V2.4 • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
MOBILE WORKFORCE
A modern fleet needs modern methods GOOD LANGUAGE
Information should be usable wherever it’s viewed, on whatever platform
STEPPING UP
How CAIRE Group upgraded its MRO system to meet the future
WHAT’S THE ADVANTAGE? Taking software from a tool to a USP
White Paper: InfoTrust Group, ExSyn Aviation Solutions Case Study: TAP M&E, IFRSKEYES & CAIRE Group Vendor Job Card: Lufthansa Technik manage/m PLUS… News & who’s in the News, Webinars, MRO Software Directory
Your
Preferred & Innovative IT Solutions Partner Hexaware is your preferred & trusted IT partner for end-to-end system integration and technology services to the MRO industry. Hexaware’s MRO IT service is part of Global Travel and Transportation practice with over 1200+ consultants working closely with world's leading travel and transportation customers. One of the fastest growing IT services organisations with focus on select industries, Hexaware crossed revenues of USD 365 Mn for Financial year 2012. Hexaware's MRO practice leverages its experience to create tools and services which helps its customers in efficient migration to newer M&E Systems, implementing industry specific Data Warehouses and Analytics as well as Independent Application Testing Suites.
HMro Suite of Offering includes -
• HMro Analytics including more than 50+ Industry specific KPIs with prebuilt Dashboards and Reports • HMro Data Migration Suite to ease your challenges in migrating to newer systems with specific Accelerators for ETL and mapping. • HMro Test Suite for functional Testing of your M & E Applications. • HMro BPO Services for Technical Records Digitization and Management. www.hexaware.com
04 NEWS
In a fast-moving business like MRO, developments came thick and fast and keeping up with what is going on can become a job in itself. Clever MRO IT managers check regularly on www.aircraftit.com/MRO and here in the Aircraft IT MRO e-journal.
Editor’s comment
Aircraft IT MRO: The world is always changing in small ways but current developments look likely to bring change in a big way With so many airlines now anticipating the arrival of shiny new next generation aircraft it’s tempting to think that in a few years all will be digital, next generation and wholly integrated. But it won’t be quite that way. Aircraft enjoy a very long ‘in-service’ life spanning three or four decades which means that a lot of airlines will be flying mixed fleets of next generation and legacy generation aircraft for the foreseeable future. Even the new engine option (NEO) B737s and A 320s will, for all their modernity, not have been designed from the outset as next generation aircraft. This is going to be a challenge for airlines, aircraft operators and, especially, for pure MROs whose customers will certainly be flying aircraft of both generations. And it will be a significant challenge for IT designers, builders and vendors. A lot of great IT will be arriving in the coming years and a lot of great IT will be bought and installed. But, in order to leverage the best value from what are already very capable solutions, users will need to turn their investment in great software into a positive business advantage. You can read in this issue how one airline is leveraging the opportunity of ‘intelligent’ aircraft to inform and drive improvements across the whole operation. You’ll also read how the latest developments in generating, packaging and distributing information can add real value over and above the functions for which they were designed and how to turn an investment in software into a powerful competitive advantage. And you’ll see how a young growing airline has laid the best possible foundations by embracing high quality IT right away. As in every issue, you’ll learn what makes a key software vendor tick. Plus, of course, How Michael Denis sees IT. And, as always, lots more news and information from your sector. In addition to all that, the Aircraft IT live demonstration webinars allow readers to research the software package most appropriate for their needs and access past webinars with more focus than ever while, of course, future webinars are open for every reader who registers. The future will come and readers will have to be part of it: in Aircraft IT MRO, they can learn how use to their advantage what the future of MRO IT has in store. Aircraft IT MRO: Your world of MRO IT gathered, packaged and delivered to your desktop. Ed Haskey CLICK HERE: Send your feedback and suggestions to AircraftIT MRO 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 2013 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.
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Publisher/Editor: E-mail: Telephone: Website: Copy Editor/Contributor: E-mail: Magazine Production: E-mail:
Ed Haskey ed.haskey@aircraftit.com +44 1403 230 700 or +44 1273 700 555 www.aircraftIT.com John Hancock john@aircraftit.com Dean Cook deancook@magazineproduction.com
18 WHITE PAPER: THE RIGHT LANGUAGE IN THE RIGHT CONTEXT
Tim Larson, chief product owner for TechSight/X suite of products at InfoTrust Group Using technology not only to generate information but also to manage the way it is packaged and used will make more pertinent information more readily available.
23 COLUMN: HOW I SEE IT
eSignatures: why are we a decade behind? We use eSignatures to an increasing degree in everyday life and yet when a multi-million dollar aircraft has to be signed off after maintenance or repair, we generate paper to sign with an old ball-point. Mike wonders why MRO is so far behind?
24 CASE STUDY: MOBILITY WORKFORCE
Fernando Ferreira Matos, Head of Information Technologies at TAP Maintenance & Engineering In preparing for its A350 fleet, TAP has re-thought IT infrastructure and developed new systems to get the best from new aircraft; starting with mobile working.
28 UPCOMING LIVE MRO SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATION WEBINARS
A preview of live MRO software demonstration webinars featuring Boeing Mobile Maintenance on12th September 2013 and TRAX Mobile and MRO/M&E on 19th September 2013.
29 VENDOR JOB CARD
Dr Falk Kalus explains the thinking and approach behind Lufthansa Technik and manage/m® On his Job Card, Dr Falk Kalus, Director manage/m® Technical Operations WebSuite, Lufthansa Technik AG explains what drives the development of manage/m®.
30 CASE STUDY: GETTING BETTER
Jean-Philippe Coudrat, Fleet Technical Manager at the CAIRE group Upgrading a current system is often right for a growing airline, as this focus on the experience of the CAIRE group implementing the latest version of AMASIS shows.
34 PAST WEBINARS: KNOWLEDGE TRANSFER AND ACCESS FOR INDUSTRY EXPERTS
View Video Recordings of our Past Live MRO Software Demonstration Webinars. See full information and view video recordings of past MRO Software Demonstrations, including: Mxi, Ramco, and Hexaware.
36 WHITE PAPER: LEVERAGING ADVANTAGE OUT OF SOFTWARE
Sander de Bree, Managing Director ExSyn Aviation Solutions M&E software is essential to any airline or MRO’s ability to conduct its business but software also has the capability to create a unique value for the business.
43 MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY
A detailed look at the world’s leading MRO IT systems.
4 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
New software solutions provider join AircraftIT vendor groups AIRCRAFTIT is a knowledge source to the continuing effectiveness of which the growing membership of our panel of vendors contribute enormously. So it is with great pleasure that we announce the inclusion of another solution provider to the panel. AerData provides integrated software solutions for lease management, engine fleet planning and records scanning as well as technical and back office services for aircraft and engine operators, lessors and MROs. With a strong customer focus AerData delivers reliable and secure services to its clients using latest technologies and state of the art IT infrastructure. AerData has an experienced team of 125 professionals across four offices in The Netherlands, UK, Ireland and the USA. Within AerData, software developers and aviation experts work together seamlessly in order to deliver exceptional software, product support and reliable back office services to the aviation industry. AircraftIT MRO editor and publisher, Ed Haskey, welcomed the new vendor to the panel, commenting, “It’s always a challenge for a publication to keep its feet firmly on the ground where readers have to work and yet we need to do that in order to provide a resource that MRO executives, whether in airlines or pure MRO businesses, will value and use. The vendors on our panel keep us firmly planted in the real MRO environment and I know that AerData will further strengthen that panel adding significantly to the skills and knowledge resources available to readers.”
2MoRO joins the French Prime Minister delegation in Malaysia
2MORO was proud to announce, in late July 2013, its participation to the official French Prime Minister delegation in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. “We want to be close to our customers and partners in Asia so as to set up a sustainable relationship with them” said David Ferrier, in charge of the Business Development of the company. This visit in Malaysia is linked to the development of the company in Asia Pacific and its willingness to launch a subsidiary in this region.
AMERIJET INTERNATIONAL AIRLINES SIGNS FOR DIGIDOC DIGITAL CONTENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS
AEROSOFT Systems Inc. was pleased to announce at the end of June 2013 that Amerijet International Airlines has selected DigiDOC to provide a digital Content Management System to support its aircraft maintenance operations. The agreement, signed on June 28th, 2013, covers the implementation of AeroSoft’s DigiDOC Content Management System (CMS) for Task Card Management along with Interactive Electronic Technical Publications (IETP), processing of OEM revisions and Maintenance Program management. DigiDOC will be integrated with Amerijet’s MRO system – the latest version of AeroSoft’s WebPMI – a solution covering all the areas of airline maintenance and regulatory compliance.
IFRSKEYES solutions integrated with Airbus and making headway in China IFRSKEYES was delighted to announce in mid-June 2013 that Airbus FHS (Flight Hour Services) has built a powerful IT solution based on AMASIS to monitor the aircraft component Pool access and to perform the Engineering activities proposed to Airbus operators (Fleet Technical Management). The Airbus IT division has also developed a solution based on IBIS, IFRSKEYES’ integrated Business Intelligence tool, to enrich AMASIS coverage with customized reports and dashboards. IFRSKEYES works in close cooperation with Airbus not only to integrate solutions into the global Airbus IT architecture, but also to interface with the customers’ solutions to streamline communication and further increase quality service. Airbus’ FHS is now covering more than 100 aircraft for A320, A330, A340 and A380 operators.
CHINA EXPRESS AIRLINES CHOSE IFRSKEYES’ BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE SOLUTION
IN early July, an agreement on the use of IBIS was made between China Express Airlines (HXA) and IFRSKEYES. HXA will be able to use IBIS in hosting mode in the near future. HXA has been using AMASIS in the SAAS model for seven years. Recently, they have decided to upgrade the solution to the V9.20 release and to take this opportunity to purchase a plug-and-play business intelligence solution. At the same time, HXA also purchased three new AMASIS modules (Inventory Bar Code, Labour Man-hours, and Production Bar Code) and therefore has switched to the license purchase model.
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
Can’t Solve The MRO & Operations Puzzle? Envision
Completing The Picture
www.rusada.com +41 21 533 03 34 information@rusada.com @rusadasoftware
MRO EUROPE SEPTEMBER 24th - 26th, 2013 ExCeL. London Exhibition & Convention Centre
Visit us at MRO Europe (#MROE) Booth number 825
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS | 5
JETSTAR, BOEING AND EMIRATES SELECT AER DATA’S STREAM MANAGEMENT SOLUTION JETSTAR AIRWAYS CHOOSE AERDATA’S STREAM SOFTWARE
JETSTAR Airways, the leading provider of low cost airfares in Australia and New Zealand, selected STREAM records scanning and indexing software solution from AerData, provider of software and services for the aviation industry. STREAM (Secure Technical Records for Electronic Asset Management) is a web-based solution used by some of the world’s largest airlines, lessors and MROs to manage scanned aircraft and engine records. AerData, together with a local Melbourne-based partner, has delivered a paperless office solution providing access to all Jetstar’s technical records on demand. Commenting on the late April 2013 announcement, Mark Nieuwendijk, Managing Director of AerData said; “Jetstar is a significant engagement for AerData, one that we are proud to add to our impressive airline portfolio. AerData, along with a local document scanning and storage partner in Melbourne, have successfully completed ‘back to birth’ scans on 53 aircraft, implemented the software and started an ongoing records scanning and archiving project for Jetstar.” Jetstar’s Executive Manager of Engineering, Chris Snook, said the airline had worked with AerData to ensure the product met the requirements of a growing low fares airline. “We are pleased to be working with AerData, which is a company formed from people in the aviation industry who are passionate about aviation and therefore understand our specialized needs and requirements.” Mr Snook continued; “A key requirement was the experience that AerData has brought to the scale of what we wanted to achieve, namely a complete back to birth scan of all our aircraft and an on-going fully outsourced records management service, all delivered here in Melbourne.”
BOEING GOLDCARE SELECTS STREAM RECORDS MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
IN late July 2013, AerData announced that Boeing, the world’s largest aerospace company and leading manufacturer of commercial jetliners and defense, space and security systems will use STREAM records management solution in support of its GoldCare program for airline fleet maintenance. Commenting on the announcement, Mark Nieuwendijk, Managing Director of AerData said; “Boeing is another major industry player to use STREAM, following in the footsteps of several other leading aerospace companies in the past twelve months. STREAM has demonstrated once again its value as the foremost enabler of the paperless engineering process. We are proud that STREAM will be part of Goldcare as it is perfectly suited to the unique service offering that Boeing will provide to its customers.” AerData will scan the aircraft technical records and make these available to Boeing personnel supporting GoldCare. GoldCare is a flexible lifecycle solution that offers a tailored combination of maintenance engineering and planning, material management and maintenance execution as a multiyear service managed by Boeing.
EMIRATES SELECTS STREAM RECORDS MANAGEMENT SOLUTION
AERDATA announced in late August 2013 that Emirates is the latest airline to acquire STREAM records management solution. The contract term is for five years. Commenting on the announcement, Mark Nieuwendijk, Managing Director of AerData said; “We are proud that Emirates, a prestigious global airline, has chosen AerData to be a long term partner for its organization with STREAM. During the selection process, we emphasized our highly functional software, enabling the paperless airline processes.” CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
Records Management Software for Airlines, Lessors and MROs Innovative Software and Services for Aviation Netherlands | UK | Ireland | Americas www.aerdata.com info@aerdata.com
STREAMTM gives you the power and flexibility to make all your records available online to the right users at the right time
Find out why we are number #1 to some of the world’s largest Airlines and Leasing companies at www.aerdata.com/stream
6 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
AviIT Inc. Awarded Contract to Manage Royal Canadian Mounted Police Air Services Technical Library
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
IN mid-August 2013, AviIT, Inc. announces it has been awarded the contract to provide eMan to centrally manage the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) Air Services’ technical manuals. This contract was awarded after a thorough review of all internal processes, which included adopting industry standards to provide 24/7 access to the RCMP Aviation Technical Library. eMan will be delivered to RCMP as a managed service, hosted in the AviIT Inc. high integrity regional data center. This will give RCMP aircraft maintenance engineers anytime access to all technical manuals and associated service documents regardless of where they are based. By providing a centralized document store and library
management capabilities, eMan will virtually eliminate the need for costly, multiple document subscriptions and ensure complete revision management, audit capabilities, compliance tracking and version control. eMan will also allow users to grant temporary access to third party vendors with appropriate safety and security – a powerful capability that supports the realities of maintenance operations. “We are delighted RCMP Air Services has selected eMan to support the efficient operation of centrally managed technical libraries. RCMP sets a high standard for operational effectiveness and the library management brief reflects this,” states Dale Alven, Vice President Technical Solutions at AviIT Inc. “eMan has been designed to solve the difficult task of providing global access to the current version of any maintenance documentation. Our ability to deliver this as a hosted offering, wrapped in a managed service makes for a very compelling proposition. We look forward to long a fruitful relationship with RCMP.”
DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AND M&E SEAMLESSLY INTEGRATED!
– Your key technical documents delivered directly to your computer or mobile device. “eMan was a perfect fit with an intuitive user interface for both our librarian and engineering teams. By using eMan on our mobile devices our engineers benefit even more from an efficient maintenance process as part of ongoing flight operation by having all information available whenever or wherever needed.” Markus Krüger, Head of Technical Documentation, airberlin technik
For more information
Visit: www.aviit.com, call: +44 (0)1383 620922 or email: info@aviit.com AVIIT HP 0913.indd 1
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IDMR Solutions was pleased to announce in early August 2013 their newest strategic partnership with IBS and its iFlight MRO system. IDMR is always looking to expand its offerings through strategic partnerships with industry leaders around the globe. Bringing end-to end software solutions to the Aviation industry, through integration with leading software developers and industry innovators is a key mission for the business. The partnership between IDMR and IBS will result in a seamless integration of IDMR’s InForm Document Management Suite and the iFlight MRO software. Technical documents, the primary source of aircraft engine and component reference information, need to be constantly revised in line with changing MRO procedures and regulatory requirements. This increases complexity and manual intervention as documents are often stored in multiple places and disparate automation tools are used for record keeping. Therefore, a centralized and integrated approach to Technical Documentation Management is required to streamline record-keeping processes, maintain version control and reduce information inaccuracies. The new level of integration between InForm and iFlight MRO brings to the table a compelling end-to-end IT solution to the MRO ecosystem of the global aviation M&E Industry. Hard copy Task Cards and Non Routines will be rendered obsolete, significantly reducing, time, errors and paper. The comprehensive Technical Documentation Management System will help airlines, manufactures and third-party maintenance providers reduce costs, enhance productivity and improve efficiencies. “After an intense evaluation process, we have zeroed in on IDMR Solutions to augment our IT offering for aviation maintenance and engineering. The synergy we will achieve through the partnership will help us serve our customers better and position us as the preferred solution provider for the global MRO industry” said Sankalp Saxena, President & Head of Aviation Operations Services SBU, IBS. “We are excited about this partnership with IBS; our joint solution will bring cutting edge technology to the M&E arena. The combination of M&E and Document Management software will provide Airlines and MROs with a single integrated solution to help maximize profits and efficiencies,” added Israel Revivo, President/CEO IDMR Solutions Inc.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS | 7
Commsoft OASES makes headway in the significant lease market
AIRCLAIMS TO USE COMMSOFT’S OASES IN CAMO SUPPORT FOR HI FLY MALTA A340
COMMSOFT, aviation engineering and maintenance systems specialist, was delighted to announce at the beginning of July 2013 that its client Airclaims has signed a six-month contract with Hi Fly Malta to provide CAMO (Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization) support for an A340-600. Airclaims, the world’s leading provider of aviation claims, risk and asset management services, will be relying on Commsoft’s OASES MRO IT system to fulfill the contract. Designed to combine ease of use with a technical sophistication that allows for the full integration of
all maintenance and engineering functions, OASES is structured in a modular format. To support the Hi Fly Malta Airbus, Airclaims will be using the Core, Airworthiness and Planning modules. Hi Fly, long haul/wide body wet leasing specialists based in Portugal, launched Hi Fly Malta earlier this year and will be basing two ex-Virgin Atlantic A340-600s at Malta Luqa International airport. Hi Fly already utilizes OASES for its Lisbon-based ACMI (Aircraft, Crew, Maintenance and Insurance) operation, controlling maintenance for its A310-300, A330-200, A330-300, A340-300 and A340-500 fleets. Nick Godwin, MD of Commsoft, commented: “Hi Fly Malta represents an exciting new operation in the global wet leasing market. We’re delighted they have chosen Airclaims as a CAMO supplier and that OASES will be used to maintain one of the Hi Fly Malta A340s.”
