knows the company’s processes better than anyone else; • The IT team can develop precisely what is needed; • They have direct control over future development and can react quickly with modifications as the business changes; • The airline has a complete understanding of how the system works; • Since it is proprietary, there is no worry that the competition would get it as well; • The company has already budgeted for and is already paying the fixed cost of the development team salaries; • There are no off-the-shelf software applications that even come close to providing the specialized functionality required.

There may be some truth to the statements above, but be careful that you do not buy into your own propaganda. It could wind up being a very costly

decision for your organization if your analysis is flawed. There is a tendency to skip the due diligence phase and many times the analysis phase when deciding to develop software in-house. Accepting the above statements as fact within your organization could be quite risky. Each organization is unique and your development department is also unique. But, not all development departments or developers are created equal, so you need to know the capabilities of your company’s development team.

Return on Investment It is impossible to calculate an accurate return on investment (ROI) for in-house development projects for the following reasons: • It is impossible to measure opportunity costs before the opportunities present themselves; • It is difficult to allocate developer salaries to the project, particularly if the developers work on multiple projects or have other duties; • Ongoing support costs are difficult to predict; • Ongoing maintenance costs are often overlooked and, again, are difficult to predict; • ‘Scope creep’ and the associated ‘cost creep’ are often ignored and difficult to predict; • There is a tendency to underestimate the time and resources required to design, develop and test; • It is difficult to estimate a ‘contingency amount’.

Lack of maintainability The biggest nightmare of software built in-house or by a contractor is that the author will leave, and nobody else will know how the code works, how to recompile it, or sometimes even where the code is located. This situation means job security for the author, but insecurity for the organization. At AirAsia staff turnover, particularly in the System Administration, was quite high. This had to be dealt with by ensuring a succession plan before the administrator could leave the company.

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amos

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“We assess aMos as a toP LINe ProDuct WHIcH Is eNDeareD aND accePteD as a fINe tooL By our users,” states aIr asIa reaD More aBout tHe WorLD-cLass M&e softWare systeM at sWIss-as.coM

14 | CASE STUDY: AIR ASIA | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Today AirAsia is in the 4th year of using a pure play MRO IT system which is one of the leading software packages in the industry. At peak period the system usage has about 120 users logged in to either update or retrieve data from the system.

Juswil Adriani

MRO Liaison Engineer, AirAsia

Lack of standardization There’s a training cost associated with software built in-house. New employees need to be brought up to speed on your system, even if they’ve used software elsewhere that performs similar functions. This is one of the most common reasons why people choose to buy software even if it doesn’t completely fit their needs.

Which is cheaper: buying or building?

As a low cost airline, cost is always going to be a main factor so answering this question ‘buying or building?’ poses some perennial challenges. The costs of buying an MRO IT package are pretty clear cut and relatively predictable: licenses, startup costs, implementation service costs, on-going maintenance or usage fees. Building projects require an accurate estimation of the project length and its costs, labor and benefits (programmers are relatively expensive), and general and administrative costs, as well as the costs – sometimes allocated – of the infrastructure needed to support the system. While the trick to evaluating the cost of ‘buy versus build’ comes down to figuring out the long term maintenance costs of a home grown solution, there’s no clear cut rule of thumb. One obvious benefit is that the costs of buying a solution should be more predictable than building one: use this to your advantage if pursuing the buy option by pressing for fixed prices or notto-exceed prices for implementation service costs; or consider taking on much of the implementation yourselves (but be aware that the provider of the product will almost certainly have a better understanding of their own product and therefore should be more efficient at its implementation).

Implementing the MRO IT system The gestation period of the system had to be extra fast according to the company’s management. If the project period were protracted beyond six months to a year, staff would become tired and lose interest:

also, resources were minimal while the company was continuing to grow. It was decided not to hire anyone dedicated solely to this job. The plan that emerged was to take some Licensed Aircraft Engineers from line operations and put them in the project team on a rotation basis. This did not bode well for the implementation project timeline.

Taking into consideration the limited resources and costs available in this project, AirAsia chose the gradual approach instead of the preferred ‘big bang’ event.

Being AirAsia, and famous for its unconventional ways as well as for dumping conventional methods, the management decided not to have a formal presentation to its engineering staff about the newly acquired system. It was a sudden transition. The previous system was literally dropped overnight. A group of project consultants from Singapore were flown in to begin the requirement gathering stage.

It was a ‘shock and awe’ approach spearheaded personally by the Company director.

End users were given an ultimatum by senior management to accept and quit the current MS Excel/ MS Access based processes that they had been using and start using AMOS 100% within six months.

Quite quickly, everyone was aware that the company was totally committed to this system, having spent quite a considerable amount of money on its purchase. And management did not hesitate to deal firmly with any users who were not working in compliance with the project. Today AirAsia is in the 4th year of using a pure play MRO IT system which is one of the leading software packages in the industry. At peak period the system usage has about 120 users logged in to either update or retrieve data from the system. For all of the challenges that it posed, the new system was carefully selected and successfully implemented; and AirAsia is now reaping the benefits of a well-managed transition.

Juswil Adriani AirAsia, MRO liaison engineer at AirAsia, served his apprenticeship with British Airways before qualifying as a licensed Aircraft Engineer in 1989. He worked with the Malaysian helicopter Services in Tregganu, Malaysia for almost a decade, before joining MRO company, AIROD, as Avioncs engineer for the Prime Minister of Malaysia’s aircraft.

Also while t here, Mr. Adriani was involved in setting up Agusta 109 helicopter operations for the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department, was project head for the Police Air Wing Helicopter assembly/retrofit program, and gained extensive experience of Fokker 28 and B737 major aircraft overhaul.

In 2004 he joined AirAsia as a licensed Aircraft Engineer and was assigned to assist in implementing the AMICOS MRO Software for the company, taking charge of the project until mid-2006, when AirAsia management decided to acquire new software, AMOS. Mr Adriani was appointed Project Manager for the implementation and migration over about six months before it went live.

Mr. Adriani was also responsible for setting up the battery workshop for AirAsia, teaches Aircraft Engineering at a local Aviation college and is working to complete his Masters in Business Administration at Tun Abdul Razak University, Malaysia.

Early this year he was assigned a new role as MRO liaison engineer for AirAsia, managing all AirAsia aircraft hangar checks at the local 3rd party MRO facilities.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | WEBINARS | 15

Upcoming Live Software Demonstration Webinars at www.aircraftit.com October to November 2011

Sign up to free live online software demonstrations for a perfect introduction to the world’s leading MRO Software vendors and to learn how they can assist and add value to your operations

Swiss Aviation Software’s AMOS Software Package

SDS’s ARMS Fully Integrated MRO/Flight Ops System

27th October 2011

3rd November 2011

n Session 1: 6am GMT/UTC n Session 2: 3pm GMT/UTC n Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A n Session Agenda z General Overview of Swiss-AS and AMOS z Scenario 1: Line Maintenance defect deferred z Scenario 2: Service Bulletin Management z Roadmap / Outlook for AMOS

n Session 1: 6am GMT/UTC n Session 2: 3pm GMT/UTC n Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A

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oin Shoerey Digital Systems (SDS) as they run through a live demonstration of their flagship product ARMS (Airline Resource Management System).

ARMS is one of few cost effective, fully integrated software solutions that seamlessly addresses Flight Operations, Maintenance and Logistics functions.

These Webinars therefore provide you with a great opportunity to see first-hand a live demonstration of a fully integrated and functioning solution which has the potential to revolutionize your IT platform into one system, thereby greatly increasing your efficiency.

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hese Webinar sessions offer you the outstanding opportunity to receive a live software demo of one of the industry’s leading MRO IT solutions: 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.

Join Swiss Aviation Software on October 27th to receive a live demo of AMOS, which offers a second to none scope of business functionalities as well as an unsurpassed degree of integration which is prerequisite for data quality, productivity, reliability and informed business decisions.

Who should attend?

This webinar is ideal for airline/MRO personnel working in any area related to aircraft/component maintenance including maintenance executives and decision makers.

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Gen2Systems’ FlyDocs Documentation Management System 10th November 2011

n Session 1: 6am GMT/UTC n Session 2: 3pm GMT/UTC n Duration: 1 hour plus Q&A

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oin Gen2Systems as they offer a live demonstration of their Documentation Management System FlyDocs. FlyDocs is a truly original and unique system designed to assist Aircraft Operators, Leasing Companies, Aircraft Owners, to control the paper trail, electronic data and current status for each of their aircraft at the touch of a button. Learn how to gain a huge return on investment and see a live demonstration of FlyDocs managing Aircraft Deliveries, Audits, Tech records support, physical and electronic document storage and more.

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16 | WEBINARS | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | AUTUMN 2011

View Video Recordings of our Live MRO Software Demonstration Webinars at www.aircraftit.com

Sign up for free to view video recordings of the live MRO Software demonstration Webinars hosted by Aircraft IT over the past few months.

A Live Software Demonstration of Mxi Technologies’ Maintenix Software Suite

A Live Software Demonstration of Ramco Systems’ Series 5 MRO Software Suite

28th June 2011

7th July 2011

n Session OVERVIEW

n Session OVERVIEW

GThis informative webinar explores the advantages and benefits of next generation maintenance management via a live demonstration of Maintenix. You will enjoy a live tour of the key impact areas of the Maintenix software and learn the business benefits and metrics achieved by Maintenix software

This Live MRO Software Demo showcases Ramco’s new Series 5 Nest Generation ‘hybrid’ solution that maintains the core values of Aviation Maintenance and delivers the best practices expected in a modern system. You will see a live demo of some Series 5 highlights and view an analysis of the key solutions concepts.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT OPERATIONS | WEBINARS | 17

About the Live Software Demonstration Webinar Recordings These Live Software Demonstration Webinar recordings provide airlines, MROs and operators with the perfect chance to view, at a convenient time of their own choosing, the different MRO solutions on the market. Each webinar is an hour long and offers an excellent overview of that IT Vendor’s software solution with the cost savings and increased efficiency they can deliver.

How it Works?

Sign up for all the sessions or pick and choose your preferred Vendors. Once approved the video recording will appear in your Member’s Area at the Aircraft IT website and you will be able to view it as many times as you like.

Enigma’s InService Job Card Generator, InService Revision Manager and MRO

Lufthansa Technik’s Technical Operations WebSuite: manage/m

28th July 2011

11th August 2011

n Session OVERVIEW

n Session OVERVIEW

During this webinar you will see a live demonstration of one of the industry’s leading CMS (Content Management Systems) and learn how a CMS system can simplify the management, distribution and implementation of maintenance and parts revisions and synchronize updated content across your IT environment.

This webinar will take you on a guided tour through the core applications of manage/m and a comprehensive portfolio of powerful WebServices allowing the customer to control all aspects of their fleet’s technical operations online, including quality, reliability, status, documentation and shop events in real-time.

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18 | WHITE PAPER: CKK SOLUTIONS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

If you’re going to use it, use it properly Byron Clemens, President/Principal Consultant, CKK Solutions, LLC sets out some mobile device considerations for Supply Chain and ERP related systems.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: CKK SOLUTIONS | 19

W

ith the increasing mobility of users and rapid enhancements to hand held technology, Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and related systems must move to take advantage of this environment to enhance timely transaction handling and data collection as well as support robust tools for management decision making. Though technology is the prevalent driver at the moment, applications must be developed for fit and viability on mobile devices without detracting from system functionality. Not only must internal application requirements address the mobility needs of users within the business but interaction with external entities (e.g. suppliers) must also be considered.

Introduction Mobile commerce, or m-commerce, has been described as the next generation of e-commerce. Key characteristics are mobility and accessibility. Related to these characteristics is an economic value transcending other aspects of e-commerce.

Along with the growth in mobile networks and technologies, business-tobusiness (B2B), employee-to-business (E2B) and business-to-employee (B2E) solutions have expanded.

From the perspective of e-commerce for Supply Chain and ERP related systems, the most significant advance for mobile technology has not been the devices, but rather the ability to integrate with back office systems. This has resulted in increased interaction between‌ companies, their employees, partners in the supply chain and customers. From a Supply Chain Management (SCM) perspective, m-commerce opens new opportunities for e-procurement, materials handling, warehousing, inventory management, logistics and fulfillment, and asset tracking; as well as sales and field force automation and dispatch management.

All of this is enhanced by continuing technological advancements. With 3G broadband, mobile users can more quickly collect and interact with data (including video, pictures, and graphics) once not readily available outside of fixed locations. Though not yet universally available, 4G will offer even greater speed and connectivity among other advances to exploit the capabilities of future technologies.

History The history of devices used for Supply Chain and ERP type systems, including variations on materials requirement planning (MRP and MRPII), follows the typical development history of all universal hardware devices and, at times, influenced the use of certain technologies. Limitations on the technology itself have always been influenced by the location and space availability for users with the various systems.