FALKO OPTS FOR COMMSOFT’S OASES TO SUPPORT ITS GROWING PORTFOLIO OF LEASED AIRCRAFT
LATER in July, Commsoft, announced that its Open Aviation Strategic Engineering System (OASES) has been
selected by Falko Regional Aircraft Limited to support that company’s extensive and growing portfolio of leased aircraft. A market-leading asset manager in the regional aircraft arena, Falko has specialized for some years in the management of BAe146/Avro RJ aircraft but, with plans to increase both the size and diversity of its portfolio, has recently acquired eight Boeing 717-200s. Falko plans to begin using OASES immediately within Commsoft’s own hosted environment and will be importing data, initially, for BAe146/Avro RJ aircraft in its portfolio. Looking forward, Falko intends to use OASES to support the offer of CAMO services to future customers. Designed to combine ease of use with a technical sophistication that allows for the full integration of all maintenance and engineering functions, OASES is structured in a modular format and Falko will be using the Core, Airworthiness, Planning and Materials Management modules. Nick Godwin, Commsoft Managing Director, commented: “Given Falko’s exciting plans for expansion, we’re delighted that they have chosen OASES. The system is designed to expand in line with the requirements of
its users and the fact that we are able to offer a hosted environment means that clients don’t need to make any costly investments before reaping the benefits that OASES can provide. We’re looking forward to being an important partner in the on-going future of Falko.” John Williamson, Falko SVP Technical Operations, commented: “We are delighted to be working with Commsoft as part of our growth strategy. We are about to complete the approval process to become an EASA Part M Subpart G continuing airworthiness management organization as well as launching a new spares business to further enhance our capabilities and to provide a dedicated and focused support to our customer base. After careful consideration and evaluation of the various products on the market, Falko concluded that Commsoft’s OASES System stood out from the competition and was able to meet and exceed our tailored specification requirements for future growth and expanding aircraft portfolio. We were also very impressed with Commsoft’s support team throughout the evaluation phase and their demonstrated commitment regarding future support of OASES and very much look forward to working with them on a long term basis” CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
What Downtime?
Enigma InService® MRO
Supporting PDF, Automated Job Cards, S1000D and Revision Management
www.enigma.com Now part of
ENIGMA 0913 MRO Ad HPH.indd 1
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8 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
The only supplier of 2 MRO ‘best of breed’ plus CMS software
www.aerosoftsys.com Offering DigiPLAN, DigiREPORTS and AeroBUY– common Logistics, Analytics and B2B tools for DigiMAINT and WebPMI MRO systems. Our DigiDOC CMS is agnostic of MRO with proven integration with any competitors’ system, in addition to our own. iSPEC2200, S1000D, DITA, SPEC2000, SPEC2300
TechSight/X® suite of products now supports new-generation aircraft programs LETS OEMS AND AIRLINE OPERATORS MEET TECHNICAL INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS FOR AIRBUS A350, BOEING 787 DREAMLINER, AND BOMBARDIER CSERIES
IN mid-July 2013 InfoTrust Group took another step in the provision of independent, technical information management solutions for airline operators and aerospace OEMs with the latest release of its TechSight/X suite of products. This mid-July 2013 release supports requirements for new-generation aircraft programs (including the Airbus A350, Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner, and Bombardier’s CSeries) that require technical information in the S1000D information exchange standard. With this release of the TechSight/X suite, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can manage technical information for existing aircraft programs and meet airframe manufacturers’ requirements for the A350, Boeing 787, and Bombardier CSeries using a single system. Airline operators also can use the TechSight/X suite of products to manage technical information for their existing fleets as well as for orders of new-generation aircraft without having to deploy a separate system. As Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier introduce new-generation aircraft, they are requiring their supply chain partners and airline customers to support the S1000D information exchange standard. Using S1000D allows for the creation, sharing, and use of more accurate technical information required for the safe and efficient operation and maintenance of commercial aircraft. As the ramp-up in production of new-generation aircraft accelerates, OEMs and operators must be able to support both new and legacy program specifications for existing aircraft that have been in use for decades in parallel. “With the introduction of new-generation aircraft and the adoption of S1000D, the entire civil aviation ecosystem is facing the greatest challenge in the day-to-day management of technical information since the adoption of SGML and XML more than two decades ago,” said JD Sillion, vice president of products and solutions at InfoTrust Group. “By specializing in technical information standards and technology, we aim to help keep OEMs on track in the manufacturing process for all of the programs they support and reduce the pressures of technical information management airlines face in order to operate safe and timely flights every day.”
Comfortable and Fast Reliability Data Access m/reliability, the reliability management module of the Technical Operations WebSuite manage/m®, supports operators to continuously monitor the effectiveness of their maintenance programs and enables them to analyze their maintenance and component reliability data. Within the module, the Customer Evaluation function allows the retrieval of a lot of useful information such as logbook data or irregularities. The application, which can be accessed through m/reliability/fleet, is now resplendent with a new look including new functions which customers will certainly enjoy. Apart from a user-friendly interface, the late July 2013 announcement added that there is now a new search mask including the possibility to gather data from either selected aircraft or a whole fleet. Customers can thus access their data in a faster and easier way. Additional parameters were also integrated as a further data source in the new Customer Evaluation function. Hence, the application can obtain operational parameters like the Technical Dispatch Reliability Rate or the Delay Rate on a monthly basis. As the system is now working significantly faster, it enables customers to access even larger blocks of data in only a second. Other export formats such as csv, pdf or excel files are now supported by the Customer Evaluation and can be downloaded when needed. All manage/m® customers using m/reliability/fleet can profit from these new beneficial functions.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS | 9
MXI TECHNOLOGIES SUPPORTS UPGRADES CHINA AIRLINES CONTINUES MAINTENANCE TRANSFORMATION WITH MAINTENIX FOOTPRINT EXPANSION AND EXTENSION TO 3RD PARTY MRO
IN mid-June 2013 Mxi® Technologies announced that China Airlines has confirmed phase two of their Maintenix implementation with footprint expansion into materials, engine and component shop, and the company’s Engineering and Maintenance Organization, as well as integration to their Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system. Phase two also signals China Airlines upgrade to version 8 of the Maintenix software, introducing key usability and process enhancements across the entirety of their MRO operations. “Investing in safety is of paramount importance at China Airlines, both for our passengers and our MRO customers, and it is this commitment that has made us a leader in aircraft maintenance in the region” says Derek Cridland, Senior Vice President, Engineering and Maintenance, China Airlines. “With the expansion and upgrade of the Maintenix software we are able to continue to deliver on our promise of world-class service while keeping pace with the latest technologies in support of ongoing business objectives.” In addition to a number of efficiency benefits, the technology backbone of the Maintenix v8 software supports China Airlines’ move to real-time management of line and heavy maintenance events as data is captured at the point of maintenance execution. “As a long-standing customer of Mxi Technologies, China Airlines has continuously demonstrated their dedication to best practices in aviation maintenance, and this program expansion and upgrade is no exception,” says Dave Seibel, Chairman and CEO, Mxi Technologies. “We look forward to our continued partnership and supporting them through the second phase of their implementation.” With phase two, Mxi Technologies is the single-source provider for MRO IT across the entire organization and operating fleet, including their Boeing 747 and 737, and Airbus A340 and A330 fleet types.
BAE SYSTEMS TRANSFORMS TYPHOON AVAILABILITY SERVICE WITH MAINTENIX
AT the end of July 2013, Mxi Technologies announced that BAE Systems has moved to Maintenix version 8 (v8) in support of the organization’s comprehensive Integrated Maintenance Solution to enable through-life asset sustainment for a UK Typhoon operator. The use of Maintenix v8 at the core of BAE Systems’ Integrated Maintenance Solution (IMS) provides the organization with valuable insight into the use and management of operator fleets as a means to offer greater value through after-market support. Correspondingly, the adoption of value-added features ensures aircraft and component maintenance is executed and recorded in accordance with stringent safety standards and policies to maximize the availability of mission-ready aircraft and extend asset life. “It continues to be an objective of our after-market services portfolio to provide an integrated maintenance solution that delivers the best to our customers while reflecting the significant advancements in MRO IT, and with Mxi’s Maintenix software we are confidently able to realize the current and future goals of the program.” said Martin Blaze, Aircraft Maintenance & Support Director, Military Air and Information, BAE Systems.
NEW PSIPENTA VERSION 8.3 WITH SUPPLY CHAIN MANAGEMENT MODULE
PSIPENTA Software Systems GmbH launched version 8.3 of its ERP standard onto the market as scheduled on 30 June 2013, offering customers a new supply chain management (SCM) module developed entirely in Java. Integrated social media features help users support their applications. PSIpenta version 8.3 is all about investing in the newly developed SCM module, which features classic automotive functions such as batch tracing, packaging management or electronic data interchange (EDI). It also facilitates the implementation and harmonization of standards (EDIFACT, ANSI, Odette, VDA, Gaila) and special processes such as MAIS (GM), BeLOM (BMW) or AMES-T (VW). A graphical interface thus helps users configure specific business processes individually. The user experience played a key role in the development process. User response was overwhelmingly positive for PSIpenta/SCM even during the test phase. The new community platform www.PSIng.org promises a greater exchange between end users and more efficient support processes. From version 8.3, PSIpenta users are given central access to various service, support and communication features by the client. A social media front end enables system administrators, program specialists and new users to communicate on a professional level with experts in user groups and knowledge forums as well as access the service and tracking systems of PSIPENTA support. The integration platform brings all users and systems together in an expert network. CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
EVOLVE
The world of aviation maintenance is evolving. Maintenance organizations looking to maintain their competitive edge and safeguard their future need adaptable maintenance software. With its unparalleled commitment to quality and innovation, Mxi Technologies delivers industry-leading software that lets you keep pace.
Don’t just react to changes in the aviation industry. Evolve with them. Join the Evolution. mxi.com
10 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
PTC ACQUIRES ENIGMA; ADVANCES MARKET LEADERSHIP IN SERVICE LIFECYCLE MANAGEMENT (SLM)
ACQUISITION BROADENS COMPANY’S PORTFOLIO OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION SOLUTIONS
For better health, it pays to see a specialist. Boeing Airplane Health Management (AHM) provides comprehensive monitoring and analysis of airplane performance to ensure efficient maintenance operations. Utilizing advanced analytics, AHM software anticipates and detects component failure, immediately alerting Maintenance, Operations and executive functions and recommending fact-based solutions. The result is a healthy fleet that spends less time on the ground and more time in the air. AHM, designed for the digital airline.
www.boeing.com/boeingedge/informationservices
PTC announced on July 16 2013 that it had acquired Enigma, a developer of software that aggregates and delivers technical content in aftermarket service environments. The acquisition enhances PTC’s existing portfolio of service lifecycle management (SLM) solutions and further distinguishes the Company’s leadership position within the SLM market. Now, in addition to its best-in-class capabilities in technical authoring, illustrating, publishing, and delivering product-centric information, PTC will be able to amass, digitize, and deliver technical content that was created outside the PTC platform. The Enigma products intelligently aggregate a wide variety of service content available in many formats and then repurpose and present that information for technicians or end users requiring technical and parts information to operate, maintain and service complex products. By leveraging Enigma’s technology within PTC’s existing Technical Information and Service Parts Information solutions, PTC will enable service-oriented organizations to make available a broad array of technical content. “The addition of Enigma technology to the PTC solution suite will expand companies’ ability to deliver the best possible product performance and service experience to their customers,” stated Lee Smith, divisional vice president and general manager, SLM Segment, PTC. “Our combined solution will get the right information to the right person at the right time – regardless of the information’s origin. What made Enigma an attractive acquisition to us was its rich intellectual property, world-class customer base and skilled technical resources. This deal reinforces PTC’s commitment to become the single best partner to manufacturers, equipment operators and service providers seeking to increase value from their service operations and improve their customers’ experience.” “We share PTC’s vision of providing best-in-class solutions that help customers reduce costs and provide faster and more personalized service,” stated Jonathan Yaron, CEO of Enigma. “Our customers will benefit from the vision, commitment, and resources of our combined companies.” PTC’s decade-long investment in organic development and select acquisitions has resulted in mature, marketleading solutions that help service organizations produce, manage and deliver high-quality, configuration-specific service information. Benefit to Manufacturing and Service Organizations – A single system that aggregates service content (including technical product information authored and published within and outside of the PTC platform) from across the enterprise will enable the right information to be available at the critical point of service. Benefit to Manufacturers’ Customers – A single system for service that provides the latest configuration-specific content and parts information will enable improvements in technician work quality, product uptime, and customer satisfaction. “Up-to-date technical and service parts information has immediate potential to improve service outcomes and, ultimately, the customer experience,” stated Aly Pinder, Research Analyst, Customer Experience and Service Management, Aberdeen.
Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd. (SDS) confirms an order from Gulf Helicopters Company (GHC) AVIATION InfoTech solutions provider, Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd. (SDS), announced the confirmation of an order from the Gulf Helicopters Company (GHC) for its latest application and EFB (Electronic Flight Bag) Solution: ARMS® on the TAB. With this late June 2013 acquisition, Doha, Qatar based GHC’s Helicopter Operations will benefit from a completely integrated EFB solution. ARMS® on the TAB is an integral component of the ARMS®V2 (Aviation Resource Management System, Ver. 2.0) application suite from SDS and many of its components are already in use at GHC. This affords GHC the significant advantage of having an EFB solution that is fully integrated with the back office and Ops systems. Commenting on the development, MD & CEO of Sheorey Digital Systems, Vivek Sheorey expressed his deep pleasure on the choice exercised by GHC and added that the adoption of ARMS® on the TAB by GHC is a logical extension of the ARMS®V2 deployment and adds tremendous value to GHC’s offshore operations by providing anytime-anyplace accessibility as a fully mobile application. Reflecting the growing trend towards adoption of Tablet devices across Air Operations and Engineering, ARMS® on the Tab delivers the attributes and values of the versatile ARMS® V2 application suite, via any user-defined Tablet platform.
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British Airways deploys Panasonic Toughpad tablets; first with NVable ETL
AT the beginning of July 2013, British Airways subsidiary, BA CityFlyer, became the first UK airline to deploy Panasonic’s rugged Toughpad tablets for flights operating out of London City Airport. The Toughpad FZ-G1 tablets, with the latest generation Windows 8 Professional operating system, are being used by engineers and flight crew on each of the airline’s aircraft. The Panasonic Toughpad acts as a Class 1 Electronic Technical Log, which does not require any hugely expensive aircraft modifications or technology infrastructure changes. The device is used to record the aircraft flight details, technical data associated with each flight and provides the real time maintenance status of the aircraft. Flight and technical details are entered into the Toughpad using the touchscreen and the information is transmitted immediately to servers which feed into the BA CityFlyer maintenance system, eliminating the need for manual data inputting, while also providing optional pdf prints of the technical log pages. BA CityFlyer engineers and crew are able to access real time information on the aircraft status through a web based application as well as the BA CityFlyer maintenance system. More accurate and efficient than traditional paper methods, the process speeds up the availability of information to the airline’s Maintenance Control and provides crew and engineers attending the aircraft, real time visibility of the aircraft’s technical status. This in turn can speed up aircraft turn-around times and facilitate more efficient maintenance planning. The ETL also provides the fuel data to produce reports for carbon emissions trading and other additional information such as de-icing procedures in cold weather. BA CityFlyer tested the new Panasonic Toughpad tablets with the latest ETL application from NVable. The Panasonic Toughpad tablets have replaced the Panasonic CF-19 Toughbook notebooks that the airline had been using for the past four years. “The BA CityFlyer team turned to the new Toughpad because of the amazing track record of performance and reliability they had experienced with our Toughbook devices – not a single device returned for repair in four years of service,” explained Kevin Tristram, General Manager, UK & Ireland Toughbook Group. “The Panasonic Toughpad FZ-G1 is perfect for this new deployment because it is 50% lighter than the previous Toughbook computers but is still built to last in a testing aircraft and engineering environment. The next generation Windows 8 Professional operating system also makes inputting data so much easier. The unit is an improvement in both Health & Safety and flight deck ergonomics.” Dave Cooper, Line Maintenance Manager, BA CityFlyer, added: “The combination of the Panasonic Toughpad tablets and the ETL application from NVable is providing more accurate and up to date information and also helping our flight crew and engineers further improve the quality and speed of our turnaround times at airports, benefiting our business but more importantly improving the service we offer to our customers. It is no doubt a contributing factor to the airlines improvement in On-Time-Performance.” Launched in January 2013, the Toughpad FZ-G1 is Panasonic’s first fully rugged Windows 8 Pro tablet, which has been designed for mobile workers who spend much of their time working outside or in vehicles. The thin and lightweight device, weighing only 1.1kg, has been designed to take full advantage of the new functionality offered by the Windows 8 Pro operating system and offers two-way touch input with its capacitive 10-finger multi-touch screen and digitizer pen for tasks such as recording signatures.