The introduction of keyboard inputs raised the dilemma of what is the most efficient means for typing in information. Review of text entry systems introduces two significant trade-offs: between potential efficiency and training time, and between device size and character-set size. However, in the early days of data entry, the main focus of any keyboard was to allow enough characters for all information to be sent electronically through the system(s). The ASCII character set has typically, since its early days, been the predominant format for English speaking users.

As more shop floor planning came into play in the late 1980’s to 1990’s, devices needed to be able to work in environments that were not always conducive to the same equipment that was used in office settings. It was realized that capturing data closer to the source of activity was a timelier and more effective approach, than, in most cases, having to have individuals outside the shop floor do the transactions. Installation of cases made from durable materials around typical terminals and printers was the first approach to protect equipment and move it closer to the end users. Most implementations still required hard wired equipment and placement of the devices close to where the work was actually being performed, such as by heavy, installed machines, in warehouses for inventory activities, or in hangars where aircraft were located.

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20 | WHITE PAPER: CKK SOLUTIONS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

For information to be current and relevant plus, of course, accurate, complete, economical, reliable, and secure, various means for capturing data were implemented. Bar-coding became the most widespread tool for data capture. Inventory, including parts, was captured from the point of manufacture at the suppliers to actual use on the shop floor or even distribution through to the end consumer. Bar-coding could capture the origin of the product, be associated with orders, and be the mechanism for capturing data related to further manufacturing processes, labor capture, etc. The bar-coding process could then be integrated with other systems, such as time and attendance, human resources, and systems not already integrated into the ERP system at hand. Originally, the bar-coding solutions still required manual intervention for the users to scan or place the codes through readers, themselves often still wired to the devices in use by the system.

Eventually, users realized that the hard wired, dedicated terminal installations could not be a cost effective, long term approach; considerations of the support, space, and usability they required made that much clear. As the IT industry went, so use of Supply Chain related and ERP systems would follow.

Developers of RF (radio frequency) data collection systems looked at the ability to transfer data from the shop floor into a computer system without the limitations of wired equipment. Typical installations initially included computers resembling laptop PCs,

and then devices such as Panasonic Toughbooks, mounted on movable equipment in a protective covering. Of course, the use of RF technology would depend on the location of end users, relative to the RF communication devices.

During the late 1990’s handheld devices came into use, initially as stand-alone units as against today’s integrated smartphone. The range of possible devices as of the mid-2000’s ranged from PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), handheld PC’s and hybrid devices. Handheld PCs utilized cut down versions of Windows operating systems, such as Windows CE. Typical cell phones at the time had a screen size of about 150x150 pixels and between 4 to 12 lines of text with limited keyboard functionality.

Smartphones provided larger screens with higher processor power, more memory, storage, and the ability to utilize browsers. Developments in smartphones, tablets, and similar devices, as well as the unprecedented impact of the Apple iPad and related applications, have opened further possibilities.

In fact, the iPad, with its size, portability, and continued expansion into more memory, storage, processing speed, and strength of connectivity, presents even greater opportunities to the world of mobile computing. For instance, UNIT4, a leader in enterprise resource planning (ERP) and financial management software, has expanded its Agresso Business World’s (ABW) dynamic reporting capabilities to be used on both the Apple iPhone

and the iPad. This tool allows for dynamic querying of any information, with the ability for the user to create and store their own set of reports, using drag and drop functionality.

Also CA Technologies has introduced its project and portfolio management (PPM) solution, which will work with users of Chatter (a popular sales force communication tool and private enterprise social network) to allow project teams to collaborate and easily follow requirements and status updates on mobile devices like the iPad, iPhone or BlackBerry.

Plans are for greater integration with leading ERP systems to bring in critical resource information to facilitate better portfolio planning and decisions.

In addition to the iPad, a number of other tablet devices are becoming available, from manufacturers such as Research in Motion (RIM) with the Blackberry device, and various Android operating system devices from Motorola and HTC. The key to evaluating any of these devices will be when Supply Chain and ERP related system vendors and internal developers are able to spend their time and company resources on developing applications for them.

Of course, smartphones present a more portable alternative to the tablets, both in size and expense.

Also, users are already carrying these devices as a means of communication and social interaction for both business and personal reasons. Whether or not applications can be effectively scaled to the size and power of these devices is still to be researched and applied where possible.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: CKK SOLUTIONS | 21 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Considerations for Use The Supply Chain In mobile Supply Chain Management (mSCM), integration of real time events with the use of wireless technology enables a constant flow of up-to-date information from both inside and outside the organization. Since prices of products and services can be changed utilizing dynamic pricing, as an example, mSCM helps companies to cope with changes in uncontrollable external factors affecting demand.

Regardless of the specific implementation of Supply Chain, ERP, and MRP solutions several key factors must be kept in mind, as portrayed by Alexander Renz from Microsoft in Denmark: 1. Integrating business. An adaptive foundation must be established, providing consistent data and visibility across end-to-end processes which themselves are consistent and repeatable. Integration of internal processes is the key, in conjunction with implementing ERP systems, or other adaptations of MRP or MRO systems, to include basic supply chain management functionality, to link front- and back-office functions. Web portals would be utilized for information sharing.

2. Optimization. Better decision making tools would be integrated to provide the greatest efficiencies. This can included business intelligence tools and analytics tools, provided by a number of manufacturers.

3. Collaboration. This stage entails extending processes to supply chain partners using networking and collaboration technologies such as Web portals and shared workspaces. Such tools allow for the real-time, accurate exchange of information about demand and supply, and the ability to quickly feed electronic orders into back office and operational systems to shorten cycle times.

4. Real world awareness. Mobile applications, handheld devices, bar coding, global positioning systems (GPS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) can all help obtain precise information about the movement of goods through the supply chain which helps cut time from order capture to fulfillment.

The concept of managing the supply chain with wireless technology is affecting the conventional understanding of Supply Chain Management. It offers geographical reach to support and enhance the association with logistics and delivery systems.

Services can be requested at any location without the demand being initiated through static or fixed portals or devices into the company resources. This challenges and creates the need to manage dispersed resources and affects the need for review of organizational designs and hierarchies.

In mSCM, wireless technology coupled with software applications, such as a customer relationship management (CRM) system can be used to deliver personalized services to users in the supply chain and to customers, with the main purpose of developing long lasting and profitable customer relationships.

ERP The considerations for ERP and MRP systems in the use of mobile devices and the associated benefits of wireless technology are not inherently different from those described for Supply Chain above. The main differences associated with the implementation of ERP is the often broader scope of the data and subsequent processes associated with the ERP system. Depending on where sensitive data is housed within systems, such as human resources and financial data, there may need to be more controls placed both in the server and client sides of the mobile applications to support the needs of the organization.

Fit, viability, and organizational acceptance There have been several studies to determine the attributes that need to be taken into consideration when applying mobile devices to Supply Chain, ERP, MRP and related systems. Because of the need to have the devices fit the human aspect of the operations, technology must be properly measured. With regard to evaluating initiatives for the internet, the platform on which the systems with which we are concerned are increasingly being placed, A. K. Tjan in 2001 introduced the concepts of fit and viability. ‘Fit’ measures the extent to which the applications meet the core competence, structure, values and culture of the organization, while ‘viability’ measures the value added potential of new applications, their human resource requirements and, based on this, capital needs.

How this applies to mobile technology relates to the characteristics of the economic value of m-commerce and the delivery of the information from the systems under consideration. T. P. Liang published a chart to indicate those key factors that impact the reachability and mobility of m-commerce. These are based on: 1, Product and service localization; 2, Product personalization; 3, Ubiquity enhancement; 4, Instant connectivity; and 5, Convenience.

22 | WHITE PAPER: CKK SOLUTIONS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Figure 1: factors that impact the reachability and mobility of m-commerce. Source: Liang (2002)

be able to come up with software that is flexible and able to work with whatever mobile devices are available. Mobile network suppliers, hardware manufacturers, and technology consortiums are constantly working on increased stability, range, and speed in data transfer rates through their products and services.

Adaptation Adapting applications to mobile devices can be broken down into client side, server side, and proxy based approaches. The formatting of content on the device may involve cascading style sheets; on the server side preparing the content for device delivery; proxy based approaches address an intermediate stage for facilitating the adaptation process. Several considerations for adaptation are appropriate for this discussion.

Content

the decision made by the organizations to utilize mobile technology for Supply Chain applications was heavily influenced by attitudes towards IT and the history of IT use at each company.

Following a study of three different organizations, Bill Doolin, of Auckland University of Technology, New Zealand, and his associates, concluded that the decision made by the organizations to utilize mobile technology for Supply Chain applications was heavily influenced by attitudes towards IT and the history of IT use at each company. Leadership was the key and where the executives were not involved in every decision, the key was the support of the organization. They also found that there was a distinct difference between organizational readiness and user readiness.

Considerations for adapting to mobile user interfaces With the variety of devices becoming available on the market today, developing single interfaces for each type of device can be a challenging task. It is desirable, yet not always possible, for companies to standardize devices used for business applications.

However, where this is not possible, developers must

In reviewing the application to be displayed on the mobile device, eliminating unnecessary elements such as banners and images is an initial step in design and review. Often, the original application will have many extraneous boxes, lines, and tabs or other ‘bells and whistles’ that are not a fit for most mobile devices (it may be possible to keep some features for tablet devices). Regardless of the device, replacing banners and images with short textual descriptions assists in reducing the amount of data to be transmitted. If the original application has many extraneous fields that are not used or required by the mobile user, these should be considered for removal, whilst also bearing in mind any potential future use to reduce rework.

Structural The flow of information can be adapted by splitting into smaller fragments and displaying it in multiple pages. This may be a challenge when the original application already has too many pages. Data may also be arranged to display more critical data first or according to a selected data criteria.

Ultimately, the goal is for the user to not have to type in much data. So, predefined lists, drop-downs, radio buttons, check boxes and the like can be utilized. Menus must be intuitive and reduce the amount of browsing time needed. Arranging data in a tree structure also facilitates improved navigation for user interfaces and the amount of text actually presented on the screen must be small to avoid too much vertical and horizontal scrolling. Furthermore, voice activated commands, where possible, allow users to keep their hands off keyboards and focus on the work.

Implementation Automating data entry for ERP systems can produce major returns for those companies spending millions of dollars on systems that are only as good as the data that feeds them. In the supply chain, advances that allow for such things as using mobile devices to deliver a variety of applications from scanning documents during receiving, to picking by voice command and utilization of RFID at receiving docks, results in reduced labor costs.

Business process impact Obviously, the implementation of mobile devices will impact processes; not only from the location of where processes are performed but in the timing and flow of processes currently in place and to what processes will be in place in the future.

System Integration Since most legacy and back office systems are at various stages of maturity and have various database and platform dependencies, a significant amount of time and expense may be required to get the applications ready for mobile technology. And, there may be additional technology initiatives within the company that must also be coordinated with any implementation to ensure that all plans move forward in line with corporate strategy.

Security One matter that causes significant concern for businesses considering using mobile devices is the possible threat to the security of the company’s internal systems, data and resources.

The use of biometrics or USB tokens in the implementation of mobile technology or even using the device itself as a token can provide a number of benefits for the company. Since people tend to value their mobile devices above other personal belongings there is a likelihood they would not share the device and would be more likely to report it as missing. However, the company must have the ability to remotely monitor the device and shut it down when necessary. In a similar manner to how banks can tell when someone is using a credit card in unusual locations and can take steps immediately, the same can be applied to mobile device tracking.

Bandwidth and Connectivity The ultimate goal of any systems, particularly those using mobile and wireless connectivity is to provide the greatest speeds and best connectivity, resulting in

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: CKK SOLUTIONS | 23

Byron Clemens

President/Principal Consultant, CKK Solutions

Byron Clemens has spent the last 23 years of his career in the aviation industry. From roles ranging from developer, to process analyst, data migration specialist, project manager, and business consultant, Mr. Clemens has been involved with a dozen system development and implementation projects. Projects have included the “Stock Control and Distribution” system for the US Air Force, internally developed ERPrelated systems, and multiple MRP/MRO/M&E systems, with various national airlines, regional carriers and air cargo operaters, as well as efforts outside of the airline industry. System selection, training, documentation, migration from legacy systems, testing, vendor relations, and project management are all part of Mr. Clemens’ portfolio of skills and achievements.

It is not readily apparent that there have been full implementations of Supply Chain, MRP, MRO, or ERP related systems fully utilizing mobile and hand-held devices, although there has been a great deal of thought as to how this might be achieved. greater confidence in the availability and reliability of data on which to base correct and timely decisions. In the realm of Supply Chain and ERP related systems applications, this concept applies to the ability to provide not only users with this goal but also customers and suppliers dependent on real-time information to support and react to the information that users and business relationships require.

Cost Considerations Costs not only include hardware but the expense of programmers, internal or external, and developing a support network for the implementation. In planning for the device implementation, the following things must be considered: 1. The costs of modification to applications; 2. The costs of on-going support; 3. The costs of on-going partner relationships; 4. The costs of specific handheld devices; 5. The costs of technology infrastructure.