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12 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Signing new clients, delivering to established clients and technical innovation, Rusada has a lot to announce RUSADA ANNOUNCES NEW CLIENT IN EASTERN SKYJETS
IN mid-June 2013, Terry Lewis, Director of Maintenance at Eastern SkyJets, announced an agreement with Rusada, and confirmed; “It gives me great pleasure to announce that after an extensive review of a number of software systems, Eastern SkyJets have selected Rusada for our Maintenance Planning and Logistics functions. Throughout the demonstration and selection process, the team from Rusada were very professional and accommodating and very importantly they listened to us. There is no doubt that we have made the right decision!” Marco Pizzichini, Chief Operating Officer for Rusada added; “Eastern SkyJets is the first new client to benefit from the partnership between Rusada and Unican in the Middle East. The partnership between Unican and Rusada will provide Eastern SkyJets with a consolidated offering for both fleet management and logistics. We are delighted to add the airline to the family of Envision users in the region and wish them continued success.” Rusada have made a very positive start to 2013 with five new clients announced in the first five months. The firm will be looking to build on this when they exhibit at the Airline & Aerospace MRO & Operations IT Conference on the 12th and 13th June 2013 at the Park Inn Hotel, London Heathrow.
RUSADA AND UNICAN FZCO ANNOUNCE ESTABLISHMENT OF PARTNERSHIP
ALSO in mid-June, Rusada and Unican FZCo announced the establishment of a partnership improving the presence of Rusada in the Middle East and Africa region. Rusada was established in 1987 as Russell Adams Limited, a UK-based aviation software provider, consultancy to the aviation industry and system integrator. Today Rusada are a global company headquartered in Switzerland, with operations in the Middle East, Asia, Europe and the Americas. Rusada currently serves 50 major customers worldwide – and their software manages over 1500 aircraft in 20 countries. Rusada’s flagship product Envision has become an industry benchmark and is CAMO compliant, providing key management information and operational process control for operators, original equipment manufacturers (OEMs), maintenance and repair organizations (MRO’s) and service organizations on every continent. Unican specialises in outsourced procurement and spare parts management services in the Middle-East and Africa region. Unican is well known for its professional approach, integrity and level of service.
The partnership between the two companies will improve Rusada’s presence in the Middle-East and Africa market and will offer a better level of service and after sales support by integrating the competences of both companies in the region. Unican will be able to represent Rusada in the region and bring greater levels of control and visibility not only to the logistics management of organizations but also the wider scope of its client’s activities. By leveraging the expertise of both companies, clients will see a unified and efficient approach to the provision of an integrated service as well as an increased level of local support.
EUROCOPTER MEXICO SIGN LONG TERM CONTRACT EXTENSION WITH RUSADA
AS part of their on-going support, Rusada have successfully implemented a B2B interface with Eurocopter Mexico making it possible to link up Rusada’s Envision Software with Eurocopter’s SAP implementation in a seamless manner, allowing direct access into Envision’s Materials and Maintenance modules. This integration has been made possible through the development of the Envision Service Layer that exposes functionality from its various modules via WCF (Windows Communication Foundation) Web Services. The Service Layer allows other software systems to connect with Envision whether they are external to Rusada’s business or new applications that complement Rusada’s product suite such as the new tablet and web based applications that are currently under development. Development of tools such as these actively support efficiency within Eurocopter Mexico and enable them to offer unrivaled support and flexible solutions to the regions helicopter operator community.
ENVISION V1.6 — NEW SALES BILLING FUNCTIONALITY
THOSE who are providing MRO services, either as part of their internal airline operations or as a third party maintenance provider, will be very aware of some of the day to day commercial challenges associated with managing these maintenance activities including:• How do I accurately and easily quote for additional work? • If I have a multi-faceted contract, how do I break out the Fixed Price Routine costs from the additional Non Routine charges? • How do I manage all the warranty claims? • How do I control the generation of multiple invoices which need to be generated at multiple time periods
during the duration of the check and potentially against multiple customers? The enhanced ‘Sales Grouping’ functionality provided as part of the Envision V1.6 release and announced in midJuly 2013, has been designed with the aid of a leading MRO company and developed specifically to address the complex and specific requirements relating to the commercial control of maintenance work packs. The aim of this new functionality is to allow the MRO/Airline M&E organization to efficiently manage all the commercial elements of controlling a work pack ensuring that they are able to maximize the profitability of the check. Some of the key elements of this functionality include: • New abilities to group tasks and inspection items together by codes such as issuer or type for easier identification of task sub groups; • New sales pricing function where the sales value of both the work card and Maintenance Inspection Items can be defined by a combinations of parts, labor and services.; • Significant enhancements to enable any number of sales groups to be defined against any work order. These sales groups can be used to replicate the contractual charging groups for work carried out and route those groups to the applicable invoicing recipients. These sales groupings make it easy to identify, track and invoice for routine work, non-routine work, warranty work, corrosion rectification etc. Each group can have separate charging structures for labor, parts and services. This leads to far more accurate billing in line with contracts, the ability to part invoice to staged payment schedules, significantly reducing… – Days to bill, – Invoice queries, and… – Effort to invoice. • Provision of a new customer quotation capability based on the content of these sales groupings.; • The ability for the user to easily select which parts / labour bookings / services are part of which sales grouping, thus ensuring all parts and bookings are billed.; • Ability for example, to individually (or collectively) invoice each of the different sales groupings. This will allow the fixed price elements of the check to be invoiced as early as possible while some of the additional Non routine charges can be invoiced later when all the additional charges have been collected; • Ability to manage all the associated warranty claims and invoice to the relevant parties for the relevant costs.
BEECHCRAFT TAMPA SERVICE CENTRE GO LIVE ON ENVISION
RUSADA was very pleased to announce that the Beechcraft team got the Tampa Service center live with Envision on schedule at the start of June 2013. This was the first site that was wholly managed by the in house Beechcraft installation team with minimal remote support from Rusada. As usual the plan was executed with precision and no problems were reported. The policy of train the trainer has paid dividends on this project and has been a significant cost saving for Beechcraft. It has been reported that in just a few short months the Beechcraft Global Support organization is seeing significant efficiency savings.
ENVISION NOW LIVE AT BEECHCRAFT INDIANAPOLIS
ALSO in mid-July, Aviation MRO Software and Fleet Management Solutions vendor Rusada were pleased to announce that the fourth site, of the designated six, in their Envision project with Beechcraft has now gone live in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. The new facility in Indianapolis serves Hawker Beechcraft customers with all aspects of expert aviation services including new interior and paint refurbishment capabilities. With three times the service capacity as the old facility, they are able to serve operators with all of their aviation maintenance requirements. The project, managed by the Beechcraft roll out team with support from Rusada, went live and on schedule, on July 1st. Continuing the methodology developed on the first three sites, the roll-out went without incident over a weekend and all staff transitioned well. Envision has taken over the day to day maintenance transactions from the current system and will free up resources to enable a much faster and efficient throughput of work. KIND is the fourth of six Beechcraft sites across the USA that will use Envision. The installations are one single solution spread across six sites as opposed to six separate instances. This approach delivers a true multi-site, multicurrency and multi-time zone single application.
RUSADA ANNOUNCES THAT THE TWO REMAINING BEECHCRAFT NORTH AMERICAN SERVICE CENTERS HAVE GONE LIVE EXACTLY TO PLAN BOTH Houston and Delaware went live on the 1st of August 2013 in line with the plan agreed in January of this year and is a testament to the dedication of
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the joint project team of Rusada and Beechcraft. As has been previously reported, the Beechcraft project team managed the majority of the work necessary to bring the sites on line after being guided in the process by Rusada consultants. This has afforded Beechcraft a substantial saving on project implementation costs compared to other projects. Rusada thanked the Beechcraft team for their time and dedication to making the project such a success and looked forward to continuing the working relationship in the years to come. Houston and Delaware illustrate the length of service for which the Beechcraft organization has been providing in house dedicated customer support for their products, Houston being the first center and Delaware being the most recent center to open up. Whilst Rusada can only claim heritage back to 1987, like Beechcraft, the firm pride itself on delivering on time and within budget and maximizing the skills learnt in the industry over the intervening decades. In 1962, Olive Ann Beech established the very first Beechcraft dedicated service center in Houston, Texas, at Hobby Airport. Today, Hawker Beechcraft Services (HBS) in Houston (KHOU) is an FAA-certified, full-service center specializing in Hawker and Beechcraft airframe and power plant service, avionics installations, modifications and repair, quick-turn maintenance and custom interior modifications. The Delaware facility is located at New Castle County Airport and is a full-service MRO offering airframe, avionics, engine and AOG support. This new companyowned facility provides the world-class customer service and support expected from one of the largest service center networks.
SUMMARY AS BEECHCRAFT SERVICE CENTER ENVISION PROGRAM COMPLETED
WITH the early August 2013 announcement from Rusada that Houston and Wilmington had joined Indianapolis, Tampa, Atlanta and Wichita in using Envision as their service center MRO system with synchronization to the corporate SAP financial system, the final two Beechcraft service centers in North America had gone live with the new system. Envision provides all the transactional functions necessary for the operation of each of the service centers but still allows visibility across the network of global data. ‘The completion of the roll out across all of the North American Service Centers is a fantastic joint achievement,’ said Tim Alden, Commercial Director for Rusada, who added, ‘the entire project went exactly to schedule despite some significant business changes being undertaken by Beechcraft at the time and is a testament to the strength of partnerships we build with our customers. To complete a major project such as this shows that, with proper planning and teamwork, rapid deployment of systems such as Envision are perfectly achievable.’
AUGUSTAWESTLAND AND ABU DHABI AVIATION: ENABLING NEW BUSINESS VENTURES THROUGH ENVISION
The challenge was… 1. How to streamline the materials procurement and sales processes for a joint venture company when the two parent companies run different software. 2. How to encompass the new joint venture within an existing Envision database. The solution was intimated in the Rusada Newsletter at the end of Q1 in 2013 where readers will have seen mention of some business to business integration that Rusada was working on for one of their clients. In midJuly 2013, Rusada was able to offer to add a lot more information. The two companies involved are Abu Dhabi Aviation (ADA) and Agusta Westland (AW), and the work undertaken was to create interfaces between the AW parts system in SAP and the ADA requisitioning system in Envision from Rusada. Both companies have joined forces in the Middle East to form Agusta Westland Aviation Services (AWAS) focusing on helicopter maintenance, modification, component repair and parts procurement / sales. The challenge, as alluded to above, was that AW operates in SAP but ADA operate all their operational functions in Envision. Visibility of spares throughout the procurement and stock accounting cycle is paramount such that the end user has full knowledge of individual processes and due times. Both organizations were happy with their current systems and so an interface needed to be designed. They therefore approached Rusada as experienced integrators for a solution. Coordinating the project with SAP, Rusada took a different approach to the problem by developing a set of web services that act as the data transfer mechanism between the two systems. In this approach, the middle layer exposes a set of business data from each system and then populates the appropriate relationships between the systems. For example, a purchase order raised in Envision, for a part and quantity, passes that same information to SAP via the web-service and by return SAP passes back a complimentary internal order number and a stock status or promise date (in fact, whatever information is deemed necessary for the maintenance of the request). This approach has the following advantages… 1. Should either system have design changes applied by upgrades to new versions, the web service should remain unaffected. If it is affected, then changes can be pre-empted and delivered without core changes to the respective business systems. 2. The web service is system agnostic, the same service can be used to ‘plug in’ to any other system. 3. Additional data requests can be provided in a matter of days (or even hours) rather than months, since the business systems are unaffected. 4. Data exchange can be live. 5. The use of web services such as these can effectively
bypass web portals currently used for placing parts orders, updating warranty data etc. through manufacturer portals. This then generates further additional benefits… a. Elimination of duplicate entres – freeing up valuable resources for other work; b. Elimination of mis-keyed data, drastically reducing errors introduced through translating information from paper to system and screen to system; c. Faster response through the supplier network, thus increasing productivity; d. Accurate daily AOG (Aircraft on Ground) data since the supplier is keyed in to the system; e. Suppliers receive the big picture and feedback on parts usage in order to improve the supply chain. 6. Since Envision supports the management of multiple companies within a single database, the ability for ADA to create a separate company within the system is straightforward. This enables a single repository of data but with entirely separate accounting controls. The development and timely delivery of business critical tools such as the B2B Web Services is resolving issues in real time for clients such as Abu Dhabi Aviation. It has helped enable the formation of a significant joint venture between two of the leading companies in the rotary wing world. AWAS now have a robust solution with a single center of accountability that maximizes the efficiencies and power of two leading business systems. By taking this approach, Rusada believe that clients both now and in the future will be able to think differently about their businesses and finally be able to link together.
RUSADA AND AVISON AVIATION SIGN AGREEMENT FOR SALES AND IMPLEMENTATION SUPPORT IN THE AMERICA’S
IT was announced in late August 2013 that Avison Aviation had approached Rusada because they viewed Envision as an excellent complimentary product to RAIDO from Aviolinx with whom they have a similar partner relationship. Having also met the Aviolinx team, Rusada could see the synergy in being able to offer integrated solutions to the airline industry. The Avison Aviation team bring years of experience working with airlines both in a solutions provision and in an operations consultative capacity. Using this knowledge and coupling it with the abilities of the Rusada team gives a unique one stop shop for organizations looking to solve the issues that often arise between the two principle halves of an aviation business; flying and maintaining. Avison Aviation have recently opened an office in Atlanta, N America and with the recent completion of a major MRO project across the USA (see Hawker Beechcraft announcements above), Rusada have strengthened their presence in the region. Working together they believe that the businesses can offer best of breed solutions and consultative advice to organizations and help them achieve the efficiencies brought about by modern technology.
Ultramain Systems announces release of mobility tools for maintenance and inventory users
ULTRAMAIN Systems, Inc. (USI) announced the commercial release of their platform-independent mobility tools for aircraft Maintenance and Inventory operators at the beginning of June 2013. ULTRAMAIN®Mobile Mechanic™ and Mobile Inventory™ software products provide fleet operators and MROs with mobile capabilities on numerous devices including the iPad®, iPad mini, iPhone®, Galaxy Tab® and Galaxy Note® to name a few. The mobile suite is compatible with iOS, Android and Windows devices capable of wireless operations via WiFi, Cellular or Bluetooth. According to John Stone, Vice President of Product Management for Ultramain Systems, “Delivering easy-touse mobile functionality is an important part of Ultramain Systems’ product strategy. We’ve already proven that eliminating the paper aircraft technical log is possible with our highly successful efbTechLogs™ software, and now we’re extending paperless M&E operations to mobile devices on the ground.” Stone went on to say, “Paperless operation using mobile devices is now possible in complex aircraft maintenance environments with the availability of Mobile Mechanic and Mobile Inventory.” “Mobile Mechanic makes capabilities available to maintenance technicians in a mobile environment that were traditionally only available from fixed, hard-to-access M&E systems. Mobile Mechanic makes them available from virtually anywhere without the overhead, costs, and required use of paper typically associated with such systems”, said Mark McCausland, President of Ultramain Systems. He added, “Mobile Inventory can additionally operate on specialized handheld barcoding devices.” Stone pointed out that USI has extensive experience developing paperless M&E software and stated, “Ultramain Systems is the only software provider with aircraft M&E/ MRO customers running paperlessly on both the line maintenance and base maintenance side of the business. It gets even better with Mobile Mechanic and Mobile Inventory because paperless operation in a highly regulated environment can now be accomplished using mobile devices.” Stone concluded, “Ultramain is currently delivering the new mobile products to current select customers. It is not limited to ULTRAMAIN and is also available as a standalone offering for operation with a customer’s existing M&E system, or in conjunction with the ULTRAMAIN M&E/ MRO software offering.”
14 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Volartec announces progress on four continents with ALKYM® DGAC SALTA SELECTS ALKYM® (BY VOLARTEC)
IN mid-June 2013 Volartec welcomed DGAC Salta as a new ALKYM® user. It takes the number of Latin American customers where ALKYM® has been implemented to more than 30 over the last twelve years. DGAC Salta has signed contracts to implement ALKYM® aircraft maintenance control and management software. Announcing the latest news, Manuel Roche, VP of Business development LATAM at Volartec stated: “The versatility of ALKYM® is highlighted with this customer, the flexibility and scalability of ALKYM® is once again proven in this project with a customer having both business jets and helicopters.” After the selection process DGAC SALTA undertook the implementation project according to Volartec’s standards of quality, again having an excellent impact in the daily operations of the customer.
ALKYM® (BY VOLARTEC) ENTERS THE INDEPENDENT CAMO MARKET WITH PART M AVIATION
VOLARTEC announced yet another first in early July 2013, entering into the independent CAMO market as they welcomed Part M Aviation Ireland as an Alkym® customer. John Barry, VP Business Development with Volartec was on hand to make the announcement stating “I have seen the growth in this market develop rapidly over the past five years. This is just the first step into yet another growth area for Volartec. The flexibility Alkym® provides to an independent CAMO in its dynamic business is critical to ensure they can meet the demands of their business.”
Part M Aviation has selected the Alkym lease model in order to ensure they can control costs in this very competitive market. This cost effective option will see them begin with three concurrent users utilizing the Engineering, Planning and Maintenance Control modules. As the need arises in the future they can seamlessly add more users or select from the remaining 12 modules available. Michael Byrt the Continuing Airworthiness Manager and Director at Part M Aviation added “Serving primarily leasing companies and airlines directly we have been building our services up for the past number of years. The ever changing environment in which we work required we examine all the options to increase productivity and maintain the very highest standards in terms of quality. Alkym® will bring this level of stability to our data ensuring our customers retain this level of service as we continue to grow.”
AFRICAN FLAG CARRIER RWANDAIR SELECTS ALKYM® (BY VOLARTEC)
YET another flag carrier selected Alkym Management and Control System for Aircraft Maintenance to manage their modern growing fleet. In mid-August 2013, RwandAir selected Volartec as their preferred provider after a rigorous selection process. With their fleet being modernized and expanded over the past 12 months Rwandair took the opportunity to examine how they could best manage those assets. The process of inviting 10 software providers to tender for the provision of services was undertaken after an initial market review. The Rwandair project committee consisted of a very experienced team with a variety of skills and backgrounds to look at the options available. Early in the process they identified the level of sophistication needed in a complete solution which was not to be compromised. This was a process they did not feel should be revisited. Rwandair have decided to take 13 of the available Alkym Modules from the outset. The project got under way towards the end of August with a five week on site phase. The preliminary work is already underway. John Barry, SVP Business Development with Volartec who visited with the RwandAir selection committee in Kigali to
CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
IRUSER
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IRSTAT
IRTIME
IRDOC
IRWORK
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS | 15
finalize the agreement stated that… “working with RwandAir is yet another opportunity to show the market that forward thinking progressive carriers that take the time to examine the options can get market leading software at a realistic price. The recent release of Alkym version 5.3 with its many new developments is just another step to ensure we tick every box in the requirement list.”
Caribbean Airlines chooses TRAX!
VOLARTEC AND AEROSAPIENCE PEN PARTNER AGREEMENT
VOLARTEC have signed a new partnership agreement with Hong Kong-based Aerosapience Limited. With the simultaneous appointment of a new Regional Sales Manager in the region it opens new channels for Alkym in the APAC region. The partnership, confirmed in mid-August 2013, will see Aerosapience provide authorized sales representation and implementation support for Alkym Management and Control System for Aircraft Maintenance. John Barry, SVP Business Development with Volartec announced the new partnership and recent appointment stating “We have had much interest from Asia since we first began to examine the region and wanted to build a strong presence to ensure we could respond accordingly. We have appointed Vijay Kumar as Regional Sales Manager in Asia after a fiercely competitive recruitment process. It was during this comprehensive search we first encountered Aerosapience. It was clear the synergies between the companies were perfect to enhance the presence of Alkym in the region.” Vijay Kumar the new Regional Sales Manager APAC will be based in the new Volartec office located in Chandigarh, India and takes up his post the first week of August. Contact details are available on www.volartec.aero. Witono Lukman, Director and Principal Consultant with Aerosapience Limited further added that, “Based in Hong Kong, Aerosapience is the regional expert in the aviation maintenance technology solutions domain. We have been searching for a robust MRO system suitable for this market and we think we have found one that also complements our other solution offerings. Alkym’s comprehensive functionality, equipped with Volartec’s capability to implement the system in a very short period of time, presents the best Return-on-Investment among the aviation MRO systems in the market.”
TRAX was proud to announce, at the end of July 2013, the newest addition to the firm’s user family. Caribbean Airlines has chosen to sign with Trax and move forward with that vendor’s MRO ERP Software. Trax software will help Caribbean Airlines while they begin operations of their fleet at numerous locations and will ensure their maintenance and engineering work, and records are kept in impeccable shape. This, in turn, will help them to be as efficient and organized as possible. Jose Almeida, President and CEO of TRAX USA Corp., states, “We are excited to be part of the growth of Caribbean Airlines, and it is with great pleasure that we welcome them to the TRAX Family.” Caribbean Airlines will be implementing X, the latest version of Trax Maintenance. This version includes over 20 modules to cater to virtually every aspect of aircraft maintenance. Trax Maintenance will be able to assist Caribbean Airlines in countless ways. From material management and finance to technical records and reliability, Caribbean Airlines will now have aircraft, inventory, and maintenance activity information integrated into a single system. CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
16 | NEWS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Eurocopter and Ramco sign partnership agreement to offer cloud-based maintenance information systems for helicopters IN mid-June 2013, Eurocopter announced its global partnership Ramco Systems, the global Aviation Software provider on cloud, mobile and tablets. Both companies will join forces to offer state-of-the-art helicopter maintenance software which will ease the life of operators and maintenance centers. This partnership agreement, formally signed at the 2013 Paris Air Show, enables Eurocopter and Ramco Systems to offer additional mobility and functionality for the collection and treatment of MRO-related data, thereby providing highly effective and costefficient fleet management services that are affordable and user friendly for all operators – including those with smaller numbers of helicopters. “Ramco’s cloud-based maintenance software solution is an outstanding addition to our service offering,� said Matthieu Louvot, Senior Vice President of Support and Services. “The partnership will bring us closer to our customers’ maintenance operations, enabling us to offer them the best quality of service.� Commenting on the global partnership, P. R. Venketrama Raja, Vice Chairman & Managing Director, Ramco Systems, said said “The strength and capability of our Aviation solution gets a global endorsement with Eurocopter, the number one civil and parapublic helicopter manufacturer, choosing Ramco for its functionality, cloud-based solution with mobility, new user interface and role-based WorkSpaces. Ramco Aviation on Cloud is modular which makes it user friendly for small and large operators�. With tens of thousands of parts in an aircraft, tracking and managing each stage of maintenance work would become unmanageable without a user friendly and comprehensive M&E/ MRO solution. The Ramco-Eurocopter cloud based MRO software addresses the unique needs of smaller Operators, MROs and CAMOs, which until now had to either run on disparate point solutions or operate manually using paper/ excel to track maintenance and manage safety and regulatory compliance.
Who’s in the news: Vendors
aviation. The firm’s current active customers’ cumulative fleet of 1000 aircraft has been managed using AeroSoft solutions from four to 23 years.
AVISON AVIATION
2MORO SOLUTIONS
2MoRO Solutions is a software development company for Aerospace operating in over 17 countries and across multiple Airlines or Aircraft Operators with their own MRO center. The firm is also a SAPÂŽ Partner for Airlines, Aircraft Operators, MRO centers and OEMs.
AERDATA
AerData software provides records scanning, engine fleet planning, global fleet and valuations data, lease management, and technical and backoffice services for aircraft and engine operators, lessors and MROs.
AVIIT
AviIT provides the aviation sector with a range of software solutions to specific business issues based on the latest thin client, web based and mobile software technologies enabling access to complex and critical information anytime, anywhere, over any network.
COMMSOFT AND OASES
AEROSAPIENCE LTD
Aerosapience Limited is a technology and innovation consulting firm based in Hong Kong SAR, China. Specialties of the business include MRO systems, asset management, and RFID technology with project management and software solutions implementation services.
AEROSOFT
Avison Aviation is a business consulting and IT Service company for the commercial aviation sector, specialising in reducing costs and increasing productivity for airlines and airports.
AeroSoft was founded in 1997 to develop systems for maintenance and engineering applications for commercial
Commsoft’s OASES is utilized in around 50 airlines and maintenance organizations. The system includes services ranging from implementation support, user training and system tailoring as well as day-to-day help desk, maintenance support and update release services.
ENIGMA
Enigma products provide aircraft maintenance engineers and technicians, in a single application, all of the technical support information needed for efficient and effective service.
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | NEWS | 17
IBS AND iFLIGHT MRO SYSTEM
IBS provides IT systems for airline passenger services, cargo operations, flight and crew operations, airport operations and aircraft maintenance engineering.
IFRSKEYES
IFRSKEYES, an AIRBUS company, is a full-service IT provider specialized in aviation software managing aircraft maintenance and flight operations with more than 80 customers worldwide.
INFOTRUST GROUP
InfoTrust Group delivers solutions to hundreds of companies, in the aerospace, defense, manufacturing, automotive, high-tech, publishing and health care industries for their information processing, conversion, authoring, content and change management, publishing and distribution objectives.
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK
Lufthansa Technik is a manufacturer-independent provider of maintenance, repair, overhaul and modification services for civil aircraft. The six business units of Lufthansa Technik (Maintenance, Overhaul, Component Services, Engine Services, VIP Services and Landing Gear Services) serve about 750 customers worldwide.
MXI TECHNOLOGIES
Mxi Technologies provides integrated and intelligent software, support, and services for aviation maintenance to commercial airlines, MROs, OEM aftermarket service providers, and defense operators. Customers range from emerging, small and midsized organizations, to the largest global enterprises.
NVABLE
NVable is a specialist software development consultancy creating bespoke solutions for customers to exploit the full value of their operational data. The firm also offers its own software products, including the NVable Electronic Technical Log (ETL), Appixo™.
PANASONIC SYSTEM COMMUNICATIONS COMPANY EUROPE (PSCEU)
PSCEU helps organizations capture, compute and communicate information: image, voice, and textual data. Products include PBX telephone switches, document printers, professional cameras, projectors, large visual displays and rugged mobile PCs.
PART M AVIATION IRELAND LTD
Part M Aviation Ireland Ltd. is an EASA approved Continuing Airworthiness Management Organization for B737 and A320 series with teams based full time in Russia and Ireland.
PSI AG
PSI AG develops and integrates complete solutions for energy management (electricity, gas, oil, heat), production management (metals, automotive, mechanical engineering, mining, logistics) and infrastructure management for transport and safety. The business was founded in 1969 and employs 1,500 people worldwide.
PTC
PTC ‘s technology solutions transform the way products are created and serviced across the entire product lifecycle – from conception and design to sourcing and service.
RAMCO SYSTEMS
Ramco Systems provides next generation, end-to-end enterprise solutions built on the firm’s proprietary platform—Ramco VirtualWorks®. All Ramco products are cloud architected by design and address the entire business cycle from transaction to analytics.
RUSADA
Rusada is a provider of MRO, CAMO and Operational software to the aviation industry with a global presence in all aviation markets from civil to military, corporate to cargo and is appreciated by clients for fast implementation strategies and flexibility of solutions.
SHEOREY DIGITAL SYSTEMS (SDS):
SDS’s flagship product - ARMS® (Aviation Resource Management System) is a highly integrated, flexible and scalable enterprise‐class software solution, designed exclusively for the Air Transportation industry.
TRAX
TRAX USA Corp. is the number one seller of aircraft maintenance software globally. TRAX Maintenance solution has been developed – with Airlines and for Airlines – to provide the most comprehensive and advanced MRO ERP software solution.
ULTRAMAIN SYSTEMS, INC.
Ultramain Systems, Inc.’s flagship product, ULTRAMAIN®, is a maintenance and logistics solution. Their new product, efbTechLogs™, replaces aircraft paper flight logs and enables faster turnaround times, so aircraft spend more time in the air and less time on the ground.
Who’s in the news: Airlines, Operators, OEMs and MROs AIRBUS
Airbus is the world’s leading aircraft manufacturer of passenger airliners, ranging in capacity from 100 to more than 500 seats. In addition, it provides an international network of customer support centers, training centers and spares’ stores. Airbus is an EADS company.
AIRCLAIMS
Airclaims provides aviation claims, risk and asset management services to clients and projects with surveyors, technical experts and lawyers from the aviation industry.
AMERIJET INTERNATIONAL
As a worldwide carrier with a leading presence in its primary service regions of Latin America and the Caribbean, Amerijet International is poised for continued global growth.
ABU DHABI AVIATION
Abu Dhabi Aviation is the largest commercial helicopter operator in the Middle East, operating 61 helicopters (15 Augusta Westland AW139s, 23 Bell 412s, 19 Bell 212s and 4 Bell 206s) and 3 fixed-wing aircraft (DHC8). The company employs over 900 personnel.
AUGUSTAWESTLAND
VOLARTEC
Volartec specializes in the development and implementation of software systems for the aviation industry. With more than 10 years aviation industry experience and with a team of IT and aviation experts, Volartec offers a combination of professionalism and experience.
CARIBBEAN AIRLINES
Caribbean Airlines, based in the Republic of Trinidad, serves 16 markets in the Caribbean, South America and North America with a schedule of 530 weekly departures of their 21 aircraft fleet. Their fleet consists of Boeing 737-800, Boeing 767-300ER and ATR 72-600.
CHINA AIRLINES
EUROCOPTER
The Eurocopter Group is a global helicopter manufacturing and support company. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries.
FALKO REGIONAL AIRCRAFT LIMITED
As an asset manager, Falko has experience and expertise in all aircraft types and global markets and, in 2012, traded 50 aircraft from its portfolio and for third parties.
HAWKER BEECHCRAFT SERVICES
China Airlines is Taiwan’s largest airline with a fleet of 80 aircraft and an extensive global network of more than 15,000 daily flights to 1000 destinations in 187 countries.
Hawker Beechcraft Services provides maintenance, modification, paint and upgrade services for Hawker and Beechcraft aircraft, including the Premier and Beechjet/Hawker 400.
CHINA EXPRESS AIRLINES
JETSTAR AUSTRALIA AND NEW ZEALAND
China Express Airlines, also known as Huaxia Airlines, is based in Guiyang, Guizhou, China and provides regional passenger services with 5 Bombardier CRJ-200 and 6 CRJ900.
DGAC SALTA
Aviación Civil Salta (ACS) is an official agency of the Salta’s government (Argentina) offering free Medical Evacuation Services to the inhabitants of the state and executive transport.
Jetstar Australia and New Zealand serves international routes to-andfrom Australia and international and domestic services in New Zealand.
RCMP AIR SERVICES:
The RCMP maintains 19 Air Sections with a fleet of fixed and rotary wing aircraft, all of which have been selected to meet specific needs of the organization.
EASTERN SKYJETS
UNICAN FZCO
Unican specialises in outsourced procurement and spare parts management in the Middle-East and Africa, and is known for its professional approach, integrity and level of service.
BAE SYSTEMS
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company and among the world’s largest defence contractors.
AgustaWestland operates globally in the vertical lift market through a number of joint ventures and collaborative programmes with major European and American helicopter primes where the company has leading or primary roles.
Eastern SkyJets is a Dubai based charter airline operating with UAE registered medium sized passenger aircraft and with access to a wider fleet which can be used as required.
EMIRATES
Emirates is a fast-growing airline with one of the youngest fleets in the sky serving over 130 destinations and offering non-stop service to all six continents from one hub.
RWANDAIR
RwandAir is the national carrier of Rwanda, operating services across Africa and to the Middle East from Kigali International Airport with a fleet of Boeing 737s and a Dash8-200.
18 | WHITE PAPER: INFOTRUST | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
A BRIEF HISTORY OF INFORMATION EXCHANGE STANDARDS IN CIVIL AVIATION
Technical Information Management in the 21st Century
The right language in the right context
Tim Larson, chief product owner for TechSight/X suite of products at InfoTrust Group considers Aircraft Technical Publication Standards — who they impact and why
T
HE FIRST ARTICLE on this topic (published Aircraft IT MRO volume 2 issue 3 — June 2013), offered a brief overview of trends impacting civil aviation in the 21st century, including the evolution of information exchange standards. Information exchange standards are used to make sharing information easier than it would be if every contributor to the technical information lifecycle — OEMs, their suppliers, airlines, and MROs — produced and managed information according to its own methods. Without a common method for creating, managing, and delivering information, everyone in the ecosystem would be slowed down and the quality of information would greatly suffer. In fact, in industries like civil aviation — where timeliness and accuracy of information is critical in order to comply with regulatory requirements designed to ensure safe operation of aircraft as well as maximize the time aircraft are in service — the use of information exchange standards is paramount. A brief history of information exchange standards in civil aviation brings us to one of today’s most significant challenges for all players in the lifecycle of technical information: the introduction of the S1000D information standard and the ability to operate in a multi-spec content ecosystem.