Any organization considering implementation of hand held or mobile devices will need to conduct a thorough evaluation of the costs against the benefits of the implementation. Of course the very nature of Supply Chain Management necessitates the need for timely, accessible information, often at customers’ and off-site locations. It will be necessary to identify and record what information is needed, distinguishing between ‘required’ and ‘like to have’ considerations. That will need to be followed by analysis and design and all the normal components of a systems development life cycle (SDLC) even though the same exercises may have occurred for the original business applications themselves.

Conclusion Many different types of devices have been used over the last half century with Supply Chain Management and ERP related systems. As most of the modern world itself has become increasingly mobile so have the needs of supporting services. This, in turn, has been influenced by recent economic turmoil that on the one hand looks for cost cutting but on the other hand must consider how the use of wireless or mobile technology can provide future cost reductions.

It is not readily apparent that there have been full implementations of Supply Chain, MRP, MRO, or ERP related systems fully utilizing mobile and handheld devices, although there has been a great deal of thought as to how this might be achieved. As some of the examples in this paper indicate, there are a few limited implementations of ERP on mobile platforms, mainly in reporting tools. There are also some industry specific, limited implementations on mobile devices such as in-cockpit capture of data to feed airline systems as well as on-truck and delivery components in supply and sales force related implementations. Vendors offer the promise of more fully fledged opportunities but often look for partners in the development efforts to support the cost and specific pursuits of the desired end results.

A multi-faceted approach is needed in examining any solution offering movement to handheld or mobile devices. There must be a realization that the hardware or devices are not the specific ends in themsleves, but rather the entire effect of all things needed to support the delivery of applications and data, and the timeliness of delivery to the mobile solutions.

Mr. Clemens also has spent much time in Supply Chain Management, and working with multiple interfaces to external flight and finance/ accounting systems.

Byron has been a billable consultant for more than nine years and has provided additional consultants/subcontractors and supervised additional employees throughout his engagements. With particular focus on Engineering and Maintenance Programs functions, Mr. Clemens also has spent much time in Supply Chain Management, and working with multiple interfaces to external flight and finance/accounting systems.

Exceptional strength in collaboration and the ability to communicate well within all organizational levels, as well as proficiency in Information Technology and business, allow him to be extremely effective in building relationships and understanding between the core components of any operation. Mr. Clemens’ consultancy assignments have included: Republic Airways, Jetblue, Astar Air Cargo, Commair, DHL Aviation, ABX Air, US Air Force.

Ask the Expert In addition to being available now to answer any questions you have arising from this White Paper, Byron Clemens is available all year round for one-to-one consultancies via the Ask The Expert feature at www.aircraftIT.com. He will be happy to assist you with your queries.

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24 | CASE STUDY: TURKISH AIRLINES | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Getting the right people in the right place for each job The application of Wireless Sensor Network Technology, says Dr. Orkun Hasekioglu, CIO, Turkish Airlines Technic, has improved resource utilization and efficiency at Turkish Airlines Technic MRO.

A

t Turkish Airlines Technic we have improved workflow and resource utilization by using a sensor network as an integral component in the allocation, resourcing, monitoring and recording of each task. A sensor network is a data communications network comprising a large number of mobile or stationary nodes that can communicate as well as sense and process data. A typical sensor network as described is depicted in Figure 1.

The number of randomly deployed mobile or stationary nodes in a network can run to hundreds or thousands. The way that they work is that each node has sensors attached.

The data obtained through the sensors are locally processed in the node and then transmitted through the sensor network and to the outside world via a gateway that is also referred to as a data sink or a coordinator.

The network itself is very robust and is insensitive to any changes in the network topology, or the addition or removal of nodes.

Data collected through a sensor are first digitized by the analog to digital

Figure 1

Figure 2 illustrates a generic sensor node design.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: TURKISH AIRLINES | 25

converter (ADC), then processed by the local processor and transmitted through the transceiver to the next available node. A node can be packaged in various ways including embedding in ID cards, as shown in Figure 3.

Some of the favorable characteristics of these nodes are‌ very low power consumption (enabling years of operation without the need for battery replacement), low cost (as low as a few dollars, depending on which sensors are used) Figure 3 and their capability for two-way communications between any node and the outside world. The particular sensor types utilized depend on the application, i.e. to establish location, motion, temperature, torque, chemical properties, oxygen level, etc.

Figure 4, shows the layout of an MRO hangar where there are many (50 in the case of Turkish Technic) stationary sensors located around the hangar walls with

The particular sensor types utilized depend on the application, i.e. to establish location, motion, temperature, torque, chemical properties, oxygen level, etc.

Figure 4

additional mobile nodes attached to technicians and tools.

As soon as a technician enters the hangar work area the sensor network detects their presence.

One important application fulfilled by sensor networks is location identification. There are two ways of implementing location identification. The first approach utilizes a GPS sensor and is appropriate when working in the field and transmitting location data to the controller. The second is especially useful when working in a hangar or a closed space; this approach utilizes signal Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

26 | CASE STUDY: TURKISH AIRLINES | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

outside of the closed hangar area the mobile vehicles and the other ground services equipment at the apron area of the Istanbul Ataturk Airport are monitored on a map screen in real time.

Figure 5

characteristics received from the stationary nodes.

The signal characteristics used are RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indication) measurement of the power present in a received signal, AOA (Angle of Arrival) determining the direction of propagation of a wave and TOF (Time of Flight) the travel time of a signal from a transmitter to a remote receiver.

Using RSSI and TOF information obtained from the signals transmitted between the mobile sensors and the stationary sensors, algorithms can be developed to efficiently compute location. At Turkish Technic we can identify location within a

range of 10m. This is a very high degree of accuracy given the dynamic electromagnetic environment and reflecting surfaces within the hangar.

As shown in Figure 6, outside of the closed hangar area the mobile vehicles and the other ground services equipment at the apron area of the Istanbul Ataturk Airport are monitored on a map screen in real time.

The portrait pictures in the Figure belong to the individuals driving the vehicles at the time of the snapshot. Other relevant maintenance information, as well as utilization statistics are monitored through

the web interface. The sensor network operation extends to the apron area and the gates where some of the line maintenance is carried out.

IEEE 802.15.4 standard specifies wireless sensor network physical and medium access control (MAC) layers. The physical layer determines the wireless transmission medium, modulation and channel coding characteristics which are QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying modulation) with DSSS (Discrete Sequence Spread Spectrum). The medium access control layer specifies how the communications channel is shared among the multiplicity of transmitting nodes. Low power duty cycle ensures battery lives of several years.

Figure 4 demonstrates several ways in which wireless sensor network technology is used or planned to be used at Turkish Technic.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: TURKISH AIRLINES | 27

Figure 6

The hangar and the surrounding area contain aircraft, technicians, tool boxes, and motorized ground service vehicles carrying technicians and equipment within the apron area. Each one of these components: technicians, toolboxes and vehicles is a part of the sensor network communicating between each other and to the outside world, in particular with the OCC (Operations Control Center).

As soon as a technician enters the work area the sensor node attached to the technician connects to the network notifying the OCC and the relevant MRO software of the presence of the technician in the area who is skilled for a particular work order, having had the appropriate training and holding the required licenses.

Figure 5 indicates the MRO software screen developed at Turkish Technic that is used to assign work orders to technicians according to whether they possess the appropriate skills. On entering the work area, the technician is added to the available staff list. The upper right table consists of the jobs that are available and open. Because the skill group of the technician is known, he can be automatically assigned to a specific aircraft and task. Then the task that was generated in the system, and for which his skills are required, is officially assigned to the technician and the related work order is transmitted to him through the sensor network.

One major contributor to reduced efficiency is time spent identifying and locating the tools that are required for a job. In this system, as soon as the technician is assigned a work order the associated equipment and tools are also identified and the location information is transmitted to the technician.

Then, the work order is transmitted to the display of the sensor node or the tag of the technician. For convenience, the display may be a PDA or a tablet PC. The information received by the technician can also include the task details, required documentation to perform the task (including the relevant pages from the AMMs and IPCs) and a note of the tools required.

Having received the work order details, the technician gathers the required tools and proceeds to the particular assigned aircraft. When the task is completed, it is closed and signed off electronically by the technician. The MRO system registers the time the job has been started and completed with the appropriate approval.

Through the web-based interface, a snapshot of the work area at any given time can be viewed, including the positions of the technician’s equipment and the tools. Other examples of what might be included could be the health status of the technicians, temperature etc. There are a number of reporting capabilities that can be used such as the

ABOUT TURKISH AIRLINES From its existing facilities at Istanbul Ataturk International Airport, Turkish Technic is primarily the provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul operations to Turkish Airlines fleet: it also provides services to various customer airlines from Turkey and surrounding countries.

Based on the experience accumulated within the firm’s existing technical facilities, the developed and well-qualified labor force, the strategic location and increasing market demand, Turkish Technic has set up a new MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) facility. The new facility will be located at the Sabiha Gökçen International Airport (around 70 km’s away from the existing facilities located at Istanbul Atatürk International Airport) on an area reserved for the development of an international MRO center. The geostrategic location of the new facility will enable the new maintenance center to serve European, Asian, North African and Middle Eastern MRO markets, as well as the Turkish market.

The new international maintenance, repair and overhaul center project and all the investments by Turkish Technic within Sabiha Gökçen International Airport are named as HABOM Project (Havacılık Bakım Onarım ve Modifikasyon Merkezi or, in English, Aviation Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Center).

Services offered by Turkish Technic include: Component Services, Aircraft Services, Engine / APU Services, Engineering Services, Training Services and AOG. Turkish Technic partnered Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners, to open a new, high-technology and environmentally efficient CFM56 and V2500 engine overhaul facility in Istanbul in 2009.

the technician’s time is only engaged in direct maintenance. Almost no technician time is wasted searching for maintenance documents such as AMMs, IPCs, tools and parts or work order papers; saving close to one third or half of the technician’s time time spent by technicians in the hangar area and technicians’ time utilization.

This technique ensures that the technician’s time is only engaged in direct maintenance. Almost no technician time is wasted searching for maintenance documents such as AMMs, IPCs, tools and parts or work order papers; saving close to one third or half of the technician’s time as compared to the way in which a conventional operation works. In addition, daily job scheduling and assignments to the technicians are carried out efficiently and accurately based on the actual information about the availability of the technician and his skill group.

Dr. Orkun Hasekioğlu

Chief Information Officer, Turkish Technic

The responsibilities of Dr. Orkun Hasekioğlu at Turkish Technic include developing and implementing enabling MRO IT Technologies for efficient maintenance operations.

Orkun Hasekioglu has BS, MS (Caltech), PhD (RPI) degrees in Electrical, Computer and Systems Engineering, with a specialization in signal processing, communications systems and networks. Prior to joining Turkish Technic, after engaging in academia at Caltech and RPI, Dr. Hasekioglu, has served in General Electric R&D Center, Schenectady, NY, as a research engineer, Moren Communications as Chief Technology Officer, CHEMI Inc as Vice President responsible from product development, and AIT Inc, as Vice President and later on as President and partner.

At AIT, an engineering R&D and consulting services company, his team was involved in the design, analysis and testing of gas turbine engines among other areas of research.

Orkun is married, has two children and currently resides in Istanbul.

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• Getting the right data transmission • Data as a global business asset

Fuel savings from EFB implementati on Pre-flight information supports service IT tools to minimise EU ETS compliance costs White Papers: LinkSMART • Aviintel • Tasc4Aviation Case Studies: Lufthansa Cityline • Thai Airways Aircraft IT Operations V1.2 June-July

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rd 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | VENDOR JOB CARD | 29 Vendor Job CaAUTUMN

, EmpowerMX Dinakara Nagalla, President & CEO ent focused

on 16 years in IT managem Dinakara Nagalla has more than ral Seve sportation industry. He has held aerospace, defense, travel and tran re befo s tion at EDS and Sabre Airline Solu technology management positions joining EmpowerMX. chain expertise in aviation MRO, supply Dinakara had deep subject matter in ce rien expe with g alon es, odologi management, Lean & Six-Sigma meth ent. agem man ram prog and lopment building IT strategy, product deve d mobile development and SaaS base ERP, As an experienced leader in scipline i-di mult nal natio and managed inter Cloud technologies Dinakara led iple mult filed and rs several white pape solution teams. He has published tenance. main tion avia to patents in relation

What works for EmpowerMX AircraftIT: Your name, your job title and the name of the business?

Dinakara Nagalla: Dinakara Nagalla; President & CEO; EmpowerMX. AircraftIT: How did EmpowerMX get started?