For the past decade, manufacturers and airlines have based their maintenance and engineering information on ATA iSpec 2200. This specification was developed by the Air Transport Association (ATA) as a global aviation industry standard for the content, structure, and electronic exchange of aircraft engineering and maintenance information. The specification was introduced largely to address the massive volumes of paper required to produce multiple manuals and publications that accompany every aircraft. ATA iSpec 2200 reduced dependence on paper by providing a common way to enable the electronic use of maintenance and engineering information in the aerospace industry. Its application moved maintenance and engineering documentation from paper to electronic format and it has been the dominant specification used in the aerospace industry for the past decade. During this time the Internet came into its own, only to be overcome by the more recent explosion of mobile devices that are leading the transition from the PC era to a post-PC era, and new generation aircraft such as Airbus’ A350 and Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner that have crossed new boundaries with the use of ‘e-enabled’ aircraft.
INFORMATION HANDLING IN A DIGITAL ERA — THE CASE FOR REUSABLE CONTENT COMPONENTS AND THE ORIGIN OF S1000D
Easy, instant access to information has changed the way organizations manage this vital business component. People expect to find information where they want it — in print/PDF, on websites, on smartphones and tablets — when they want it. No industry can today afford to delay the quick delivery of reliable information in all the ways that consumers of that information expect. In response, industries for which information is a critical part of their business have revolutionized the way they create, manage, and distribute it. They have moved from a downstream, document centric focus on the output of monolithic publications to an information or content centric focus on the way information is created upstream. By shifting the focus from how information is packaged on the backend to how it is created or authored on the front end, these organizations are reaping benefits in the productivity of managing information throughout its lifecycle as well as improvements in information accuracy and consistency. These benefits stem from the origin of content itself when it is created as structured, or media- and formatindependent, XML (extensible markup language). XML is based on the creation of small, reusable content components. Each component has related metadata or information about it that can be used to determine its relevance for a publication. Metadata also makes it easy to search for and quickly find
information. And because XML content components are not associated with a format or publication type, they can be assembled automatically, on demand, for multiple publications and formats — PDF, Web, or mobile.
USING CONTENT COMPONENTS IN THE AEROSPACE INDUSTRY
Recognizing the need to manage the voluminous amounts of technical information about aircraft in a more nimble way, in 2004 the ATA e-Business Strategic Planning Team tasked a group of its members representing manufacturers and airlines to evaluate the potential of using S1000D — an XML or component based information exchange standard first developed by the AeroSpace and Defence Industries Association of Europe (ASD) for the defense industry. WHAT IS S1000D?
S1000D is an international specification for technical publications, utilizing a Common Source Database. It was originally introduced to the European community by the Association Européenne de Constructeurs de Matériel Aérospacial, representing the aerospace industry.1 Since its inception over 20 years ago, S1000D has grown to where it is now used widely around the world. Currently, its uses include, defense systems — including land, sea, and air products — civil aviation products, construction industry products, and ship industry products.2
The basic principles of S1000D are: • Information produced in accordance with the standard is in a modular form called a ‘data module’; • A data module is the smallest, self-contained information unit within a technical publication; • A data module must have sense and meaning when viewed without any supporting data other than graphics; • All data modules are stored and managed in a Common Source Data Base (CSDB); • Using a CSDB allows for output in either a page oriented or Interactive Electronic Technical Publication (IETP) that is consistent regardless of the IT platform used; • Individual data modules can be used many times in output3. The benefits of using a modular approach are multifold and include: • Information consistency: Many different output forms can be generated from a single data source. • Cost savings: Achieved by reusing a single data module rather than recreating information each time it is required and by reducing the cost to maintain technical information.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: INFOTRUST | 19
• Customized content: Allows sub-sets of information to be generated to meet specific user needs. • Information transfer: Facilitates transfer of information and electronic output between disparate IT systems. • Collaboration: Provides a single standard to support communications and data exchange among all participants in a given project4. DID YOU KNOW? The purpose of the ATA e-Business Program’s Civil Aviation Working Group (CAWG) is to develop the necessary modifications to enable S1000D to be the world-wide accepted future Technical Data exchange standard for the Civil Aviation industry5.
In contrast to the reusable, data module approach of S1000D, ATA iSpec 2200 is a document-based model with an emphasis on the output of legacy publications. As requirements for more flexible technical information management distribution continue to increase, the limitations of ATA iSpec 2200 become apparent. Manufacturer and airline representatives on the ATA task group recognized the limitations of iSpec 2200 and the benefits offered by S1000D that address evolving information management requirements. As a result of their recommendation, the ATA e-Business Program entered into an agreement and signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate with the ASD (AeroSpace and Defence — industries association of Europe) and AIA (Aerospace Industries Association — of America) for the incorporation of commercial aviation requirements into S1000D. For the past several years, the ATA has worked closely with the ASD and
AIA to make S1000D the new information exchange standard for civil aviation. Moreover, Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier identified S1000D as the information exchange standard for their new generation aircraft, which requires their suppliers, airlines, and MROs to be able to create, manage, and deliver technical information in S1000D.
WHY S1000D IS SUCH A DISRUPTION: HOW S1000D IS CHANGING TECHNICAL INFORMATION MANAGEMENT IN CIVIL AVIATION
“By shifting the focus from how information is packaged on the backend to how it is created or authored on the front end, these organizations are reaping benefits in the productivity of managing information throughout its lifecycle as well as improvements in information accuracy and consistency.”
PRIMARY OEMS: WHERE INFORMATION REQUIREMENTS BEGIN The primary OEMs (Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, Embraer, etc.) determine the program or information standard to which suppliers must author their technical content and that must be supported by their airline customers and MROs. For existing aircraft, such as the Airbus A380 and the Boeing 777, these manufacturers established requirements based on ATA iSpec 2200. Other aircraft programs have used similar ATA iSpec 2200 requirements. Each of these primary OEMs has introduced its own unique needs into the ATA iSpec 2200 DTDs (document type definitions). As mentioned above, Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier have established S1000D to be the information standard for their new generation aircraft programs. For example, Airbus uses Issue 4.1 for the A350 and Boeing, which began the 787 program using ATA iSpec 2200 standards, now uses Issue 3.0 of S1000D for the 787.
S1000D BENEFITS FOR THE PRIMARY OEMS The primary OEMs’ transition to S1000D signals a fundamental shift in the way they aim to handle technical information for civil aircraft in the future. With the data intense nature of new generation, e-enabled aircraft, they are demanding to move beyond the inefficiencies, information inaccuracies, and expenses of traditional document centric technical information management. Indeed, Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier are driving an industry step change to a content centric model based on reusable S1000D data modules, a common source data base (CSDB), and their related benefits. By requiring suppliers to provide information in S1000D data modules, primary OEMs can manage all technical information for their new generation aircraft programs in a single CSDB and more fluidly assemble information from numerous suppliers to produce the various publications
The entry of S1000D into civil aviation through Airbus’, Boeing’s, and Bombardier’s new generation aircraft programs has created a disruption for all participants in the ecosystem. With S1000D come both benefits and challenges for everyone.
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20 | WHITE PAPER: INFOTRUST | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
they provide to airlines. Moving to the modular nature of S1000D data lets primary OEMs adopt a more frequent update model; they can even make realtime updates. It is worth noting, however, that while convenient for the primary OEMs, this can become a significant challenge for airlines in being able to handle revision cycles if they are not using either the proprietary system from the primary OEM or a manufacturer-independent S1000D solution that lets airlines manage technical information in either ATA iSpec 2200 or S1000D from any primary OEM in one system.
“Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier identified S1000D as the information exchange standard for their new generation aircraft, which requires their suppliers, airlines, and MROs to be able to create, manage, and deliver technical information in S1000D.“
COMPONENT SUPPLIERS: MEETING REQUIREMENTS FOR MULTIPLE OEMS AND MULTIPLE PROGRAMS Systems and component suppliers to the primary OEMs must be able to create, manage, and deliver information in all of the standards and versions required for the programs in which they participate, including variants of ATA iSpec 2200 and S1000D. As mentioned above, the notable exception is the 787, a program that already was underway with existing standards when Boeing moved to S1000D. Its suppliers were not obligated to provide technical information in S1000D. However, as Airbus and Bombardier require suppliers to support S1000D and Boeing continues to favor S1000D, it behooves suppliers to identify a solution for supporting multiple specifications so they can meet the obligations of all primary OEMS with which they work. Today, suppliers are writing content twice, or multiple times, to meet different requirements: or they are copying and pasting content produced in one specification to modify it for another. Both practices delay the delivery of information — whether for new generation aircraft or for updates to existing programs — and increase the risk of errors. Moving to S1000D can actually address the problems of this approach through the fundamental concept of data module reuse WRITE CONTENT ONCE, USE MANY TIMES Suppliers that participate in S1000D programs can anticipate immediate benefits from moving to reusable data modules accessible from a CSDB. For example, a supplier that produces a component for both a military and a civilian aircraft, or for both an Airbus and a Boeing aircraft, may need to provide documentation for the military aircraft in one Issue of S1000D and for a civilian aircraft in a different Issue. Or they may need to provide the technical information to Airbus in one information standard and to Boeing in another. The supplier can avoid authoring information twice or even multiple times — once for each set of requirements — by normalizing the data. This approach takes a current version of an information set in one standard and transforms content to the appropriate version of the S1000D specification for the purposes of authoring and content management. The content is then published
out to meet the contractual commitments. S1000D is perfectly suited for this normalization process. Older versions of S1000D and ATA iSpec 2200 can be transformed to the latest S1000D Issue so that they can be managed in the same way. To achieve this level of productivity, suppliers must have a transformation process engine — like the publication manager included in the TechSight/X Aircraft Maintenance Edition — to manage the input of data modules and the transformation of those data modules for output to multiple specifications to meet commitments. Doing this will allow the supplier to meet multiple sets of requirements without slowing down the delivery of information or compromising information quality. Furthermore, by writing data modules once and using a transformation process to output information to multiple requirements,
suppliers can simplify the number of systems and skill sets required to manage technical information while reducing overall costs.
AIRLINES: WHAT S1000D MEANS FOR TECHNICIANS
When we look at what S1000D means for airlines, we can break it down into technical publications management and technician user groups. For airlines that author some original content and manage their own changes, we once again see this need to manage content from multiple OEMs with the unique variability of the OEM application of the specifications. For all airlines there are the thousands of maintenance technicians who are the ultimate consumers of the information and must deal with human factors of content in multiple forms.
Before looking at the advantages of S1000D for the maintenance technician, let’s first address a misunderstanding in the industry about S1000D. As the industry makes the move to S1000D and we talk about the differences between reusable data modules and page-based information, often people conclude that the use of S1000D means that there are no manuals anymore. It is easy to imagine the common source database with individual data modules existing as separate bite-sized pieces. The misunderstanding is that whereas the individual data modules do take a central place for content authors, the technicians consuming information to perform maintenance tasks are still looking at the assembly of the parts. Technicians are still using publications — any number of maintenance manuals that contain various data modules — to do their work. When technicians look at S1000D publications, they look familiar because the publications are similar to what technicians saw with ATA iSpec 2200 manuals. If you didn’t tell technicians what information standard was used they wouldn’t know. In the S1000D world, technicians are the beneficiaries of new ways to search for and find information faster both in and across publications, more in line with their own evolving expectations to discover information that is tailored to their personal needs more easily. This is due to the concept of applicability, which is unique to the S1000D information standard. Applicability involves the tagging of data modules in such a way that lets a technician get only the content that is applicable to the airplane, engine, or component they are working on. There is no further need to check and see if the aircraft is pre-service bulletin or post-service bulletin. The condition and the status reside in the applicability tables and the non-applicable content is filtered out. Applicability also allows technicians to approach the content from a subject level rather than a manual level. For example remove, install, repair, wiring, trouble shooting, etc. Fault data modules allow the IETP to use post-flight reports to quickly identify the correct trouble shooting procedure to use. The process data module allows for interactive and guided trouble shooting procedures, simplifying the trouble shooting procedure. Airlines can also reuse in work cards procedural content that is contained in technical publications. In systems like the TechSight/X Aircraft Maintenance Edition, the work cards remain automatically in sync with the technical publications, reducing human error. Turning back to the content creators in the airline; by using S1000D for the creation of information, airlines can take advantage of data module reuse, applicability (granular filtering based on the condition, configuration, or modification state of the aircraft or asset), tagging of tasks for specific tails, and more. S1000D gives them the ability to build pieces that can be used in multiple manuals or multiple times in one
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: INFOTRUST | 21
manual so that they can reduce the cost of producing publications and increase the consistency and accuracy of information. To get to S1000D, key considerations for airlines include the procurement of an S1000D system with an XML editor, a CSDB, and an IETP; an interface to the MRO system for obtaining real-time information on the current configuration and modification state of aircraft; and organizational aspects such as training authors to work with data modules and technicians to become familiar with the information access… advantages they will likely appreciate. The main question airlines need to ask is to what extent does the system need to be defined? For example, an airline has to be able to take in, manage, and publish S1000D content out to its technicians. This includes more than creating and storing data modules with an XML editor and a CSDB as mentioned above. Airlines need to consider going beyond the CSDB functioning simply as a repository and serving as a complete data management function with check-in and check-out as well as workflow, reporting, and other capabilities. Airlines should be aware of the disadvantages of a partial system versus requirements that can be met through a full S1000D technical information management system. And, like OEMs that need to publish to multiple specifications, airlines that have existing and new generation aircraft will need to create and publish technical information to IETPs for both iSpec 2200 and S1000D.
CONSEQUENCES OF LOSING CONTROL OF TECHNICAL INFORMATION
With initial deliveries of the 787 now underway, how are the airlines receiving those aircraft meeting the requirement to use the S1000D information standard? How are those with existing and new fleets managing both ATA iSpec 2200 and S1000D content? And how will airlines handle programs for both existing and new generation aircraft from Airbus, Boeing, or other S1000D OEMs? Boeing offers its technical information management system to its 787 customers and the option to use its own technical information management services. Since Boeing requires its customers to support S1000D, it is easy enough to include the system and require customers to use it. It is equally straight forward to provide a service to manage proprietary information because it leaves customers with virtually no other viable options. However, airlines may be wary of proprietary systems and services from any primary airframe manufacturer for a number of reasons, including: • Lack of integration with configuration management systems — primary OEMs cannot provide integration to configuration management systems, which means that even though the OEM gets the benefit of an S1000D system, the airline does not get any
INFOTRUST GROUP
•
• •
•
•
additional benefit to exploit the powerful applicability model to serve information to its technicians based on the real-time configuration of aircraft. Without integration to the configuration management system, airline technicians do not get much benefit from S1000D over traditional iSpec 2200 systems. Duplicate system costs — having no choice but to use a proprietary system for a new generation program and another system for existing programs requires duplicate systems, additional training requirements, and increased human factors issues, all driving increased costs. Increased customization costs — if an airline makes a content change based on its customizations, the OEM may charge for updates. Incremental costs creep in. Primary OEM restrictions — airlines’ technical publications departments may not want to be dependent solely on OEMs for management of their technical information. Airlines are then beholden to the OEM’s schedule, cost structure, and content management rules, which reduces airlines’ ability to manage priority changes, document style, ownership of the information, etc. Competitive edge — letting the OEM control an airline’s customized data may not be palatable from a competitive perspective. In such a fiercely competitive industry, airlines are likely to seek to keep all competitive advantages under their own control. Engineering IP (intellectual property) — many airlines have engineering departments with engineers who are equally skilled as those at the OEMs (many have come from the OEMs). These airlines use these engineering staff to develop improvements complete with airworthiness certification. The airline does not want to give that IP away simply because it is constrained to an OEM publications system. In the very competitive airline world, airlines need the ability to do what they need, when they need to do it.
Airlines that need to support new generation aircraft can consider alternative, manufacturer independent solutions that will allow them to manage all of their programs in a single system. This will allow them to retain control of their information while affording airlines the cost savings and productivity controls required to meet their business needs.
WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
For OEMs and their suppliers, the consequences of moving or not moving to S1000D are clear. In order to participate in new generation aircraft programs, they must be able to support S1000D or by default they are ‘sun setting’ their businesses. They will be forced to play in the new S1000D world and will be challenged to identify sustainable solutions. Airlines that take delivery of new generation aircraft also must make the move to S1000D. They can be appreciative to Airbus, Boeing, and Bombardier for leading them to adopt the data module reuse methodology with its wealth of productivity and information quality benefits. However, it is up to airlines and OEMs to explore options for how they will support both legacy ATA iSpec 2200 data and new S1000D content to successfully operate in a multi-spec content ecosystem. In part three of the series, we will take a closer look at technology and some of the options for supporting evolving requirements and operating in a multi-spec content ecosystem. n
InfoTrust Group (www.infotrustgroup.com) provides information management solutions and services for global organizations and Fortune 500 companies in the aerospace, defense, high-tech, and other industries. For more than 25 years, InfoTrust Group has helped operators, OEMs, and MROs meet their technical information management requirements for maintenance, engineering, and flight operations. The company’s TechSight/X® suite of products is in production at many of the largest airlines around the world, and both OEMs and carriers rely on InfoTrust Group services to increase the efficiency of authoring, managing, and processing their data to keep it timely, accurate, and industry-compliant.
TIM LARSON
CHIEF PRODUCT OWNER FOR TECHSIGHT/X SUITE OF PRODUCTS AT INFOTRUST GROUP Tim Larson has more than 30 years’ experience in commercial aviation and has played a key role in promoting and developing the S1000D specification in the ATA e-Business standards body. He serves on the ATA e-Business Steering Group (ESG), is a member of the ATA Civil Aviation Working Group and the S1000D Steering Committee, and supported the design and delivery of the first S1000D production solution for a commercial carrier. Tim currently serves as the chief product owner for InfoTrust Group’s TechSight/X suite of products that support both ATA iSpec 2200 and S1000D specifications.
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FOOTNOTES 1, www.S1000D.net 2, http://public.s1000d.org/Pages/Home.aspx 3, www.s1000d.net 4, Ibid. 5, www.ataebiz.org
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Aircraft eEnablement (Connectivity & IFE) Conference October 1st - 2nd 2013 at the Park Inn Hotel at London Heathrow Airport Confirmed speakers to-date:
• Cloudstore – (Speaker TBC)
• Boeing – Daniel Murray, Chief Engineer E/S
• Oman Air – Dawood Al Raisi, Senior Manager Technical Projects
• iJet Onboard – John Schramm, VP Product Development & Benson Miller, VP Engineering
• Flight Focus – Ralf Cabos, Managing Director
• ARINC – Mark Taylor, Business Development Director, eEnabled Aircraft Solutions
• Lufthansa Systems – Norbert Müller, VP of IFE Programs and BoardConnect
• AeroMobile – Kevin Rogers, CEO
• Row44 – John Guidon, CTO and Co-Founder
• Allegiant Systems – Andrew Kemmetmueller, CEO
• Air Informatics – Bruce Jackson
• American Airlines – Maureen Morgan, Manager of IT eEnablement
• Honeywell – (Speaker TBC)
• Cathay Pacific – Rob Saunders, Manager of Engineering Development
• OnAir – (Speaker TBC)
This conference will be the first of its kind to cover all aspects of aircraft communications, connectivity and IFE (for the ground, cockpit and the cabin). The aim of the conference is to help all airlines to better manage the operational benefits and revenue opportunities available for connected airplanes.
• Rockwell Collins – (Speaker TBC)
• IMDC – Robert Smith, Consultant
• SITA – (Speaker TBC)
• Icelandair – Gudmundur Óskarsson, Director of Marketing & Business Development
• Inmarsat - (Speaker TBC)
• Gulf Air – Mohamad El Assaad, Senior Manager IFE & Communications
• HMPlaney Consultants – Michael Planey, Senior Consultant
• LiveTV – (Speaker TBC)
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How I see IT eSignatures: why are we a decade behind? Michael Denis
“The usual excuse I hear is there are regulatory issues with implementing eSignature. Poppycock! The EU Parliament passed the Electronic Signatures Directive, 1999/93/EC in December 1999.”
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I lost a credit card while on vacation and when the new one arrived by FedE with an electronic ‘digitize x, I signed a hand held d’ signature block. We all device do this on a daily basis and retail outlets. So why at grocery stores, petrol is it that ‘paperless’ airlin stations, es are only paperless on one side of the runway? Electronic signatures are an integral part of paperle ss airline operations. But airlines and MROs printing as of early 2013 the numb and signing paper aircraf er of t log books, task cards, no COAs, etc. still represents n-routines, 8130/Form1 AR well over ninety per cent Cs, of the aerospace industry ? The usual excuse I hear is there are regulatory iss ues with implementing eSi Parliament passed the El gnature. Poppycock! The ectronic Signatures Direc EU tive, 1999/93/EC in Decemb Signatures in Global and er 1999 and the Electronic National Commerce Act (ESign) was enacted by the Circular 120-78, ‘Accepta US in June 2000. FAA Advis nce and Use of Electronic ory Signatures, Electronic Re Manuals’ was published in cordkeeping Systems and October 2002 and EASA pu El ec tronic blished a similar advisor March 2010. y, Decision No 2010/001/R , on 23rd The other common excuse is that the technology is too expensive. Balderdas h! At one of my clients I ob served a paper form used to perform an engine oil ser pieces of paper and ink, vicing was four pages. Fo printed by a clerk, filled ur ou t by an engineer, signed, retur partial entry into the MR ned to a line shack for O IT system by a another clerk, storage on site for records, QC check, storage one month, shipping to ce for eighteen months, then ntral shipped to another facility up and there’s over a milli for destruction. Sum it all on dollars per year for oil servicing paperwork. Start costs of log books, task considering the paper relat cards, non-routines, EOs, ed ARCs, etc. and the mountai massive. So what is the bu ns of paper and money beco siness case for doing no me thing? Signatures (physical and electronic) follow five inc reasing capability maturity CL1 A ‘wet’ signature and/ levels: or stamp; CL2 An electronic code (pi n and/or password); CL3 A digitized image of a ‘wet’ signature (includi ng photocopied ‘wet’ signa CL4 A digital signature, tures); which uses cryptographic ma thematical algorithms to digitized signature pen str detect the uniqueness of okes or key entries and a returns a hash code; CL5 Any other unique form of individual identificatio n that can be used as a me a record or document an ans of authenticating d the person entering inf ormation (e.g. biometric fingerprint scan or retinal unique identification such scan). as eSignatures aren’t rocket science technology; they are, however, an easy, chea efficient operations. p, and fast method of im proving
24 | TAP | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Mobility workforce Fernando Ferreira Matos, Head of Information Technologies at TAP Maintenance & Engineering sets out an operational strategy for Line Maintenance.
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | TAP | 25
D
IGITAL AIRCRAFT ARE here with the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 aircraft — the first fully ‘next generation’ models from the two largest civil aircraft manufacturers — and, in 2016, TAP will be taking delivery of the first in its fleet of A350s. This will mark a significant step in the airline’s fleet, in the IT needs of that fleet and the infrastructure to support it, and in our approach to IT at the heart of our business. The A350s, in particular, will be fully integrated units in the airline’s IT infrastructure and will be part of the TAP airline cloud. This means that they will always be connected to functions on which their efficient operation depends: • Maintenance and Engineering; • Flight Operations; • Suppliers; • Others as needed.
DATA SECURITY AND CONNECTIVITY
As part of its ‘next generation’ characteristics, the A350 has a built-in onboard IT infrastructure. But, in order for that to function at its optimum there is also the need for a ground-based IT platform that can handle and exploit the significant volumes of data produced by the aircraft and can deliver the quality and quantity of data and support demanded by the aircraft if it is to realize its full business potential. Being a wholly IT enabled/digital unit, all data needed to fly and maintain the aircraft is dematerialized: • Operational data; • Manuals; • Health monitoring; • Mission data; • Aircraft configurations. Because of this high reliance on dematerialized data, data security and reliable connectivity are also constant requirements of these advanced aircraft. For this reason, there are concerns that in some countries, mostly in Africa, airports do not always have Wi-Fi, GSM or GPRS (general packet radio service) connections.
NEW CONCEPTS: E-MAINTENANCE, E-OPERATION
With the new aircraft also come new paradigms and novel ways of looking at and delivering maintenance and operations requirements. The e-Operations concept demands a new structure of M&E, Flight Ops, IT, Data Security, etc., with new roles and responsibilities. e-Maintenance has seen hardware replaced by software and the advent of field loadable software. We are also going to have to get used to electronic deliveries in a dematerialized ‘equipment’ supply chain where knowing that an item is where it is needed, when it is needed will be more important than simply having it in stock. And part of the new aircraft package includes ground-based tools enabling fleet configuration management to be carried out in a virtual environment, albeit that the aircraft will still be configured for a very real environment. Aircraft health monitoring will similarly be improved with systems and engines data as well as information relating to Flight Operations Quality Assurance (FOQA) processes being generated in real time and, as importantly, being available in real time to all departments that need to record or act on that data or information. Also, other elements of flight operations technical data will be integrated into the wider airline system through such developments as EFBs with connected terminals. One of the most important new IT systems will be the one to control software versions, releases and updates.
NEXT GENERATION AND LEGACY
One consideration for the ground-based IT platform is that it will have to support us in dealing not only with the new generation fleet, the A350, but also with the ‘legacy’ current generation A330 and A320FAM aircraft which will continue to fly as important components in our whole fleet. So, to ensure that all participants in the TAP M&E operation have available at all times the data they need in order to do their jobs, we’ll have to have a significantly large and capable IT platform to support new generation and legacy aircraft, and all of the people who work on them, to deliver a consistently high quality service across the whole business. Such a platform will be a big investment and required extensive, detailed and in-depth discussions across the business in order for its implementation to be agreed. We have decided that both the legacy fleet and the A350 fleet will continue using following systems that we currently employ: • Airbus Connectors: Airbusworld, Airman, AirN@v; • COSMOS (TAP M&E IT integrated platform); • Flight Operations; • Ground Operations; • Others as required. With the dematerialization of information, all systems will have to be re-thought. For instance, we have considered the impact on our logistics module: the A350 will be considered to have had a part changed, just by having a new software release installed even though there will not be any physical removal from or addition to the aircraft. The conclusion from this is that we will have to adapt, integrate and connect.
FIRST STEP: GO MOBILE
This entails learning to work cooperatively in all areas: Maintenance & Engineering, Flight Operations, Ground Operations, etc. It also entails ensuring that the means to work cooperatively are all installed and functioning in the business. The next step is to increase Line Maintenance efficiency by having more reliable and real time data available. We have decided that the key step towards achieving that goal is for the system to go mobile, leaving mechanics free to get on with their work, maintaining and repairing aircraft. In fact, the watchword is: increase efficiency! In order to make these things happen, TAP M&E decided to first implement a mobile IT module to manage the line maintenance workforce. To achieve this we formed a partnership of businesses who could contribute the various expertises that were required. • Megasis; a TAP 100% owned IT company; • KMT (Kocowerk Mobile Technic) mobility consultants; and... • TAP M&E. Line maintenance is all about regulated actions which can be managed very efficiently because they can be planned and scheduled well in advance.
“…as part of its daily operation, maintenance and engineering also has to cope with unscheduled tasks which are more difficult to manage efficiently because they are often not routine or pre-planned processes.”
A350 TAP simulation
“…the A350 will be considered to have had a part changed, just by having a new software release installed even though there will not be any physical removal from or addition to the aircraft.”
26 | TAP | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
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However, as part of its daily operation, maintenance and engineering also has to cope with unscheduled tasks which are more difficult to manage efficiently because they are often not routine or pre-planned processes. It is in the resources that have to be available for unscheduled tasks (and which might not be available for scheduled tasks) where a lot of resource is wasted or, at least, inefficiently deployed. In this respect, a mobile operation can add a lot to efficiency and getting the job completed in good time or, to
put it another way, with minimum unscheduled and costly aircraft on ground (AOG) time and optimum availability of resources for work across the business. Our next task was to consider how we could go about introducing mobile working.
MAKING MOBILE WORKING HAPPEN
There are some ‘must have’ functionalities that will support mobile working: • ‘Just in time’ availability of materials, documentation,
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | TAP | 27
tools and/or supporting equipment; • A need to reduce line maintenance actions that interrupt routine aircraft operation; • A need to optimize the available workforce regarding their aircraft/engine qualifications and skills; • Good access to the MRO MIS (maintenance information system). There are also some actual features already functioning in TAP that support mobile working: • At the aircraft stands, ETA (estimated time of arrival), ETD (estimated time of departure) and tasks are automatically communicated to the coordinator; tasks are also assigned to the mechanics and displayed in their smartphones. • The coordinator can populate the upcoming shift via ‘drag and drop’ (pre-population is also possible). • The coordinator can add extra tasks and postpone allocated tasks to improve workflow within safety and regulatory requirements. • Task progress status, via the mechanic’s smartphone, is displayed on the MCC (maintenance control center) and coordinators’ laptops. • A ‘request assistance’ message appears as a popup alert in the coordinator leader’s or TS (Trouble Shooting) desktop. We are also planning some functionality to be implemented in the near future which will support or gain from mobile working: • Alerts (15 minutes before ETD without release); • Use of AirN@v Light version; • Time stamp of when tasks have been completed; • Proficiency registration; • NFC (not fully closed) use; • Hold item list (HIL) control (closing); • Documentation access; • Photo reporting; • Direct part request to Logistics; • Key reports (average tasks times, delay codes accuracy, etc.). In this program to develop mobile working, TAP focused on operability and end user easy utilization as a goal for product approval. Other requirements and upgrades have been identified and are in a queue for future implementation. The desired platform must be: • Fleet agnostic (i.e. able to cope with whatever aircraft we fly); • Line maintenance oriented; • A real time App so that mobility can deliver a ‘virtual’ single workspace. In short: it should deliver the right information at the right time to the right person.
CONCLUSIONS
We must pay close attention in specification and development of the new system to changes in MIS, for instance in the Logistics module. These include
organizational changes in Flight Operations and in Maintenance and Engineering (e-Operations group) One must also ensure optimum connectivity and data security, and we must work with the people who have to do the work (and vice-versa). In this way we will be able to implement mobile working as a first step towards making our overall systems able to work with and derive the best value from our new aircraft while still delivering first class quality in our work with the legacy fleet. In future articles, I will be setting out the further steps taken at TAP to ensure that our systems and processes offer the best support to and gain the most value form our new aircraft fleet as well as our legacy fleet. n
TAP
TAP Portugal is Portugal’s leading airline and a member of Star Alliance. The airline was voted ‘World’s Leading Airline to Africa’ (2011 and 2012), ‘World’s Leading Airline to South America’ (2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012) and ‘Best European Airline’ (2011). From its Lisbon hub, TAP serves 75 destinations in 34 countries worldwide. Operating an average of more than 2,250 flights a week, TAP boasts a modern fleet of 55 Airbus aircraft.
FERNANDO MATOS
Fernando Matos is a telecommunications and electronic engineering graduate of Lisbon Technical University and joined TAP Maintenance & Engineering in 1980. In 1991 he was Project Manager for TAP M&E Information Strategy Plan and from 1994 coordinated development of TAP’s in-house integrated IT platform, COSMOS. He became head of TAP M&E IT in 2005 and has for three years also been in charge of IT at TAP Maintenance & Engineering, Brazil.
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IDMR’s Technical Documentation Management System, InForm, has been designed to play a central role in the long-term survival and proliferation of technical documentation. InForm, written from the ground up as an airline document management system, will allow you to author and maintain virtually any document. Technical Documentation Management is now on aviation executives agenda’s worldwide. Technical documents are the primary source of aircraft, engine, and component reference InFormation which are constantly changing. On-going revision’s and updates by manufacturers, vendors and airline personnel add more complexity in controlling these documents. Failing to follow manufactures, vendors, and regulatory agencies approved maintenance repair and overhaul procedures can result in poor quality control or worse noncompliance fines. Without a centralized approach to Technical Documentation Management, these important documents are usually stored in multiple places, version control is lacking and in many cases different automated tools are used to create and maintain record keeping, perpetuating a process that is extremely time consuming and in most cases inaccurate. InForm offers a Technical Document Management Solution that provides a single repository for storing electronic documents received from outside sources such as manufactures, vendors, and internal personal. IDMR offers airlines, manufactures and thirdparty maintenance providers the industry’s most technically advanced, web centric, fully customizable, easy-to-use, all encompassing, mission critical and affordable suite of Technical Documentation Management solutions.
DOCUMENTS…MANAGED.
www.idmr-solutions.com sales@idmr-solutions.com Tel: +1 888 675 4527
28 | WEBINARS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Upcoming Live Software Demonstration Webinars at www.aircraftit.com/MRO/Webinars.aspx this September This Setpember will bring further great opportunities for readers to attend programs covering two of the leading MRO software solutions on the Market today. If you need to know more about managing MRO with software and the power of role-based WorkSpaces, Mobility and more or about better ways to leverage MRO data for accurate decision-making, you’ll save a great deal of time and gain a lot of what you’ll need to know to inform a good decision by simply attending this two informative webinar. 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.
Boeing Mobile Maintenance iPad Application Demonstration Webinar
TRAX Mobile & MRO/M&E Software Demonstration Webinar
n SESSION 1: 12th September 2013 – 06:30 GMT/UTC n SESSION 2: 12th September 2013 – 14:30 GMT/UTC n DURATION: 1 hour plus Q&A.
n SESSION 1: 19th September 2013 – 06:30 GMT/UTC n SESSION 2: 19th September 2013 – 14:30 GMT/UTC n DURATION: 1 hour plus Q&A.
Sign Up to attend this Webinar and join Boeing for an excellent MRO Software Demonstration.
Join Hexaware Technologies for this MRO Data Analytics masterclass and software demonstration.
n DESCRIPTION
n DESCRIPTION
The Webinar will show you how these new applications give mechanics access to the information they need to resolve maintenance issues plane-side or on the go, in close collaboration with maintenance and engineering teams based elsewhere. You will see how they boost maintenance efficiency, improve aircraft utillization, and reduce operational costs. During the Webinar, the Boeing experts will walk you through live iPad demonstrations of their three new products: • Toolbox Mobile Library: You will see how technicians have access to maintenance documents for instant reference and use, wherever and whenever needed. Multiple manuals and airline-created content are linked together so that users can easily search for documents and information about parts and fault histories. Multiple manuals and airline-created content are linked together so that users can easily search documents. • Toolbox Mobile Parts: The iPad demo will show you how technicians can instantly retrieve information about part availability, including the most current inventory information. • Maintenance Turn Time: Adds a secure collaboration dimension to the maintenance troubleshooting process. Also running on iPhone you will see how a technician can take a photo of a damaged part, upload it for others to see and annotate, and then share information about maintenance issues with other personnel in real time.