DN: An aircraft maintenance production control supervisor employed by Northwest Airlines (NWA) in the 1990s built a software program to help him manage his daily workflow. When NWA directed him to remove this software because it had not been approved/purchased by NWA/IT, he resigned from NWA and, along with a few other fellow Northwest personnel, started this company funded by an economic development company in Duluth, MN. AircraftIT: What is the attraction of aircraft MRO related IT? DN: To date, next generation IT has not been widely adapted in the aviation industry. The majority of airlines are running 30 year old systems or client server technologies built in the 1990s, or are predominantly manual. Increased regulatory requirements, newer aircraft models and maintenance outsourcing to multiple vendors only made the opportunity bigger. There are enormous savings to be realized for airlines implementing the right technology and achieving the visibility across a broad spectrum of suppliers and providers. Most of the popular systems are library systems with little or no intelligence and are not suitable for new generation mobile devices powered by iPad or Android. This, in turn, provides an opportunity for companies like EmpowerMX to bring the software and serve the content to where the technician works without making him leave the workplace.

AircraftIT: What is the guiding business principle that drives EmpowerMX? DN: To provide our customers with products and services designed to significantly reduce the cost of their operation, improve safety and increase airworthiness.

AircraftIT: What has been EmpowerMX’s greatest IT achievement to date and why?

DN: EmpowerMX has built its suite of software modules, catering to key business functions of M&E, to be able to be run independently of each other or to run like a single unit of software instead of an ‘all or nothing model’ which seems to be followed by every other software vendor in this industry. This gives the customer an option to deploy one module at a time without disrupting their operation or go through multi-year deployments.

EmpowerMX software also runs on desktop computers and 10” tablet devices like iPad or Android devices equally well, with support to all of the major browser platforms and with zero foot print on the client.

AircraftIT: What has been EmpowerMX’s greatest business achievement?

DN: Earning the business-to-business trust and respect of the world’s most prestigious airlines through dogged determination, hard work, patience and perseverance

AircraftIT: What have been EmpowerMX’s disappointments and what have you learned from them?

DN: Target customers stop supporting our business when economic downturns hit the airline industry. Because of this, we’ve learned to diversify our business offerings and have aggressively marketed the cost savings potential customers can immediately realize by implementing EmpowerMX products or services.

AircraftIT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what EmpowerMX does for aircraft MRO customers?

DN: EmpowerMX products and consulting services immediately help MRO and airline/military M&E departments to minimize aircraft ground time and maximize airtime while significantly reducing the cost of their operation; our services also help achieve airworthiness, quality, timeliness and financial objectives.

AircraftIT: What is new on EmpowerMX’s development horizon?

DN: In Q4 2011, we are excited to release our unique new materials management tool to manage and control the inventory of the organization.

Assets may be tracked through their life cycle with information collected at each touch point through scan devices. Current information is maintained through interfaces with the execution applications.

We are also finishing up our new Shop execution tool that manages the processes associated with returning discrepant assets to serviceable condition through methods that guide the technician to work the right assets at the right time. The application includes features that satisfy work performance and billing support required for service providers. We are using advanced algorithms and making this product fully optimized for a touch platform aimed at revolutionizing shop work environment.

AircraftIT: What will be the next big thing in MRO Aviation IT? DN: Unquestionably, technology that can keep the technician hooked on to his real job vs. moving to a legacy desktop to stare at main frame screens and carrying paper. With the advent of next generation native touch operating systems, a new crop of applications will wipe out data intensive, monolithic and unintelligent software.

AircraftIT: What do you want your customers to say about EmpowerMX? DN: Without EmpowerMX supporting our production needs, it would be impossible for us to achieve the lean/Six-Sigma-based business efficiencies we now count on to deliver on-time excellence daily.

AircraftIT: Dinakara Nagalla , thank you for your time.

30 | WHITE PAPER: AVIRO | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Continuing Improvement through process modelling and adaptation A thorough approach at the start of a project, says Peder Falk, Aviation Systems Professional at Aviro AB, will ensure a better project and a better installation..

G

rowing numbers of organisations are realizing the importance of performing a complete business process mapping project in order to better understand the current position for the business’s processes and to be confident that workflows are as streamlined as is possible. The objective is to ensure that the business works through welldefined processes that add value for the organisation, minimise the use of time consuming manual inputs and produce optimum feedback to management about routine operations.

The reason for including manual inputs is that most systems in daily use have to interact with each other through different standards which require manual intervention and, since a manual input is always a risk, such transactions should, if possible, be minimized.

As always, as your MRO IT system becomes increasingly complex, the more important it is that you establish

greater control over its various features. Adding system flags into your business process models will provide you with a graphic overview of where the system should support you with information as well as receiving information from an outside source.

I’ve seen many examples of MRO IT systems being used only to a limited extent, instead of their full capability being utilised. This is usually because many implementations focus on a quick introduction of the system, rather than mapping the company’s needs against the methodology on which the system is based. With an implementation like that, it very soon becomes apparent that there are frequent requests, from the people and resources that use the system, for new reports and new data exports: however, these requests are too often made in an uncoordinated manner as a perceived need arises. This reactive approach is because no prior thought

Figure 1

has been given to structuring defined ways to distribute information: there hasn’t really been any thought as to how to get something valuable out of the system; only that some data must be put into the system.

It would be more constructive to think more ‘what output will I have

from the software’ rather than ‘how can we put this into the software’, since most software operates in the same way for inputs, while there are considerable variations when it comes to outputs and automation. That question about outputs is, of course, part of a current situation analysis

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: AVIRO | 31 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

It would be more constructive to think more ‘what output will I have from the software’ rather than ‘how can we put this into the software’, since most software operates in the same way for inputs, while there are considerable variations when it comes to outputs and the creation of a list of demands for your MRO IT system (current or future), but it’s also worth mentioning in this context.

One important thing to bear in mind when it comes to considering processes is the idea of defining customers. Everything that you do will, in the end, produce a result, an output on which someone else is depending; either a person working in the same business (an internal customer) or a person or resource working at another company or organisation (an external customer). The focus should always be on customer needs and satisfactory usage.

Figure 2 It’s very much the same as when implementing ITIL (IT Infrastructure Library) for an IT Services supplier, the purpose is to offer services to internal and external customers and then measure how well you perform by regularly checking your KPI’s (key performance indicators) and, from that, making necessary changes to the processes.

The aviation world has been well ahead of the pack when it comes to tracking and isolating root causes for faults on the aircraft itself. There are many commonalities between the setup of ATAs, zones or systems and the regular measurement of faults for each category. There is also a need for reactive and proactive actions in the aviation world; for instance, the grouping of IT components into units on which a service is dependent and the regular monitoring of these components. In reality, it’s the same idea behind each development with the difference that IT Services companies have been running a little bit faster lately and are now some way ahead when it comes to a total business process orientated organisation.

Detailed activity description ACTIVITY

Part of process Initiated by

Result

Actor

Description

Uses routine

Described by Date

Nr

Name

32 | WHITE PAPER: AVIRO | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Benefits

It’s important to have the prerequisites in place before even starting to think about business processes. You’ll need a proper and accurate understanding of the company’s process maturity, management focus (plus willingness to sponsor the project with time and resources), availability of key personnel, availability of time and communication methods.

So, you might ask, what is the real benefit for airline businesses from taking this structured approach? Well, our operations are governed by regulatory authorities and there are numerous rules and regulations to follow. Many of these are kept in the Continuing Airworthiness Management Organisation Exposition (CAMOE) and the real benefit comes when you incorporate the business processes (BPs) into your steering document. By doing so, you automatically set your review/update schedule to the same as the document, thus ensuring that your processes are reviewed and updated on a regular basis, which is vital if they are to remain relevant and are to continue to add value to the business.

However, that’s really the secondary benefit; the prime benefit is that, by incorporating the BPs into your IT system, you will minimize the risk

A business process project in detail Considerations It’s important to have the prerequisites in place before even starting to think about business processes. You’ll need a proper and accurate understanding of the company’s process maturity, management focus (plus willingness to sponsor the project with time and resources), availability of key personnel, availability of time and communication methods.

Communication is a critical part of this project from the start, so put some extra time into the definitions before the project starts.

Definitions What is a process?

• Initiated by an event, a process is a collection of activities that together create a result leading to an increased value for the customer.

Who is the customer?

• The receiver(s) of the results of the process; • The customer of the customer – the end user; • Note: there are external and internal customers and processes.

What are the success factors?

• Design (how to realize the end result); • Performers (personnel who drive and operate the process with their knowledge, etc.); • Owners (personnel responsible for the process and its results); • Infrastructure (information and management system that support the process); • Measurements (to evaluate the performance of the process).

Commencing the project Commence your modelling by asking these questions: • What is our purpose?

• What are our targets and vision and what will be the effects of the process?

• Is there commitment in the business?

• Do we have the organisation’s approval?

• Who should be kept informed of progress and have we planned the necessary communications? … and when the questions have been answered…

• Establish a project (with specified deliveries, risk analyses, etc.).

Start mapping the job • Brainstorming; • Devise a process map; • Produce a detailed ‘customer’ analysis; • Establish what value(s) there will be for customers; • Establish priorities; • Agree and establish key performance indicators (KPIs); • Name the process – remember to name it correctly so that it can be easily recognizable.

Today-tomorrow view – planning ahead • Model in detail to predict how things will proceed; • Establish methods for measuring actual time, cost and quality achieved;

Detailed process description PROCESS

Nr

Name

Version

Part of process Initiated by

Result

Description

Future processes • Agree, establish and record future processes; • Identify and quantify elements of risk.

Target

KPI(s)

Introduce the results of the project…

• The new standards of competence; • The process to all departments and locations; • Generate, produce and introduce checklists; • Understand and take account of abbreviations and acronyms; • Communicate to those affected by it or who have to operate it, the organisation, roles and responsibilities in the process; • Ensure full IT support.

Frequency Owner

Described by Date

Establish the system • Test the process; • Confirm resource allocation; • Hand over the process to user departments.

Living with processes • Constantly improve the process in the light of experience.

Methodology There are numerous methods for process modelling. I’ve been using IRM (Information Resource Management) and the templates shown are examples of their setup of documents that control the creation and description of the processes.

A process will never be better than the first detailed information resulting from the initial brainstorming, establishment of today-tomorrow processes and the acceptance of these. One person alone cannot create a process for the organization, the entire organization within the scope of the process must do this together in order to establish their ownership of the process, otherwise the result will most likely just be a paper product and totally worthless for the company. See process modelling as a new start for the organisation and as a large team effort that will lead to better performance and quality assured workflows; adding value to your company through better serving your internal and external customers.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: AVIRO | 33

of anything getting caught in between different departments, causing time slacks and triggering time consuming non routine actions. Technical departments in the aviation world are still very much divided into logistics, engineering, planning, production and quality assurance (QA). With help from BPs, you can retain those departmental names, but the core processes will flow right through them all with one handover point instead of maybe four or five as it is today. With help from BPs you’ll be able to create a visual document and one that is more understandable than just a written document such as the CAMOE itself; more understandable inasmuch as bottlenecks and areas for improvement will be more visible. You’ll also know exactly what to expect as an input and what is required as an output.

A sole MRO operator would see the benefit by always being able to control maintenance work according to the agreement that has been made with the customer: this being the basic framework for what is accepted and agreed will happen during the maintenance event, leading to faster invoicing for performed work and better financial management for both parties.

In short, you should visualise your way of working to gain: A common holistic view; More efficient workflows; Quality assured products and services.

Visualisation – the key Visualisation is one of the key elements for organisations, allowing individual resources to ‘see’ their part in the full process and hence gain a better understanding of the workflows. Processes are visual and should be easy to understand on a graphical level, while, of course, still thoroughly explained and structured on a documentary level.

Example: Monitoring Purchase Orders by measuring the total number of orders vs. the number of order lines for each order during 2010

Let’s assume that the purchasing process has a KPI to measure the number of orders issued in a specified period (last full year).

Let your MRO IT system calculate the actual number of created orders (all PO’s) including a measurement for each order that displays the average number of order lines included in each order. Let it also compare the pricelists and capability lists from each vendor or supplier in order to find out if it might be less costly to purchase more parts from one vendor at the same time as other purchases or whether, by increasing the potential number of lines

ordered from a vendor, you can negotiate a better price on all the lines in question.

KPI’s: • Number of PO’s; • Number of order lines.

Comparison: • More parts numbers (PNs) available for purchase at fewer vendors? (more efficient use of contracts).

Fixed values: • Cost for creating order: EUR 50 • Cost for order line: EUR 10 With this analysis you’ll be able

see that you can purchase more part numbers from fewer vendors or suppliers. Putting a cost for each order including the cost for each line will let you be able to measure before and after values.

This is just a very small example of an activity within the purchasing process that uses KPI’s to visualise the development during a specified time. It’s important to include the milestones for changes in the processes so that you can measure if the performed actions also lead to the expected result or not. If not, determine why, define the scope of the work and perform new actions.

PEDER FALK

Aviation Systems Professional, Aviro AB

Peder started his career in the aviation business in 1995 as a trainee and got valuable knowledge from all various sections in a technical department as well as from the operational department. He was appointed project manager for an MRO system implementation for a major Swedish airline in 1997 and worked as Oracle DBA for many years (OCP Certified).

In 2002, Peder founded Aviro. Aviro provides support in various areas such as MRO software replacements (from the creation of current situation analysis up to fully implemented software), process development, project management, creation of report portals and automation of reports. He believes that well defined processes frees up a lot of working hours that can be used for bringing the company forward instead of using time to do things that your software can take care of.