TRAX Mobile Module (TraxM) & MRO/M&E Software Demonstration Webinar Register to attend this Webinar and join TRAX for a live software demonstration of their industry leading maintenance software solution for airlines and third party MROs. You will be taken on a high-level tour of the different modules and the rich functionality the software provides including: Engineering, Planning, Inventory, Technical Records, Library, Quality Assurance and Production. You will then see a live demo of Trax’s new groundbreaking mobile solution for iPads, Smartphones and Tablets: TraxM. The TRAX mobile module (TraxM) allows you to stay connected wherever you are, whether in the office, the worksite, or anywhere in-between. TraxM lets you wirelessly manage your aircraft fleet from your mobile device. Access to information and the ability to perform real-time operations from wherever your workforce goes will be a major benefit to your operation. With TraxM you have the mobility whilst remaining fully integrated with the Trax System, maximizing your productivity, and streamlining your processes. The live iPad demo will show you the different modules available on TraxM including: Defects Report, Assigned Work, Reports, Message Central, Documentation, Work Orders and more. You will see how it is possible to view both XML and PDF technical documentation and for engineers to sign off a Task using an electronic signature. This Webinar will provide you with the great chance to see a high-level review of this industry leading software solution and see why the TRAX M&E Software solution is used by over 110 companies worldwide.
Mobile technology is becoming an important aspect for aircraft maintenance and has the potential to save airlines and aircraft operators millions of dollars in operating costs today. This Webinar will introduce you to Boeing’s excellent new mobile maintenance range of solutions and how they can deliver key results.
n AGENDA • • • • • • • •
Introduction to the Boeing Edge An Overview of Maintenance Performance Toolbox Product Demonstration: Toolbox Mobile Library Product Demonstration: Toolbox Mobile Parts An Overview of Maintenance Turn Time Product Demonstration Maintenance Turn Time Conclusion Q&A
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n AGENDA
• General Overview of the Trax M&E Software functionality; • Live iPad demo of TraxM Including: • Accessing Technical Documentation both XML and PDF; • e-signatures for signing off Task Cards / Work Orders. • Q&A session
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Vendor Job Card
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | VENDOR JOB CARD | 29
The thinking and approach behind Lufthansa Technik and manage/m® Dr. Falk Kalus is Director of the manage/m® department at Lufthansa Technik Maintenance International Dr. Kalus has managed several development IT projects in the context of Lufthansa Technik’s manage/m® and has been head of the approximately 40 strong department since 2009. He joined the company in 2001. He has studied Business Informatics and obtained his Ph.D. in statistical methods in economics.
AIRCRAFT IT: Your name, your job title and the name of the business? DR FALK KALUS: Dr Falk Kalus, Director manage/m® Technical Operations WebSuite, Lufthansa Technik AG AIRCRAFT IT: How did Lufthansa Technik get started? DR FK: Founded in 1953, Deutsche Lufthansa AG is now an aviation group with global operations and more than 400 subsidiaries and associated companies. Lufthansa Technik AG was established as a separate company in 1995: the worldwide Lufthansa Technik Network was built from there. It is now the leading supplier of MRO services in the world’s airline business. Among many milestone inventions of our company, the manage/m® Technical Operations WebSuite went live in 2007 and, today, is one of our company’s unique selling points. AIRCRAFT IT: What is the attraction of aircraft related IT? DR FK: As an operator you must be in full control of your fleet at all times. Even when outsourcing significant MRO tasks, the operator has to retain full responsibility towards the relevant aviation authorities for the correct maintenance of his aircraft. Our MRO IT system supports a web based management of all core functions in technical operations, thus keeping the operator and the MRO supplier connected and fully in the loop with active control of all aircraft maintenance related information. AIRCRAFT IT: What is the guiding business principle that drives Lufthansa Technik and manage/m®? DR FK: With more than 50 years of experience, Maintenance Repair and Overhaul is our business. In regard to our IT developments our motto is: IT follows business. We build our IT according to our MRO process standards, authority requirements and, of course, our customers’ needs. This is also one of the reasons why manage/m® comes as part of our MRO contract and is part of our MRO performance package.
AIRCRAFT IT: What has been Lufthansa Technik’s greatest IT achievement to date, and why? DR FK: The launch of the manage/m® WebSuite definitely set a milestone on MRO IT development and usage. Ready to use, anytime and anywhere, an operator can easily meet responsibilities towards the authorities in a comfortable way. manage/m® was the first web based MRO IT solution on the market supporting all of the operator‘s fleet technical operations processes. AIRCRAFT IT: What has been greatest business achievement of manage/m®, and why? DR FK: The traffic light system of m/compliance is definitely an achievement that will set trends in the MRO IT market. The module itself gives online access to status reports and engineering documents, providing customers with a quick overview of their aircraft’s airworthiness status. With the exclusive feature of deadline tracking via an eye catching traffic light system we have established a way to automatically display very important information at a glance, which our customer’s greatly appreciate. Another important business fact is that to date we have more than 300 airlines working with our WebSuite on a daily basis, and we are quite proud of that. AIRCRAFT IT: What have been manage/m® disappointments and what have you learned from them? DR FK: There has not yet been a classic disappointment in our manage/ m® history. Many projects we have worked in have taught us to think ahead and always work together with our customers. I think that developing products in close collaboration with the actual users always taking into account a customer‘s needs and desires is the best way to avoid dissatisfactions. AIRCRAFT IT: In a sentence, how would you summarize what manage/m® does for aviation customers?
DR FK: manage/m® provides Lufthansa Technik customers with upto-date information that is easily accessible at all times and therefore enables them to live up to their responsibility as an operator. AIRCRAFT IT: What is new on Lufthansa Technik’s manage/m® development horizon? DR FK: We are currently working on a re-launch of our WebSuite containing Web 2.0 technologies and features that will enhance our users’ every day work. Also, WebSuite is going to be fully compatible with mobile devices such as the iPad and we are constantly improving the usage for mobile technologies. As our product history shows, we like our developments to set trends and always try to think one step ahead. AIRCRAFT IT: What will be the next big thing in Aviation IT? DR FK: A big focus nowadays is definitely on mobile technologies. Making IT systems compatible with our modern way of communicating will enhance the speed of information management and thus the excellence of operation management. As mentioned before, we have started to deploy manage/m® modules on tablets and are currently working on further solutions for mobile devices. Another thing is dealing with so called ‘big data’ as new airplane technologies bring loads of new data to be processed and transferred into existing IT systems. Data standardizing, Spec 2000 Data Transfer and the usage of Clouds work as a solution here. AIRCRAFT IT: What do you want your customers to say about Lufthansa Technik and manage/m®? DR FK: Lufthansa Technik stands for outstanding image and quality. Consequently, we would like them to value the high quality performance that derives from decades of engineering expertise as well as our individual customer service. It would also be nice to hear that manage/m® helps them in their daily operations and is an important part of their satisfaction with us as an independent MRO provider. n
30 | CASE STUDY: IFRSKEYES | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Getting better Jean-Philippe Coudrat, Fleet Technical Manager at the CAIRE group, shares the experience of their MIS upgrade project
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | CASE STUDY: IFRSKEYES | 31
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“…it aims to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for Air Guyane Express and Air Antilles Express, both of which are subject to European regulations and operate in accordance with the safety rules of EASA…” SUPPORTING A SAFETY CULTURE
C
AIRE’S CONTINUING AIRWORTHINESS Management department keeps a constant watch on the airline’s activities to ensure safe operation, the airworthiness of its aircraft and the smooth functioning of operational and safety equipment. In this, it aims to ensure compliance with regulatory requirements for Air Guyane Express and Air Antilles Express, both of which are subject to European regulations and operate in accordance with the safety rules of EASA (European Aviation Safety Agency). At all times, ‘safety’ is resolutely the watchword within CAIRE’s Continuing Airworthiness Management department. To embed this approach in the future and in order to fulfill its duties and carry out its objectives, the group decided to improve the efficiency of daily operations through an optimization of its Maintenance & Engineering (M&E) information system to achieve improved reliability, and users’ acceptance.
A SYSTEM DECISION
12 years ago, Air Guyane SP, renamed as CAIRE, made the decision to run AMASIS, a proven solution already in use with other airlines in the same region and who were flying the same types of aircraft. It is always a real challenge for any organization to find a maintenance system that fits with its structure and organization. Also, once the right solution has been found and implemented, it will be a long, risky and expensive process should they choose to replace it. However, if the solution already
Maintenance & Engineering, Operations and Analytics in place is able to evolve with the developing structure of the airline, its needs and its visions for the future, and is able to offer an updated version capable of responding to the user’s changing requirements, then an upgrade to a more modern version of the system in use will often be the most suitable decision because… • All current users are familiar with the system; • There are reduced risks related to data migration and the potential loss of historical consistency; • It is possible to access the latest technological developments at a lower cost than that of transferring to a wholly new system; • The airline or MRO business can save time and money; • The airline or MRO business is in a position to control the impact on the current business processes in place in their organization. On the one hand, users can adapt themselves easily to the new environment for an established system. On the other hand, they can regain efficiency and productivity with a system that offers improved ergonomics and upgraded functions within a familiar structure.
THE UPGRADE PROCESS AT CAIRE
Once CAIRE had decided to implement an upgrade of the AMASIS system, there were a number of tasks that had to scheduled and completed. DATA AUDIT AND CLEANSING A review of the quality and consistency of data before the upgrade was essential to ensure the best use of the system before any upgrading of the production database was carried out. Without that step, inconsistencies in the data might have occurred when it came to running the system from an old version, as well as with any manual modification on the Data Model.
• • • •
Airlines MROs Defense operators State-owned operators • Aircraft manufacturers • Engineering companies
SKILLED, FLEXIBLE AERONAUTICS STAFF COMMITTED TO OUR CUSTOMERS MORE THAN
80 customers
Worldwide
Telephone: +33 (0) 5 62 74 75 00 Email: commercial@ifrskeyes.com ifrskeyes.com IFR Skeyes 0213.indd 1
04/02/2013 18:35
32 | CASE STUDY: IFRSKEYES | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
KEY SUCCESS FACTORS FOR THE UPGRADE PROJECT CAIRE appreciated the full support of the on-site IFRSKEYES team who helped to make this upgrade project a success. The level of involvement of the CAIRE employees along with the IFRSKEYES team was a key factor in enabling us to achieve and go beyond the initial expectations.
CONCLUSION
Both Air Guyane Express and Air Antilles Express went live with the AMASIS V9.20 on the 24th of April 2013. Users appreciate the new ergonomics and can now entirely focus on their business process. The CAIRE group plans to purchase a new LET L - 410 by the end of 2013 and an ATR 72 - 600 in 2014 and then to further expand its fleet. Without doubt, increasing numbers of opportunities are opening for CAIRE and its peers to operate flights to new destinations in the Caribbean. However, that also means that the competition will become increasingly robust. CAIRE is confident of its employees and its management board’s ability to meet the challenge. As for the maintenance of its new fleet, CAIRE strongly believes that it has made the right investment decision by upgrading its MIS (management information system) to AMASIS V9.20.
CAIRE (COMPAGNIE AÉRIENNE INTER RÉGIONALE EXPRESS) GROUP
“A review of the quality and consistency of data before the upgrade was essential to ensure the best use of the system before any upgrading of the production database was carried out.” As part of this, an on-site audit was run by IFRSKEYES business experts to get an overview of the extent to which data cleansing would be necessary. The audit consisted of key indicators analysis on the solution best practices and data coherence control. As a result of what was discovered in the audit, corrective actions were identified, defined and undertaken. For instance, CAIRE has several aircraft that had been inactive for a long time. As part of the upgrade project, these aircraft were disabled and mothballed out of service to avoid the risk of human error and to ease navigation within the system. TEST AND PRODUCTION ENVIRONMENT UPDATE As part of the upgrade process, the first run on the test database was a key milestone at which to analyze the logs and discrepancies that might occur during the conversion and to create a starting point for the training of users.
TRAINING Training on the new version of the system was mainly focused on gaining an understanding of the optimum use of the new functions and new ergonomics. It also permited users to refresh their knowledge on AMASIS best practices. GO LIVE The service disruption time-frame was reduced as far as possible to minimize the impact of the go-live on the airline’s operations. ON-THE-JOB TRAINING Training is essential for users to get to understand new functionalities available in the new version of the system; through on-the-job training, users were able to benefit from the expert assistance of IFRSKEYES personnel to improve the efficiency of the current practices and work on real cases.
CAIRE is a regional airline based in the French West Indies and French Guiana. In 2002, Air Guyane SA became Air Guyane SP, inheriting 30 years of know-how in transporting passengers. In 2009, Air Guyane SP became the CAIRE group. CAIRE now has two commercial brands: Air Guyane Express and Air Antilles Express. The group has a partnership with Air France and Corsairfly and makes it easier for mainland and international tourists visiting islands in the region. Its fleet includes nine aircraft – 3 ATR 42-500, 2 TWIN OTTER DHC6-300, CESSNA C208, 3 LET L- 410.
IFRSKEYES
IFRSKEYES, an AIRBUS company, is a full-service IT provider specialized in aviation software managing aircraft maintenance and flight operations. Its recognized know-how is based on a central strategic axis: the entire aircraft management. The firm offers airlines, military forces, helicopter operators, MRO companies and CAMO holders’ two integrated software solutions to meet all management needs: AMASIS (Aircraft Maintenance And Spares Information System) and KEOPS (Keys for Operations and Planning System).
CAIRE is now using AMASIS in the hosting mode. This mode allows managers to access real-time data on the aircraft and to monitor operational activities, even when they happen far away from the office. However, to become more competitive, cost-effectiveness has to be a key consideration. Therefore, with the expansion of its fleet, CAIRE is looking into the possibility of purchasing an AMASIS V9.20 license. n
JEAN-PHILIPPE COUDRAT
FLEET TECHNICAL MANAGER, CAIRE With more than 42 years’ experience in aviation, JeanPhilippe Coudrat has significant knowledge in airlines’ needs for the maintenance of their aircraft. From 1971 he was an aircraft electro-mechanic in the French Navy and, from 1991, an Engineer at Air Littoral, then Air Martinique. Between 1996 and 2002 he was Civil Aviation Inspector at Bureau Veritas France and Head of Engineering then Chief of Continuing Airworthiness Management at Air Caraibes. In July 2002 he became Quality Assurance Manager at Air Guyane SP then Chief of Continuing Airworthiness Management and from 2010 until now: Fleet Technical Manager at CAIRE Air Guyane Express / Air Antilles Express.
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | VACANCIES | 33 2moroAnnoncePresse1112.pdf
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TARGETED OPPORTUNITIES
…your next step Aircraft IT MRO ‘Vacancies’ on the website highlights real opportunities with great businesses looking for the best professionals
Considering your next career move? At Aircraft IT MRO ‘Vacancies’ [insert hyperlink] great businesses flag up opportunities that need experience and skills like yours: or you can simply use us for overview of the market. Aircraft IT MRO is the specialist website and publication for your sector so you won’t have to trawl through a host of general vacancies to find the aviation MRO IT ones that need your skills and will advance your career.
JOB ALERTS FOR FIRST SIGHT
As well as listing current career opportunities, Aircraft IT MRO ‘Vacancies’ also lets you sign up for ‘Job Alerts’ [insert hyperlink], to receive email alerts, making you among the first to learn about the latest opportunities and in pole position to put yourself forward.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES CURRENTLY ON THE WEBSITE INCLUDE THE FOLLOWING SO SIGN UP NOW BY CLICKING HERE
C
M
J
CM
SHEOREY DIGITAL SYSTEMS LTD
SWISS AVIATION SOFTWARE
MJ
CJ
CMJ
N
VP – SALES & MARKETING
The successful candidate will conduct Market Research and gather Business Intelligence. He or she will also map the Global Market for sale of ERP Products in Aviation Vertical plus understand customers’ needs and create annual sales plan in consultation with MD. JOB-RESPONSIBILITIES
Include, client relationship Management, Business Development and technical presentations as well as sales volume, product mix, and selling price. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
BUSINESS CONSULTANT Swiss-AS’s Business Consulting Department is composed of airline/MRO industry experienced individuals with professional skills in Project Management and a deep knowledge of the AMOS software. The main focus of the Consulting Department is: to successfully implement AMOS at new customers; an to provide customers with AMOS expert knowledge and best practices tailored for their organization. Primary Tasks in this role will be Hold role as Swiss-AS Project Manager for AMOS implementation projects serving our international customer bas; Perform AMOS system consulting and conduct business process analysis; Share expert knowledge with colleague; Actively participate in the continuous development of the AMOS software. CLICK HERE FOR MORE DETAILS
34 | WEBINARS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
PAST WEBINARS: View Video Recordings of our Live Software Demonstration Webinars at Aircraft IT Build your own MRO Software Demonstration Webinar Library. Search through and sign up to view the convenient video recordings of all previous Live MRO Software Demonstration & Masterclass Webinars at the following link: http://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/Webinars/Past.aspx. This exceptional video library contains recordings of Live Software Demonstrations and Masterclasses from the following major IT Vendors: TRAX, Swiss-AS (AMOS), Enigma, Rusada, Mxi Technologies, Gen2Systems, Ramco Systems, Aerosoft Systems, 2MoRO Solutions, Lufthansa Technik (manage-m), AV-BASE Systems, plus more. An outline of four of the recent Webinar Recordings can be seen below:
The key to successful Aviation Maintenance Management; discover Maintenix from Mxi Technologies
MRO/M&E Software Demonstration Webinar (inc. Mobile MRO Solutions & Role-based WorkSpaces)
6th June 2013
18th July 2013
n SESSION OVERVIEW
n SESSION OVERVIEW
Register to view this Webinar recording and join Mxi Technologies for an ‘as live’ online software demonstration of one of the industry’s leading MRO/M&E IT Solutions: Maintenix. The Webinar takes you on a tour of the rich functionality Maintenix provides, so you can prepare for the unexpected and analyse and understand the business impact of strategic decisions. You’ll also learn about Production and Planning and Control to improve heavy maintenance turnaround times and resource utilization. This will be a great chance to see a high-level review of this industry leading solution and see why Maintenix software is used by leading airlines, operators, MROs, and OEMs worldwide.