Peder’s major focus is on customer needs and best of breed solutions, the aim is to combine those two into a perfect solution for each customer, for the minimising of overhead costs, time consuming transactions and non-profitable processes.

He is a certified process developer with extensive knowledge of both the aviation business and the IT business with both ISO/IEC20000 and ITIL certifications, which very much is all about the continuing improvements that we work with in the aviation business every day as well.

He is looking forward to the digitalisation of the supplier/buyer connections, with help from iSPEC2200 among other standards.

Ask the Expert In addition to being available now to answer any questions you have arising from this White Paper, Peder Falk is available all year round for one-to-one consultancies via the Ask The Expert feature at www.aircraftIT.com. He will be happy to assist you with your queries.

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One person alone cannot create a process for the organization, the entire organization within the scope of the process must do this together in order to establish their ownership of the process, otherwise the result will most likely just be a paper product and totally worthless for the company.

34 | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Dr. Falk Kalus, director of the manage/m® department explains the key concept and future visions of the WebSuite.

A look inside manage/m® Dr. Falk Kalus, Director of the manage/m® division at Lufthansa Technik sets out the developments, challenges and future visions of the business’s MRO-IT.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | 35

Integrated and web-based: manage/m® keeps the customer fully in the loop at all times.

L

ufthansa Technik deals with MRO IT on two levels: it is not only a user of IT in its role as an MRO services provider, but also develops IT systems as a part of those services. The Technical Operations WebSuite manage/m® stands for managing maintenance, repair and overhaul and is developed and managed by a division in Frankfurt and Hamburg, Germany.

About manage/m® On behalf of Lufthansa Technik, Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International is responsible for the Internet-based customer platform manage/m®, which was introduced in 2005. Within the company, a core division in Frankfurt and Hamburg is responsible for the Technical Operations WebSuite.

Our aim is to provide a tailor-made system for our customers, which allows them to access all data for their entire fleet — for aircraft as well as engines and components. With our maintenance, repair and overhaul [MRO] services, customers can access a comprehensive overview of their fleet, using a wholly internet based software solution.

The transparency of this system supports operators’ control over their fleets and helps fulfill their responsibilities vis-à-vis the aviation authorities.

Commercial aircraft operators, by outsourcing all or part of their MRO function, are better able to focus on the profitability of their core business.

However, operators’ responsibilities to the appropriate authorities cannot be outsourced; aviation authorities will still require operators to demonstrate full control over technical operations. This is exactly what manage/m® aims to deliver. At the touch of a button an operator can supply any information that may be requested — from showing the progress of an AD (Airworthiness Directive) implementation to reviewing the technical status of the entire fleet.

MRO is Lufthansa Technik’s core business, so how and why did the business come to develop this IT system? The main inspiration stemmed from the thought that we wanted to provide transparency in order for our customers to be able to check on their aircraft status at all times and report to the authorities. The thinking was to integrate the operator/customer’s processes with those of Lufthansa Technik into a seamless flow, encompassing all critical elements of the maintenance operation so that the operator is able to monitor and control the entire process.

36 | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

The design philosophy behind manage/m® is a strict separation of different customers’ data, so that each customer can look inside their own operation with Lufthansa Technik. That is something that other off-the-shelf-products did not offer at the time.

Technical operations management should not put a wall around the customer, but should be part of a perfectly integrated process that includes all partners involved in the technical/maintenance operation (e.g. the operator, subcontractors, maintenance personnel, Lufthansa Technik Engineering, etc.) At the same time, the software supports every specialist operation within Lufthansa Technik, showing how different MRO procedures are linked through the interfaces between different modules. More than five decades of MRO experience have been incorporated into the software to give customers a fully working integrated system, designed in accordance with the rules and regulations of the industry.

Our IT solutions are based on operational experience and our motto is ‘IT follows business’: manage/m® is automatically included with the MRO services package: there are no extra costs such as license fees connected with its installation and usage. This software concentrates on the technical operations only; staff and finance planning or HR are deliberately omitted. Since the system is completely web based, the operator only needs a computer, a browser and access to the Internet to always be up to date with their fleet’s status around the globe and around the clock. This is a big advantage over hosted IT systems which are restricted to a dedicated, complex and costly IT infrastructure.

But who exactly stands behind manage/m®; who develops the modules; how does the development process work; and who ensures the system is fully functional at all times? The responsible department comprises a core team of Lufthansa Technik employees who, along with internal and external service providers, take care of development, marketing, integration management and the WebSuite’s operations.

With the foundation of a manage/m® department we brought all related services together resulting in a seamless work flow between divisions, from project management to the daily business, supporting efficiency within the department. The department itself is divided into four sub-divisions: Development, Operations, Product Management and Integration Management/Controlling. Most employees are Frankfurt based, while part of the Development and Controlling team is located in Hamburg.

The 15 manage/m® modules

Developing the modules Right now, manage/m® comprises 15 modules. The status of the modules is never static but constantly evolving, taking into account daily customer experience. The development team is responsible for continuous improvement and further development of the software package through defined projects. In this way, the team enhances the existing portfolio with further modules and applications. The experienced project managers support the whole development cycle, including briefing the personnel and performing informational workshops with employees and customers.

Among recent projects was the development of the new module, m/modification, which manages supplementary maintenance and was added to the WebSuite at the beginning of 2011. Replacing the old applications used for creating Engineering Orders, m/modification is Lufthansa Technik’s way of digitizing the process of document releases concerning supplementary maintenance, thus serving as a basis for the customer’s compliance reporting.

Interfaces to the manage/m® applications for time tracking and scheduling as

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | 37

Two members of the m/modification development team.

well as an interface for creating job orders ensure the module’s full integration within the WebSuite, providing customers with a fresh and inventive way to handle supplementary maintenance.

Insight to the creation of m/jobcontrol/engine Another important addition to the WebSuite is the new WebService m/jobcontrol/engine responsible for the lifetime control of life limited parts (LLPs) in engines and APUs (auxiliary power units), as well as for other important engine components such as high pressure turbine blades. It replaces the former and, for the most part, outdated version of the Engine Lifetime Control System, which was merely a host system, and is designed to fit seamlessly into the manage/m® WebSuite, as against the former application, which was isolated. The new tool was also designed to be user friendly and to offer a high degree of quality standards.

The whole project lasted almost two and a half years, starting in August 2008 and ending with the final rollout of the new application in December 2010. Basically, it was structured into four phases: System Specification; Tender; Realization/Go Live; and Stabilization/Rollout. The first phase was lengthiest, taking a full year until August 2009. A detailed system requirement specification report of about 600 pages was created (including business processes, Graphical User Interface, core functions, database model and reporting) after numerous workshops with concerned departments and the definition of hundreds of test cases. As the project’s leader, Dr. Andreas Richter, Project Manager internet based MRO, Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International, was responsible for the development of the new module and understands what the challenges of such a huge project are.

The demanding part during the first phase was

creating a mockup, which served as the basis for all further discussions with the departments as well as for the extensive requirement specification we put together. It is very challenging to deal with such a complex topic in theory only.

To ensure permanent high quality performances throughout the project, the request for proposal was then sent to preferred suppliers in the software development sector who have long term business relationships with Lufthansa Technik. So that knowledge would be transferred with accuracy, workshops were held with these suppliers, after which they made an offer followed by price negotiations and the final selection of a supplier to support the project.

“As can be seen, it is essential for the supplier to have an accurate understanding of the desired application: after the supplier was chosen, we got the final approval of the executive board before we went on to the realization phase.” says Dr. Andreas Richter.

This phase of the project took nearly ten months.

Starting in October 2009, the functions were clustered into seven time boxes or releases. Here, a System Design Specification was developed. Additions to our knowledge as the project proceeded caused partial redesigns, and we had almost daily releases in the second part of the development. Therefore, finding prompt solutions for all questions as they arose was a basic requirement to maintain the continuous processing and development of the application. More than one thousand test cases were continuously handled during this time, including an integration test within the Lufthansa Technik infrastructure.

Finally, after seven months, GoLive commenced with the Master Parts List being the first release, in April 2010, followed by the Lifetime-Control three months later. “The key challenge for us within the realization was definitely managing the complex testing phase. Mainly, because the number of possible

Constant interaction between the different teams and suppliers assures fast solutions.

Dr. Andreas Richter, project leader and responsible for the development of m/jobcontrol/engine.

38 | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

combinations is almost infinite, testing 100% of combinations was impossible.

So, the team focused on test cases that they considered most probable and most complicated for the system. The composition of test data was particularly time consuming. That is why the team copied the database with the test data and imported the copied database daily into the system in order to be able to repeat the tests regularly.” says Richter.

When m/jobcontrol/engine was finally rolled out in July 2010, the team made sure that the new system was in a stable condition and therefore phased out the old system step by step or, in this case, engine type by engine type.

At first, the old and new systems operated in parallel, also to compare the remaining life times in the new versus the old application. Then, the system was gradually migrated for each of the different engine types, starting with the GE90 and PW4000 and ending with the Trent 700: the Trent 900 as fitted to the A380 was directly incorporated into the system as soon as usage started. The complete validation of the new system against the old one assures the quality for users and, of course, helps customers to fulfill the requirements of aviation authorities. The team additionally made sure that the users of the tool understood what it is about and how to actually operate it, to which end they conducted training sessions shortly before the rollout.

“Looking back, I would have to say that, in addition to the requirement specification and the highly complex testing phase, the change management was a further highlight of the project. The complete change of look and feel along with the integration into the Lufthansa Technik infrastructure was definitely

challenging for all of us. ‘All’ includes a total of 21 team members, from Lufthansa Technik. The development team in Hamburg had project leadership; I had the role of responsible project leader, coordinating the team and in charge of all kinds of technical issues.” says Richter.

As a result, the new application m/jobcontrol/engine provides an end-to-end reference from the original maintenance requirement documents such as Engine Manuals, ADs (Airworthiness Directives) or SBs (Service Bulletins) up to the resulting maintenance orders. Moreover, the system offers current information regarding the engine configuration, part counters as well as a maintenance forecast for an entire aircraft fleet. Last but not least the back-to-birth history of the monitored parts can be maintained by the application. Together with its customized layout and individual reporting function m/jobcontrol/engine also offers a completeness check for the engine configuration.

Recent activities on the part of m/jobcontrol/engine include presentations by the manage/m® product management team to more than 200 Lufthansa Technik colleagues in Hamburg. We see here, how the different teams cooperate when it comes to direct support. Each team has its core competencies and functions; and we are all pulling in the same direction. In this case, the information about a new module which was developed by one team is distributed by another team specializing in these kinds of events. At this point, the product management takes over, providing information internally and externally through briefings, on-site training, publication of articles in magazines and other communication channels, while the operations department assures the availability of the system 24/7.

Completely managing our maintenance

Dutch airline ArkeFly is one of the most intensive users of Lufthansa Technik’s Technical Operations WebSuite manage/ m® and was launch customer for the module m/compliance.

Antonio de Wit, We spoke to Tonio Engineering Manager, de Wit, Engineering ArkeFly Manager from ArkeFly about the uses of the system in the context of a wide-ranging MRO support by Lufthansa Technik.

Lufthansa Technik: How would you describe the flight and technical operations of ArkeFly? Tonio de Wit: ArkeFly is the in-house airline for tour operator TUI in the Netherlands. It gives TUI Nederland the opportunity to develop new destinations and products and makes the tour operator less dependent on destinations and products offered by third party charter airlines.

Nevertheless, having an in-house airline also brings a lot of challenges, especially in the offseason when demand is more for long-haul than for medium-haul destinations.

LT: Which characteristics of manage/m® have convinced ArkeFly to employ the internetbased system for its technical operations?

TdW: ArkeFly decided to change to Lufthansa Technik for technical support of the Boeing 767, so they could help increase the reliability of the aircraft. The main drivers were the high-quality MRO support and large pool of components which could support the ArkeFly fleet worldwide.

Since ArkeFly was a small organization, the Part-M activities were also included in the contract.

The manage/m® WebSuite was the management information system tool Lufthansa Technik made available as part of the contract for the Boeing 737. The advantage was that it had no additional costs and is part of the MRO services Lufthansa Technik has to offer, making sure that we can commit to our responsibility as an operator in communicating with the authorities.

LT: Which role does manage/m® play in the communication between ArkeFly and Lufthansa Technik as the provider of technical support?

TdW: We use the manage/m® WebSuite in order to take care of the complete maintenance management without having to build our own

database, other programs, or additional manual files. Today, we are in the final stages of the implementation of structural damage files in manage/m®. This will be in preparation for the new aging aircraft safety regulations (AASR) program which Lufthansa Technik will develop on our behalf.

Also, we are now in an advanced stage of getting the so-called traffic-light system operational. This is a new application within m/ compliance through which we can see if all maintenance program tasks are under control. If the system indicates a pending problem, we are guided to the cause of the issue, and it can be rectified in a timely manner. If all aircraft show green, we know we have all our maintenance under control.

LT: As one of the most intensive users of manage/m®, ArkeFly has kept up with past system advances. Where would you like to see the future development of manage/m® going?

TdW: Since we started using manage/m® as our sole maintenance management information system for the B737, we have experienced changes, as mentioned earlier, for example, within m/compliance, that led to significant improvements for ArkeFly. We were launch customer for this module and were able to feed it with our expectations in regard to a desired outcome. In the future, we would like to fully support further developments within [the system] especially when it comes to expanding component management. As all component changes (not only pool components) for the ArkeFly Boeing 737 fleet are entered in the manage/m® system, ArkeFly, once again, becomes an obvious candidate for being a launch customer.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | 39 Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Keeping the system running — 24/7 operational availability The operations division is considered the engine room of the department. In the aviation business, where everything is scheduled to utilize every second, the requirements on the service levels of an IT system are remarkably high. The challenge in IT operation is to sustain the required service levels at optimum cost efficiency and to provide excellent support for the user base. Staff members in the group share this responsibility and manage the ongoing development of individual software modules as well as the phase-in of completely new developed modules or functionality. Among the group there is an individual responsibility for each of the manage/m® modules and, apart from tasks to keep the system running, first and second level support is also delivered through the division.

As part of their regular work, team members help users to clarify pending problems. Sometimes these clarifications lead to ‘open items’ that have to be classified into either ‘bugs’ or ‘change requests’. In the case of actual bugs, ad hoc deployments will be initiated. On a regular basis, the collected change request requirements will be planned into scheduled releases and after agreement with all key users in Change Advisory Board meetings, the functionality will be programmed, tested and deployed.

New users need to also be furnished with a digital identity in the manage/m® system, giving them access to a bespoke set of permissions for the individual customer’s data. Definition of these roles and administration of the user accounts is also part of the staff’s work.

The 24/7 availability of hardware and software is outsourced but to maintain a high level of availability and performance, systematic analysis of all issues and incidents has to be conducted by the team itself. The result has been, in recent years, an average system availability of 99.8% which, with continuous learning and improvement, is unlikely to deteriorate.

Other tasks include the phase-in and phase-out of single aircraft or entire fleets, where the group has to make sure everything is processed in the correct order to have accurate control over aircraft configuration and all due dates.

When the system is integrated into a customer’s IT environment the division makes sure this is established seamlessly utilizing available interfaces between manage/m® and third party solutions.

The challenge in IT operation is to sustain the required service levels at optimum cost efficiency and to provide excellent support for the user base. Staff members in the group share this responsibility

The whole fleet at your fingertips: Lufthansa Technik MRO-IT solution manage/m® • Keep control • Quality-assured • Airline-proven

Product management The scope of the product management encompasses all kinds of customer services, including customer acquisition, meaning direct support of the Lufthansa Technik Sales department in acquiring new customers through live demonstrations of the m/WebServices, coordination of the customer phase-in and even on-site training for clients. The team also manages a wide variety of helpful instruction courses. The actions include assisting with ongoing transfers of manage/m® applications, from Frankfurt and at the customer’s home base. In on-site training sessions they define processes together and provide instructions on software’s modules. Internal colleagues are also assisted, when setting up a new station. An example would be the starting phase of Lufthansa Technik Milan last year: Colleagues in Milan were assisted with the preparations for their new tasks on location by members of the product management team and shown how to set up manage/m®.

The team likewise helps airline customers to design the integration process and usage of the Technical Operations WebSuite. We have been working very closely with these airlines and helped them to set up manage/m®, customer processes and access rights according to their needs, while at the same time they helped us to improve our system and focus on the customer’s desires with consistent feedback and improvement suggestions. Thereby, system improvements such as the provisioning of new reports and the adaptation of existing functions based on customer demands are addressed by the product managers as well.

manage/m® Technical Operations WebSuite

Lufthansa Technik AG E-mail: info@manage-m.com Visit us at www.manage-m.com

More mobility for the world

40 | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

In the future, [the system] will be focusing on new technologies like, for example, Web 2.0 and mobile technologies, to make usage even more convenient for our customers.

Customer care and system availability: staff members of the operations team at work.

Customer service and flexibility is, of course, appreciated by VIP customers who are also taken care of by the product managers. From its home base in Frankfurt, the product management team additionally serves as the centralized point of contact for all kinds of questions concerning the software.

Product managers are also responsible for public relations, marketing and communications. Their goal is to make sure that the competitive advantage of their product is always secure and therefore they develop strategies to establish manage/m/® within the world market. Any news concerning the software — new developments, adjustments or general information — is distributed via product management. They write articles, are on location during trade shows and provide customers with promotional material. In co-operation with the Lufthansa Technik marketing department, the team takes responsibility for the WebSuite’s internet presence and develops the applications’ styleguide, setting references for the design and look of the WebSuite.

With this range of services the manage/m® product managers help enhance the quality of active customer assistance keeping a solid focus on what matters most — our customers’ satisfaction.

ABOUT LUFTHANSA TECHNIK MAINTENANCE INTERNATIONAL Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International GmbH provides more than 130 airlines worldwide with maintenance services, ranging from single transit checks to entire technical operations support. The wholly owned subsidiary of Lufthansa Technik AG, that was founded in January 2009 has its headquarters on the south side of Frankfurt Airport and currently employs about 760 staff, supported by colleagues from Lufthansa Technik as well as by local service providers worldwide.

With a floor space of around 20,000 square meters, the maintenance company has all the required aviation authority approvals and has developed within a short space of time into an important hub of expertise for aircraft maintenance within the globally operating Lufthansa Technik Group.

In addition to carrying out aircraft maintenance for all of the current Airbus and Boeing aircraft types as well as Lufthansa Cargo’s fleet of MD-11 freighters, the company’s portfolio of services also includes heavy checks (IL- and D-checks) of the Boeing 757 and 767 series aircraft.

Since its foundation, Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International is also the home of the Technichal Operations WebSuite manage/m® and the product module Technical Operations Management (TOM). This product, which is part of the integrated Total Technical Support TTS®, allows LTMI to take over the maintenance organization for a customer airline fleet’s entire station network. TOM customers can use manage/m® to get a comprehensive overview of all maintenance services contracted to Lufthansa Technik at all times.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: LUFTHANSA TECHNIK | 41

The key figures on the board show past and current accomplishments as well as future releases of the manage/m® WebSuite.

Controlling and Integration Management manage/m® can only be further developed, if we get certain investments and control our budget right.

Therefore, a special sub-division is responsible for all commercial issues and the integration management of the system. It bundles, coordinates and consolidates all kinds of software related issues. The team also manages and prioritizes the software project portfolio by coordinating the new releases of modules within the WebSuite. It gathers change requirements for the modules, setting up projects and planned releases and drives integration board decisions concerning these projects. The integration board is an institution at which the future investments for the product are discussed and decided.

Among other responsibilities are the controlling of projects and the cost center, including budget planning, budget control and reporting. The team also supports the proposal preparations and structuring of all contractual agreements within the manage/m® environment. Finally, developing an accounting and pricing concept for the system is a further important task for the sub-division.

A look into the future — visions to come The different teams within the department give an idea of just how complex the management of a toolbox of fifteen web-based modules is. We all want manage/m® to work in the best way possible and this is only feasible when all the different staff experience and competencies come together.

For its future, we see the software package as a constantly evolving system setting new trends, as it did when it first came out. When we introduced manage/m® six years ago, we were one of the first to establish a system, which is fully web-based, relying on 100% web technology. We wanted our customers to profit from maximum flexibility. While Lufthansa Technik has proven its foresight with the product’s technologies it intends to keep manage/m® at the forefront. In the future, [the system] will be focusing on new technologies like, for example, Web 2.0 and mobile technologies, to make usage even more convenient for our customers.

At the same time, modules like m/modification/software are compatible with the newest aircraft types such as the Boeing Dreamliner 787 or the Airbus A380. There is also an intention to link the e-logbook with manage/m®’s m/techlog. The product history of the software shows that we like to set trends with our ideas and technologies. There will be a lot more to come and we are excited about the journey ahead.

Dr. Falk Kalus

Director internet based MRO, Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International

Dr. Falk Kalus is the director of the manage/m department at Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International. He managed several development IT projects in the context of Lufthansa Technik’s manage/m® and is head of the approx. 40 employees strong department since 2009. He joined the company in 2001. Dr. Kalus studied Business Informatics and obtained his Ph.D. on statistical methods in economics.

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42 | WHITE PAPER: HEXAWARE | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Business Analytics for the Airlines MRO Industry It’s not only the quality of the data available but also the capability of the system handling and delivering it that will support a busy MRO operation, explains Lakshmi Narasimhan, Assistant Vice President – Travel & Transportation, Hexaware & Sunil Joshi, Subject Matter Expert, Hexaware.

I

n recent times, the airlines are facing many challenges with operations mainly due to rise in fuel, maintenance and labour costs. With operational margins falling sharply and bottom lines are in red, the pressure for faster turn-around time of their aircrafts is a priority without compromising on the safety standards.

Despite these challenges, the potential to improve data recording, storage, retrieval and use in Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) organizations is promising.

It is estimated that the world’s airline fleet will grow by 45% over the next 10 years while the MRO global market will grow by US$10 billion over the next five years. Solid growth in new airlines, aircraft fleets and passenger numbers, both in developed and emerging economies (particularly China and India) is adding to the demand for MRO services. Newly introduced aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and Boeing 787 Dreamliner, which are certain to introduce new standards, processes and tools to the sector can only add to the complexities of MRO processes and the operational information needed to optimize maintenance processes and labor costs. The geographic spread of MRO facilities (including new facilities in Asia Pacific) poses new challenges when integrating data, customers, suppliers and IT systems for operational information purposes.

Efficient and excellent Business Intelligence and Business Analytics are the need of the hour to overcome these challenges.

MRO systems complexities With the continuing proliferation of a mixed bag of IT systems, airline companies or MRO outsourcers are not geared to integrate operational data and add value to it by transforming it into business information, either for process operation analysis or for parts inventory optimization. Airlines with 100 or more aircraft on the fleet can typically hold inventories of 200,000 or more parts in the store.

This, includes, high priced items like engines, landing gear, auxiliary power units (APUs) and other major items of equipment. Most of these parts have long life spans resulting in very high lifetime maintenance costs compared to initial purchase cost. Last but not least, proper planning of man hours and material requirements (parts and tools) in respect of each task for the time when maintenance procedures are carried out will also help to predict, manage and reduce maintenance costs.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: HEXAWARE | 43

The traditional approach Most of the leading MRO software solutions provide standard reports and queries. None of them help the Maintenance and Engineering (M&E) section to identify areas where there is potential for better service delivery or cost saving. This results in a huge additional effort generating ad-hoc reports, identifying queries and data extraction to spread sheets. Mainframe based MRO software packages generate reports (standard as well as ad-hoc) in batches. This means that the end user has to wait for hours and sometimes a week to receive the report before they can even begin to act on it.

Taking a different approach The modern approach, supported by business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) tools, enables M&E to build information entities for decision support; extract, cleanse and load data; build a data warehouse, and drill down the data to get desired maintenance information. Building the data warehouse is a one-time effort, after which the end user can then generate the reports they need in the way they want using the tools provided. The major advantages of this type of BI&A system are: • It supports preventive maintenance planning and on-time flying; • Desired data are readily available; • Queries and reports can be generated in any permutation and combination; • It delivers high data visibility; • It helps engineering management to take quick decisions based on recent data; • It reduces IT costs; • It is a paperless process.

Taken together, the above translate into achieving the key MRO objectives of enhanced airworthiness, high reliability, cost-effective maintenance, preventive maintenance planning and on-time flying.

Click here for full SOFTWARE details and for a demo

Your Preferred

Integration Partner for Aviation MRO and Technical Documentation Systems Hexaware Technologies is a leading global provider of IT & BPO services and consulting. The company has grown to around 6300 consultants working across disparate domain and technologies. Hexaware with its strong experience in various business functions in MRO

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44 | WHITE PAPER: XXXX | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

Figure 1. Setting out the data source perspective.

The source of data on which MRO service decisions are made The data is supplied by multiple main materials requirement planning (MRP) and MRO modules such as, Configuration Control, Maintenance Planning, Technical Records, Repair and Warranty, Workshop tracking, Defect Control, Production planning, Digital Documentation, Material planning, Purchase & Logistic, Projects, Inventory & Stores control, interfaces with other systems and invoicing. Some of the data generated are operation critical and required for forecasting and trend analysis.

Aircraft configuration records are specific for each aircraft and they will include records of install and removal events, repair and warranty, defects, long and short term maintenance requirements, and completion records. Apart from this, many data from satellite systems like DMS and RMS are also captured. So, considering the type of data, crucial information is captured which is required for quality assurance (QA) and for submission to the regional Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The accompanying figure 1 sets out the data source perspective.

Data warehouse (DW) is the solution A data warehouse (DW) is the optimum solution for the massive MRO data analyses required to support decisions for Information Services. The solution offers flexibility for management and end users to review the historical data and take quick business decisions. It also reduces IT development costs. A fundamental concept for a data warehouse is the distinction between data and information. Data are composed of the sort of recordable facts often found in operational or transactional systems. In a data warehouse environment, data only comes to have value to end-users when it is organized and presented as information. Information is an integrated collection of facts and is used as the basis for decision making.

The data warehouse is that portion of an overall architected data environment that serves as the single integrated source of data for processing information. A data warehouse has specific characteristics that include subject orientation; it is an integrated source of information; it is also non-volatile, time variant, accessible and process oriented.

The modern approach, supported by business intelligence and analytics (BI&A) tools, enables M&E to build information entities for decision support; extract, cleanse and load data; build a data warehouse, and drill down the data to get desired maintenance information.

An approach to building a data warehouse and potential challenges The first step is to identify the decision support information requirements and the sources of the subject oriented and nonvolatile data. This needs to be discussed and agreed with the departments concerned – a process that requires the collaboration of end users and IT consultants to arrive at the comprehensive and business specific requirements. While creating the requirements, designers should be specific on particular subjects or areas of interest, not simply as computer files. Designing a data warehouse demands many steps including the creation of universes, classes and objects; mapping requirements with data; establishing table joins; deciding on summaries and aggregates; indexing; and categorizing. It also includes deciding on aggregating techniques such as Star Schema and Snowflake Schema, and deciding on the target data base, tables and their relationship.

AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: XXXX | 45

Often the selection of data from the operational environment may be very complex. Due to diverse technology platforms, multiple data sources and data inconsistencies, data has to be integrated, reformatted and cleaned before populating the data warehouse.

The extraction of data from the operational environment to the data warehouse environment requires a change in technology. Often the selection of data from the operational environment may be very complex. Due to diverse technology platforms, multiple data sources and data inconsistencies, data has to be integrated, reformatted and cleaned before populating the data warehouse. The ‘extract, transform and load’ (ETL) operation must account for massive volumes of input from the operational databases. Data relationships that have been built into old legacy program logic must be understood and unraveled before those files can be used as input.

Developing data warehouses for specific areas is a very complex process. That complexity increases when a legacy system is involved as the source. Especially in the MRO space, most systems are legacy based and have to interface with many other external systems such as enterprise resource planning (ERP), resource management system (RMS), docket management system (DMS), engine monitoring systems, aircraft communications addressing and reporting system (ACARS), flight scheduling, etc. There are many MRO operational sections, and the skill set and expertise of end users will differ from one section to another.

So, before initiating any data warehousing activity, a clear idea of the MRO domain is essential plus active involvement of the users is required: otherwise, the desired result may not be achieved.

Conclusion In summary, inefficient MRO and M&E services not only incur high MRO costs but also severely impact airlines through delays and lost revenue opportunities. The impact on the corporate bottom line quickly becomes obvious. Also the number of aircraft in an operation multiplies the impact. Investment in new BI&A technology coupled with judicious outsourcing of the data warehousing development and integration projects, will certainly yield high returns.

ABOUT HEXAWARE

Hexaware Technologies is a leading global provider of IT & BPO services and consulting. The company has grown to around 7500 consultants working across disparate domain and technologies; with focused services in Application Development and Maintenance, Legacy Modernization, Application Implementation, Integration & Customization, Quality Assurance& Testing, Business Intelligence & Analytics.

Hexaware has in-depth knowledge on MRO business processes, having provided IT Services to leading airlines and leading MRO product companies. Our MRO Practice is led by experts with hands-on experience in legacy and new technology environments on functional areas like Material Management, Maintenance Engineering, Configuration Management & Technical Records, Line Maintenance, Shop Floor, Warranty & Claims and Technical Documentation.

Working closely with our BI/BA experts, the Hexaware MRO team is actively creating accelerators for MRO Data extraction and Analytics.

Lakshmi Narasimhan Assistant Vice President – Travel & Transportation

Lakshmi Narasimhan (Lakshmi) has more than 20 years of experience in the airline industry both in the business domain and in IT. As part of his service with two major airlines, a leading airline product company and a leading IT services company, he has specialized in business consulting, product conceptualization & implementation and business process management.

Sunil Joshi

Subject Matter Expert

Sunil Joshi had 15+ years of IT experience, of which the last 10 years of experience is from Aircraft Engineering Maintenance (MRO) application software. As part of his services to airlines M&E application, he has been providing business & technical solutions on various MRO modules from Material Management (Material Request, Purchasing, and Inventory movements), Shop Floor, Maintenance Packages in M&E, Technical Records, Line Maintenance. He has been involved in designing and implementing the solutions and his area of specialization is Material Management, Shop Floor and Maintenance Package in M&E.

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46 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

MRO Software Directory

Key ‘at-a-glance’ information from the world’s leading MRO software providers.

There are three recognized categories of MRO software solutions: 1) Pure-play MRO solutions also known as Best of Breed (BoB) 2) Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Solutions 3) Specialist Point Solutions Software solutions assigned to categories 1 & 2 offer a complete end-to-end MRO solution for airlines, MROs and aircraft operators and meet most business system requirements for MRO facilities and airlines of any size seeking a new MRO software solution or looking to replace or renew an existing one.

Pure-play systems are designed specifically for the aviation MRO industry and typically offer a complete solution to fit with the highly regulated nature of the industry. ERP MRO Solutions are part of a complete end-to-end enterprise wide software package and allow for extended capability with other systems such as Finance and Human Resources.

Specialist Point solutions are MRO systems that are particularly strong in certain niche areas and usually complement the pure-play solutions.

For ease of reference the directory below is divided into two sections: Pure-play and ERP MRO Solutions; and Specialist Point Solutions

Pure-play, BoB and ERP MRO Solutions:

2MoRO Solutions

ADT - Applied Database Technology

W: www.amicos.com T: +45 7443 3222 E: sales@amicos.com W: www.adbtech.com T: +1 (425) 466-5013 +1 (614) 377-9644 E: sales@adbtech.com Company formed...................................................................1992 Office Location............... Bellevue, Tampa USA; Istanbul, Turkey Name of Product Marketed • Wings NG Number of Modules..................................................................14 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Fleet Management • Maintenance Engineering • Material Management • Production Planning • Labor Collection, Billing 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 the aerospace companies.

ADT has been in the software business since 1992 and 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.

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AeroSoft Systems Inc. W: www.2moro.com T: +33 (0)559 013 005 (EMEA & Asia) T: +001 514 861 8686 (Americas) E: 2moro@2moro.com Company formed...................................................................2004 Office Location......................................France (HQ) and Canada Name of Product Marketed • Aero One®, Aero-Webb®, BFly® Number of Modules....................................................................6 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Fleet Management • Technical Referential Management • Maintenance Forecasting • Inspection, Sentencing, Workbench • Configuration Control Created in 2004, 2MoRO Solutions is an innovative company dedicated to software development for the Aerospace & Defense market (operational and R&D needs).

We are located in America and in Europe. Our solutions are operated in 17 countries. We provide three high value products: Aero-One®, Aero-Webb®, BFly®.

We have partnership with the world best of class ERP and PLM software providers, SAP® and PTC®. Our products are fully integrated with ERP offering cross functionalities: Accounting, Financials, Sales, Purchasing , Operations, Inventory & Distribution. We offer specific A&D functionalities: Fleet Management, Technical Referential Mgt, Maintenance Forecasting, Maintenance Execution, Inspection & Sentencing, Configuration Control, CRM & CSM.

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Cimber Air Data AS

W: www.aerosoftsys.com T: +1 905.678.9564 E: sales@aerosoftsys.com Company formed...................................................................1997 Office Location.............................................Mississauga,Ontario, Canada; Miami,FL,USA; Austria Name of Product Marketed • DigiMAINT, DigiDOC, WebPMI/DJM Number of Modules....................................................................5 Five 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 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. AeroSoft’s strategic partners include Hexaware Technologies Inc. who are jointly going to market internationally offering large IT capacity at competitive rates.

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Company formed...................................................................1985 Office Location...............................................................Denmark Name of Product Marketed • AMICOS Next Generation Number of Modules................................................................ n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Maintenance & Engineering / MRO • Logistics and Procurement • Reliability & Statistics • Planning • Manpower & Cost control

25 years of successful design, development and implementation makes Cimber Air Data (CAD) one of the most seasoned players in the business. Our staff averages over 15 years of experience in Aviation MRO. Close contact with our customers assure that we are constantly up to date with the latest developments and business requirements. When you talk to CAD staff, you are talking to a proficient Aviation Professional.

Cimber Air Data is a profitable company, and we are constantly developing the product.

The AMICOS NG (Next Generation) MRO system is an affordable “Enterprise” solution exclusively developed for Aviation. Our focus is on in-depth functionality and total process control. The diversity of our customers and their business processes ensures that AMICOS covers almost any possible variation of MRO data management.

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Communications Software (Airline Systems) Ltd W: www.commsoft.aero T: +44 (0) 1621 817 425 E: nsg@commsoft.aero

Company formed...................................................................1971 Office Location...................................... Tiptree, Derby, Norwich, Gatwick, UK; Brisbane, Australia; Coimbatore, India Name of Product Marketed • OASES Number of Modules..................................................................10 Five Key Business/Software Areas • User Friendly - ease of use for all levels of expertise • Excellent Support - full support throughout the life cycle of the product • Scalability - can grow with your business • Cost - low ‘cost of ownership’ • Security - proven security

Communications Software Ltd provides the Open Aviation Strategic Engineering System (OASES), covering all aspects of aircraft maintenance for airlines and third-party maintainers.

Areas covered include: inventory control; rotable tracking; demand handling; requirements planning; PO and RO processing; component and aircraft technical records; maintenance forecasting; aircraft check planning and documentation, plus check accomplishment analysis; aircraft technical log recording; shop floor data collection; work in progress; time and attendance monitoring; and system and component reliability analysis, plus repetitive defects, sales order processing, full quotation management, invoice passing, advanced scheduling, line maintenance control, AD/ SB evaluation and deferred defect management. The company provides electronic AMMs and IPCs linked electronically to, and accessible by, the system.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 47

Lufthansa Technik AG

Ramco Systems

Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd.

W: www.lufthansa-technik.com/manage-m T: +49 69 696 91628 E: info@manage-m.com

W: www.ramcoaviation.com T: +1 305 538 8499 E: agatag@rsc.ramco.com

W: www.sds.co.in T: (+91-22) 2281 9198/ 2281 1086 E: rohit.jha@sds.co.in E: vicky.sheorey@sds.co.in

Company formed...................................................................1995 Office Location............................................................Worldwide Name of Product Marketed • manage/m® Number of Modules..................................................................15 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Compliance Reporting • MPD management and revision service • Task scheduling and control • Material management • Management of technical findings (PiRep & MaRep) Lufthansa Technik’s unique Technical Operations WebSuite manage/m® allows commercial aircraft operators to manage all core functions of their fleet’s technical operations as an entirely web-based system online – anytime and anywhere. manage/m® is provided at no extra costs to every customer holding a MRO contract with Lufthansa Technik.

Rounding out Lufthansa Technik’s all-encompassing portfolio of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services, the modules of manage/m® comprise a complete range of airline-proven support functions that permit operators to live up to their responsibilities towards the aviation authorities.

Reflecting Lufthansa Technik’s MRO competence in all of its facets, manage/m® provides you with the necessary information to live up to your responsibilities as an operator in full. Quality monitoring, reliability trends, status reports, documentation and tracking of shop events in realtime are just a few of the available WebServices.

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Company formed...................................................................1996 Office Location..........USA, Canada, Europe, Middle East, Africa, India, Asia-Pacific, Singapore, Malaysia Name of Product Marketed • Ramco Aviation Enterprise Solution, Ramco Aviation M&E solution, Ramco Aviation MRO Solution, Ramco Aviation Analytics, Ramco Electronic Flight Bag(EFB), Ramco ePublications, Ramco Aviation Manufacturing OnDemand, Ramco eProcurement Number of Modules..................................................................20 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Maintenance & Engineering • Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul • Aviation Manufacturing and Repair Stations • Human Resources • Finance Ramco Systems is the world’s largest provider of Aviation M&E, MRO and Manufacturing software solutions designed from the ground up for Commercial Passenger and Cargo, Military, PBL, PBM, Fixed Wing & Rotor, Fleet Operators, MRO providers and OEM organizations. The solutions are offered On-premise (in-house), through an Application Service Provider, or OnDemand utilizing its solutions and automation tools in running lean, efficient and profitable operations.

Ramco’s Series 5 provides a positive impact on reducing turn times while increasing operational performance and compliance through the full integration of engineering, supply chain, maintenance planning and execution, and compliance modules in an elegant graphical interface.

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Mxi Technologies

Rusada SA

W: www.mxi.com T: +1 613-747-4698 E: info@mxi.com

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

Company formed...................................................................1996 Office Location.................. Ottawa, Amsterdam,Detroit, Seattle, Washington, Sydney, Tampa, Saudi Arabia Name of Product Marketed • Maintenix, Maintenix CE Number of Modules....................................................................5 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Maintenance Engineering & Information Management • Maintenance Planning • Maintenance Execution • Material management • Business Support & Analytics With solutions designed specifically for aviation maintenance, Mxi Technologies provides integrated and intelligent software, support, and services to commercial airlines, MROs, OEM aftermarket service providers, and defense operators. Mxi Technologies’ Maintenix® software uses a modern architecture and provides advanced capabilities such as a role-based Web browser interface, long range and automated line planning, automated workflow, electronic signatures, support for portable wireless devices, and a comprehensive range of integration APIs. Our customers range from emerging, small to midsized organizations to the largest global enterprises. For more information and to find out how you can join the evolution of aviation maintenance, visit www.mxi.com today.

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Company formed...................................................................1987 Office Location..................... Europe, Middle East, Asia, Far East Name of Product Marketed • Envision Number of Modules....................................10 (Single database) Five Key Business/Software Areas • Technical records and Asset Management • Asset and Stock Management • Operations • Engineering & Maintenance • Quality, Safety and Analytics Rusada is a global leader in the development of complex asset management software for the aerospace industry.

With over 20 year’s heritage, Rusada, provides a range of tools and integrated IT solutions to enable the complete management of fleets of aircraft and the optimisation of the service provision around them. Headquartered in Switzerland with operations in the Far East, Middle East, Asia and Europe, Rusada serves over 60 major customers worldwide, spanning clients that include Operators, MROs and OEMs. Rusada’s Envision toolkit is an industry benchmark within aviation managing over 1500 aircraft in 20 countries. Latest innovations include the development of an Analytical Manager for live KPI analysis and monitoring against thresholds via a web based dashboard, and a new Safety Management Module designed to assist with a company’s Safety Management Procedures.

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Company formed...................................................................1993 Office Location...........................Mumbai, Bangalore, Singapore Name of Product Marketed • ARMS®: Airline Resource Management System, InfoPrompt®: Integrated Document Management System Number of Modules....................................................................4 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Engineering & Maintenance Sub-System (ARMS® - EMSS) • Heavy MRO Sub-System (ARMS® HMRO)* • Logistics & Inventory Management Sub-System (ARMS® LIMSS) • InfoPrompt®: Integrated Document Management System * Under development Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd., (SDS), is an established, fast growing, ISO 9001:2008 Certified Software Company, focused on providing Software Solutions to the Aviation Industry.

ARMS®: ‘Airline Resource Management System’ is an internet rich, current-generation, state-of-the-art Information Technology System that effectively addresses the extremely critical and cost sensitive nature of Airlines/Commercial Air Transport operations. ARMS® is one of the few costeffective, fully integrated software solutions that seamlessly addresses – Flight Operations, Maintenance and Logistics functions of an air transport operator - designed and developed to control costs which is so very critical for Air Operators today! ARMS® is readily and easily ‘customizable’ to specific business & operational requirements.

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Swiss AviationSoftware Ltd. W: www.swiss-as.com T: +41 61 582 72 94 E: marketing@swiss-as.com Company formed..............2004 (project AMOS started in 1989) Office Location.....................Basel, Switzerland; Miami, FL, USA Name of Product Marketed • AMOS Number of Modules..................................................................10 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Material Management • Engineering • Planning • Production • Maintenance Control Swiss AviationSoftware unites over 20 years of IT experience with profound MRO expertise and offers its customers the functionally unsurpassed and technologically state-of-the art 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, almost 100 customers worldwide steer their maintenance activities with AMOS, which makes AMOS the industry-leading MRO software in Europe and one of the best-selling solutions globally.

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48 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUTUMN 2011

TRAX USA Corp.

W: www.trax.aero T: +1 305.662.7400 E: sales@trax.aero Company formed...................................................................1997 Office Location........Miami, Fl, USA; Horsham, West Sussex, UK Name of Product Marketed • TRAX Maintenance & Engineering Software Number of Modules..................................................................23 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Engineering & Planning • Production & Shop • Technical Records & Reliability • TRAXDoc Document Control • Supply Chain Management TRAX is the global leader in the aviation Maintenance and Engineering software industry. Deployed at airlines with fleets of all sizes, TRAX is the most advanced maintenance software solution available today. TRAX Maintenance has been developed with Airlines and for Airlines.

Consisting of over 20 modules, TRAX Maintenance is a completely integrated product. Organizational efficiency gains can be substantial when using TRAX 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.

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Volartec

W: www.volartec.aero T: +353 617 49010 E: marketing@volartec.aero Company formed...................................................................2004 Office Location................................................Ireland; Argentina Name of Product Marketed • Alkym ® Management & Control System for Aircraft Maintenance Number of Modules..................................................................15 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Maintenance & Engineering • Logistics • Quality Assurance / Human Resources • Planning & Reliability • Document Management / Technical Library Alkym® is the most comprehensive and cost-effective software solutions available in the market today. It is specially designed to improve MRO Technical Operations performance by a professional team with strong aviation background. Alkym® is a completely integrated software solution to meet the demands of Aircraft operators and MRO providers.

The key difference is our proven ability to deliver the fastest ROI. This is achieved by providing all the functionality at a fraction of the cost of others on market.

We deliver the implementation project in record time with a dedicated team. Typically this is done in 4 to 5 weeks.

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Specialist Point Solutions

AIRCRAFT DATA SYSTEMS (ADS)

W: www.technicalrecords.net W: www.adsfrance.net T: +33 (0) 975 333 675 E: jalbrecht@technicalrecords.net Company formed...................................................................2005 Office Location.......................................................Nîmes, France Name of Product Marketed • ADS TRM (Technical Records Management), ADS TPA (Technical Publication Authoring) Number of Modules....................................................................5 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Searchable Dirty Finger Print • 7 OCR engines • 3 seconds or less to find a 25 years old log book page with its exact content • Scan in Color, high definition • EN-9100 Our software can be tailored upon customer requirement.

This allows us to input and organize records in any architecture in order to meet the exact requirements and internal rules of our customers. The records presentation shape is established just as customer wishes.

A mechanic, a financial assessor or a leasing company representative don’t have the same needs to collect and explore records but will be interested in the same content of data. Once scanned, the records can be presented, searched and exported in any customized way.

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EmpowerMX

W: www.empowermx.com T: +1 866-498-3702 E: info@empowermx.com Company formed...................................................................1999 Office Location....................................................Minnesota, USA Name of Product Marketed • Fleetcycle MRO Suite, Fleetcycle Execution Suite Number of Modules....................................................................8 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Maintenance Program Manager (FCMPM) • Planning Manager (FCPM) / Materials Manager (FCMM) • MRO Manager (FCXM) • Production Manager (FCXP) / Reliability Manager (FCRM) • Line Manager (FCXL) / Maintenance Intelligence (FCMI) FleetCycle® MRO ERP allows mros, airlines, lessors and any aviation maintenance entities to effectively manage the entire maintenance lifecycle or portions of the lifecycle they are responsible for. Airlines can jointly manage their outsourced and all insourced activities like Engineering Reliability, QA, Maintenance Programs, at the line, heavy, and shop levels. FleetCycle® ERP can significant reduce cycle times and enhance labor productivity to the order of 16%-30% and reduced costs, as well as increased aircraft availability, and reduced delays and cancellations. Third party MROs can run their entire operation of contracting and bidding on an aircraft to invoice the customer.

FleetCycle® MRO ERP is the only tool currently available in the market place that reaches down to the technician on the floor and completely automates the process.

Intelligence gathered with this system provides an accurate, timely basis for dramatic improvements in the efficiency and integrity of maintenance processes and the forecasted availability of aircraft.

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Enigma W: www.enigma.com T: +1 781-273-3600 E: infous@enigma.com Company formed...................................................................1992 Office Location....Burlington, MA USA; Singapore; London, UK; Tokyo, Japan; Hertzlia, Israel; Stockholm, Sweden, Name of Product Marketed • InService MRO, InService Job Card Generator, InService Revision Manager, Enigma 3C Number of Modules................................................................ n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • MRO Technical Documentation Delivery • Revision Management/Control • Job/Task Card Automation • Illustrated Parts Catalogs • Service and Parts Documentation Enigma solutions help airlines and MRO facilities reduce costs and improve service efficiency and consistency by providing maintenance technicians with the latest maintenance manuals, spare parts and service information, filtered by tail number. Enigma takes data from enterprise applications – such as MRO Planning and Engineering, ERP, etc. – and creates an interactive maintenance solution that delivers the latest service, parts, and diagnostic information.

By offering dynamic, integrated parts and service information, and links to inventory, order management and other systems, Enigma enables engineers to quickly update and distribute technical publications, and technicians to swiftly perform maintenance and repairs.

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Gen2 Systems Limited

W: www.gen2systems.net T: +44 (0) 121 351 6563 E: adrian.ryan@gen2systems.net Company formed...................................................................2007 Office Location............................... Birmingham UK, London UK Name of Product Marketed • FLYdocs Number of Modules....................................................................9 Five Key Business/Software Areas • Aircraft Management • Engine Centre • Repair Centre • Search • Current Status / EoL Centre FLYdocs is a highly efficient system used for electronic Document Storage, Aircraft Returns, Engine Management, Repair Management, Landing Gear Management, APU Management, Thrust Reverser Management, instant online Searching and Lease Company Management….plus much more…

The system is incredibly flexible and easy to use and provides clients with integrated options to connect to internal Maintenance Planning systems to create a closed loop for record keeping. FLYdocs uses a highly advanced and exceptionally intelligent platform to perform manual tasks with ease, vastly reducing the time it takes to manage documentation as well as providing major cost savings and value for money.

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AUTUMN 2011 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 49

Hexaware Technologies

InfoTrust Group, Inc.

W: www.hexaware.com/travel-transporthospitality-solution.htm T: India: +91 22-67919595 T: Americas: +1 609-409-6950 E: vaibhavs@hexaware.com

W: www.infotrustgroup.com T: +1 949-732-7532 E: loster@infotrustgroup.com

Company formed...................................................................1990 Office Location...........Mumbai, New Jersey, London, Frankfurt, Singapore, Japan, Dubai, Mexico Name of Product Marketed • Hexaware is a Technology and Business Services Company providing end to end services to the Aviation market.

Number of Modules................................................................ n/a Five Key Business/Software Areas • Custom MRO Software development and maintenance • System selection consulting & system integration services • Implementation, upgrades and migration of MRO products • Interface Development • Customization and Enhancement across modules Hexaware is a niche, focused IT and BPO services company providing end-to-end system integration and IT services to customers across Travel & Transportation, Banking and Financial Services, Healthcare and Manufacturing industries.

With annual revenues of USD 230M for FY 2010, Hexaware has a global workforce of around 6300 consultants working across various industries and technologies. Hexaware has a strong experience working in various business functions in MRO and Technical Documentation domains and specialize in System selection, custom software development and maintenance services, Business Intelligence / analytics, Infrastructure Management Services (IMS), and Quality Assurance and Testing services.

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Company formed...................................................................1994 Office Location.Irvine, CA, Boulder, CO, Phoenix, AZ, Austin, TX, Shanghai, China, Paris France Name of Product Marketed • TechSight/X S1000D, TechSight/X ATA Number of Modules.............................................................. 10+ Five Key Business/Software Areas • Content Management System (CMS) • Interactive Electronic Technical Publisher (IETP) • Technical Operations Edition • Technical Publications Edition • Flight Operations Edition InfoTrust Group is a recognized leader in the aerospace industry for more than 25 years. InfoTrust delivers solution to hundreds of companies for their information processing, conversion, authoring, content and change management, publishing and distribution objectives. InfoTrust’s wide range of end-to-end solutions that increase productivity by taking advantage of XML capabilities and content reuse, and that produce more accurate and reliabile information for compliancy. Its solution support all flight ops, engineering, maintenance, engine, component and training manuals. InfoTrust currently services major airlines, OEMs, suppliers and MRO s worldwide. To learn more about TechSight/X and InfoTrust Group’s full range of products, services and solutions, please visit www.infotrustgroup.com.

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Supporting the front lines.

Benefitting the bottom lines.

With one of the worldʼs most effective aircraft maintenance software suites and a team of the worldʼs most experienced maintenance and operational consultants, EmpowerMX will help lift your productivity and profitability to new heights.

EmpowerMX.com

MAINTENANCE or ENGINEERING INFORMATION SYSTEMS PROBLEMS? At any given moment, over 100,000 technicians, engineers and pilots depend on InfoTrust Group solutions.

With over 20 years of experience solving back office maintenance and engineering systems problems, we offer a wide range of applications and service offerings designed specifically to meet your needs: •

Widely deployed end-to-end solutions for authoring, change management, publishing and delivery

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Services including aircraft records, technical writing, engineering, change authoring and conversion

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Consulting, program management, hosting and outsourcing

To learn more, call us at +1 949.732.7500 or visit our website at www.infotrustgroup.com