Register to view this Webinar Recording
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for an excellent chance to view an ‘as live’ demonstration of Ramco’s next generation, latest Aviation MRO/M&E Software Solution version 5.6, tailor-made for airlines, Operators, Heli-Operators and MROs. The Webinar takes you on a tour of the rich functionality the latest Ramco MRO/M&E system provides. You’ll have a great chance to see a high-level review of this industry leading MRO/M&E software solution and why it is currently used by some of the biggest names in the industry. You’ll also see how the software can assist to cut costs and increase efficiency.
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WEBINARS | 35
About the Live Software Demonstration Webinar Recordings
How it works:
Whether you missed them the first time around, need to refresh your understanding of available systems before making a key decision or if you are building a reference portfolio of relevant knowledge, these past webinar recordings will add vital market intelligence to your established professional skills. They’ll improve and sharpen your awareness of available solutions and add to your knowledge store. You’ll gain an overview of the major MRO software systems on the market today, from the world’s leading IT Vendors, and all at a time and a place compatible with your busy schedule. Each demonstration lasts 1 hour, providing airlines, aircraft operators and MROs with the perfect introduction to each MRO software solution demonstrated.
• Visit: http://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/Webinars/Past.aspx • Use the scroll option or view the details of the latest recorded sessions on the right and select a Webinar recording you would like to view. • Next click ‘Register for Recording’ and enter your details. • Once approved the video file will appear in your Member’s Area at the Aircraft IT website. • You can then view the Webinar recording as many times as you wish, share it with your colleagues and retain it as part of your own market intelligence reference library.
MRO/M&E Data Masterclass & Software Demo Webinar (inc. Data Migration, Cleansing, Modelling and Analytics) 1st August 2013
New Webinar Recording Search Engine Aircraft IT makes searching for past webinars a richer experience.
n SESSION OVERVIEW
n OVERVIEW
Register to view this key Webinar recording and learn how to take best advantage of all available MRO/M&E Data. The Webinar provides insights on how to leverage meaningful business analytics from disparate data sources, how to migrate data to a new MRO system and tips to organize your data to provide most benefit. The session also includes a real-time demo on Hexaware’s HMro Suite. You’ll see how the Analytics pack can leverage real-time data and help prioritize activities, allocate budgets optimally and bring down MRO/M&E costs significantly. You will also see how it can be seamlessly integrated into primary ERP or modern MRO software systems.
Success comes at a price. Aircraft IT Webinars have proved popular for vendors and readers alike with more than 100 past webinars on leading aircraft IT solutions now available, and more to come. That’s the success. But with so many webinars to choose from, finding the ones that address any reader’s specific brief is becoming a challenge in itself. That’s the price.
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So we’ve greatly enhanced your webinar search experience with the new ‘past webinar’ search facility. Whether it’s MRO or Operations, you can search by ‘Webinar Name’, by ‘Vendor’ or by ‘Category’– iPad/mobile or data analytics. Finding the right information for you just got easier.
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36 | WHITE PAPER: EXSYN SOLUTIONS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
Leveraging advantage out of software
Is M&E software a necessary evil for airlines and MROs, asks Sander de Bree, Managing Director at ExSyn Aviation Solutions, or can it actually deliver a competitive advantage?
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: EXSYN SOLUTIONS | 37
“… we need to view the software in the airline or MRO as a resource of the organization. If we treat it as a resource we can then apply commonly used frameworks in order to determine whether it is actually providing competitive advantage…”
N
OWADAYS IT HAS become unthinkable to run an airline maintenance department or MRO organization without the use of IT applications. And the requirement for using these applications usually originates in specific business purposes. For example; if the company needs to perform inventory management, it will need an inventory management system; or if it needs to do aircraft reliability analyses, a reliability analysis tool will be required. It might be that, on a more complex scale, the organization has many different systems in use and wants to switch to an integrated M&E tool that can fulfill all of the needs and requirements currently served by those different systems. The two main criteria used by MROs and airlines in the selection of their software tools are... functionality and price. However, very few companies consider their software tool(s) as a possible source of competitive advantage.
SOFTWARE CAN MAKE A BUSINESS DIFFERENCE
In order to determine if an aircraft M&E tool (either an integrated system or single purpose system) can generate competitive advantage, we need to view the software in the airline or MRO as a resource of the organization. If we treat it as a resource we can then apply commonly used frameworks in order to determine whether it is actually providing competitive advantage and, if so, how? One of these frameworks is the VRIO model as expounded by J. Barney. This model looks at a resource (the M&E tool) and determines: 1) is the resource valuable? 2) is the resource rare? 3) is the resource costly to imitate?.. and 4) is the resource exploited by the organization? If you want to find out whether the software tools you are using in your maintenance and engineering environment are providing your company with a competitive advantage, there are four basic questions you have to ask yourself: 1. Does the software tool add value by exploiting opportunities or neutralizing threats (is it Valuable)? 2. Do other companies have the same software tool (is it Rare)? 3. If a company does not have the same software tool, does this other company face a cost disadvantage if it wants to acquire the same software tool (is it Costly to imitate)? 4. Is my company organized to exploit the full potential of the software tool (do we have the necessary Organization)? If the answer to all four questions is ‘no’, then your software tool is actually creating a competitive disadvantage for the company and I would suggest that you get rid of it as soon as possible. If your software is valuable but not rare, nor costly to imitate and/or your organization is not exploiting its potential to the fullest extent possible, you will be in a state of competitive parity. This can be changed to a temporary
38 | WHITE PAPER: EXSYN SOLUTIONS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
planning is integrated with material provisioning and forecasting which in turn results in more efficient inventory management and lower inventory costs. A less obvious cost reduction results from quicker data capturing which leads to faster data analysis and implementation of improvement measures. As another example: as a result of live ‘work time progress’ monitoring, users will always have the most accurate data for aircraft on ground time and will be able to quickly identify delays from the average expected on ground time for maintenance: that way, action to resolve the cause of the delay can be initiated immediately. For an MRO there is the further additional quantifiable benefit of the increase in sales and/ or revenue due to the ‘HALO’ effect of a VRIO M&E system. The HALO effect is a phenomenon in which an airline is more willing to deal with an MRO which utilizes a certain software system due to the image of that system and the favorable impact it can have on the airline’s operation.
NON-QUANTIFIABLE BENEFITS
The non-quantifiable benefit of a VRIO M&E system can be found in the potential for reduction of overheads. Such reductions are always hard to predict, but could typically include a reduction of costs in the financial department, as less effort is required to produce sales invoices and administer incoming invoices, or a reduction of costs for technical support staff, as less effort is required to plan and prepare maintenance work. For an MRO another non-quantifiable benefit exists, namely the potential to raise the costs of switching to another provider. By applying a VRIO M&E system and ensuring that the customer’s own systems are depending on that MRO system delivering data and the customer’s internal processes are driven by inputs from that VRIO M&E system, an MRO can raise the costs for a customer in switching to another maintenance provider. In these circumstances switching will mean that the customer needs to change his own system(s) and procedures and hence incurs higher switching costs. Raising the costs of switching is only possible for an MRO when the M&E system is actually a VRIO M&E system. If not, any other competitor can acquire the same software and make sure they deliver the same standard to the customer.
“…as a consequence of the full exploitation of an integrated M&E system, aircraft maintenance planning is integrated with material provisioning and forecasting which in turn results in more efficient inventory management and lower inventory costs.” competitive advantage through improving the exploitation of the system by your organization, but this state will never provide you with sustained competitive advantage because your software tool does not represent a big cost disadvantage to your competitors and they will simply acquire the same software and copy your best practices so that the advantage you had as a result of your M&E software will disappear. Only when the answer to all four questions is ‘yes’, will you be able to achieve a sustained competitive advantage with your software tool. An M&E system for which all four question can be answered with a firm ‘yes’, is called a VRIO resource, or a VRIO M&E system. But what could this competitive advantage that results from a VRIO M&E system mean for an MRO or airline?
COMPARATIVE EFFICIENCY… COMPETITIVE EDGE
THE BENEFITS FROM VRIO
In order to answer this question we need to look at the advantages that can result from the application of a VRIO M&E system. Such advantages can be categorized as: • Quantifiable benefits; • Non-quantifiable benefits.
QUANTIFIABLE BENEFITS
The first quantifiable benefit of a VRIO system is in the cost reduction that arises as a result of improved efficiency. For example; as a consequence of the full exploitation of an integrated M&E system, aircraft maintenance
So how do these quantifiable and non-quantifiable benefits result in competitive advantage? Competitive advantage is basically obtained when you can deliver the same value as your competitors but at a lower price; or when you can deliver a higher value but at the same price as your competitors. As a result of the application of a VRIO M&E system, efficiencies in the maintenance operation will result in lower maintenance costs: additionally, the non-quantifiable benefit of reducing overheads can generate additional maintenance cost reductions. This reduction in costs combined with retention of service quality is called comparative efficiency and for airlines will mean that maintenance costs will be reduced. That, in turn, will reduce the operational costs of an airline and can trigger lower sales prices while retaining the profit margins of the airline. For an MRO the same argument applies; greater efficiency results in lower costs which can result in lower prices for customers without reducing the overall profit margin. Additionally an MRO can obtain a second competitive advantage out of a VRIO M&E system. The MRO can increase its bargaining power with the customer when it manages to raise switching costs to a level where it becomes too costly for the customer to switch to another MRO provider. Raising these switching costs is done by making sure the MRO’s VRIO M&E system is deeply integrated in the customer’s system(s) and procedures (see above).
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | WHITE PAPER: EXSYN SOLUTIONS | 39
“The MRO can increase its bargaining power with the customer when it manages to raise switching costs to a level where it becomes too costly for the customer to switch to another MRO provider.” So do VRIO M&E systems exist? Off-the-shelf M&E systems (both integrated and single use purpose systems) will only be able to provide a temporary competitive advantage. This is for two particular reasons: firstly ‘off-the-shelf’ systems will force the organization to change itself to the way the purchased software tool functions in order to obtain the maximum achievable efficiency from the system. However, this also means that any other airline or MRO that utilizes the same system at maximum efficiency will enjoy the same benefits and hence no valuable advantage will exist anymore. Only a temporary advantage can be gained while the airline or MRO utilizes the off-the-shelf system more efficiently than its competitors. However once the competition hits the same efficiency levels the advantage vaporizes.
The second argument why ‘off-the-shelf’ systems will never be VRIO M&E systems is based on the fact that they are not costly to imitate. Off-the-shelf products have their purchase price and it only depends on the budgetary capabilities of the competition whether they either will or will not be able to purchase the same off-the-shelf system. So here also, only a temporary competitive advantage can be gained and only for as long as the competition does not have the budgetary capabilities to acquire the off-the-shelf system. In order to have a sustained competitive advantage with an M&E system an airline or MRO will need to utilize an open development system or a system developed wholly in house. Such a system will provide the potential to achieve maximum value through efficiency, and perhaps even more efficiency than off-the-shelf products as, once the efficiency limits are reached, a user can pursue innovations to achieve further efficiency. Additionally, if the system is a selfdevelopment program within the Airline or MRO, it will become costly for competitors to imitate it in terms of lead-time, manpower resources required for this and acquisition of know-how. So if an airline or MRO acquires an off-the-shelf M&E system it will initially be to fulfill particular business needs and hence will become a necessary evil in terms of costs, implementation and support. If an airline or MRO decided to embark on a journey to develop its own M&E system or improve development of an open system, that will not only result in fulfilling business use needs, but can provide a sustainable competitive advantage through a VRIO M&E system. n
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The whole fleet at your fingertips: Lufthansa Technik MRO-IT solution manage/m® • Keep control • Quality assured • Airline proven
SANDER DE BREE
EXSYN AVIATION SOLUTIONS
ExSyn Aviation Solutions offers solutions in the aviation industry including engineering services around the implementation, data transfer and application management of a fully integrated software package that manages the maintenance, engineering and logistic requirements of aircraft. That includes training of employees. On the other hand ExSyn also offers aircraft transfer solutions. ExSyn Aviation Solutions has a broad expertise and a thorough understanding of all the high safety levels to provide clients with a service meeting the required standards and within the timeframe demanded.
Sander de Bree is founder and general manager of ExSyn Aviation Solutions; focusing on engineering and technical management solutions for aviation and heavily specialized in the field of IT systems for aircraft maintenance. Sander holds a degree in aeronautical engineering with a specialization in quality management and aviation regulations. He is a member of the Royal Dutch society of engineers (KIVI NIRIA) and associate to the society’s departments of aerospace engineering and information technology.
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manage/m® Technical Operations WebSuite
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40 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
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What’s in your next issue of Aircraft IT MRO?
In our next issue we’ll be addressing several key topics of the day. Documentation is always a major issue when records have to be as detailed, meticulous and accurate as those used in commercial aviation. Another perennial issue is getting the various software solutions in the business all pointing in the same direction and any software implementation from the decision to change to running the new solution will always be of interest. And with new generation aircraft coming on stream with the new generation IT support, how can we get data from legacy to modern systems? It’s all covered in the next issue (Volume 2 Issue 5) .…
The latest MRO IT News White Paper: Documentation today
Part 3: The importance to choose the right business model and tech pubs strategy
White Paper: CMS and MRO systems realignment Facts and Fiction
Case Study: Implementing software After the AMOS go-live at Finnair
White Paper: Migrating Data From Legacy MRO IT Systems To Modern Systems .
Aircraft IT MRO Volume 2 Issue 5 Due out: October 2013 Aircraft IT MRO – bringing knowledge to your desktop.
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Interested in IT systems for Flight Operations? Click here to read AircraftIT Operations eJournal. CASE STUDY
Tablet strategy: the next generation
Paul Saunders, Operations Director for Conduce Software and Conduce Consulting
WHITE PAPERS V2.4 • AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
SAVING FUEL MEANS UNDERSTANDING FUEL MANAGEMENT
Using good software and teamwork
ING THE LATESTifTH it’s needed First check
AIRPORT DATA
nt The basis for performance manageme n Case Study: Condor Survey: ETS Aviatio re Directory… White Papers: Closed Loop, ACFT PERFO latest News, Webinars, Operations Softwa re Column: Paul Saunders PLUS: The Softwa l Contro Airline Log: Flight r Vendo
Click here to subscribe for free now to reserve your copy Contact us for further details visit: www.aircraftIT.com, email: ed.haskey@aircraftit.com or call +44 1403 230 700 / +44 1273 700 555
Smart content takes tablets and iPads to the next level
John Badger, Director, Customer Engagement and Mobility Program Owner and Ed Kase, product manager for Flight Operations and Mobility Solutions, InfoTrust Group
A digital aircraft future
Mario Sabourin, Sr. Product Manager, EFB at SITA
SURVEY
Aircraft IT Fuel Efficiency Survey 2013 sponsored by ETS Aviation How are airlines and operators approaching fuel efficiency issues?
PLUS…
The World according to IT & Me! The rise of the Phablets. Paul Saunders
VENDOR FLIGHT LOG:
Vivek Sheorey is justifiably proud of the business that bears his name and he tells us why Sheorey Digital Systems has grown and thrived
…AND…
The Aircraft IT Tender upload functionality
42 | TENDERS | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
MRO Software Tender Upload
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Aircraft IT website MRO Software Tender Upload function puts your requirements in front of all the leading MRO IT Vendors.
Your Preferred
IT Solution & Business Process Out-Sourcing Partner for the future T
HE AIRCRAFT IT Tender Upload function allows Airlines, Aircraft Operators and MROs the opportunity to send their software requirements to 30+ of the world’s leading MRO IT Vendors at the click of a mouse. It’s all of a piece with Aircraft IT’s mission to put readers in front of as many opportunities as possible to maximise their professional effectiveness; this time by linking to other professionals with a proven track record of matching complex requirements with effective software solutions. Whether you are looking for full end-to-end Modular Maintenance & Engineering Management Software, ERP, Fully Integrated MRO software, Digital Documentation Management solutions, Supply Chain Management Software, Document Scanning Solutions, or something more, this Tender upload feature will allow you to send your requirements to all the major IT Vendors at the same time... and it’s not rocket science! In fact, it couldn’t be easier.
Hexaware is a niche, focused IT Solutions and Business Process
Outsourcing
Company
providing
end-to-end
system integration and Technology services to its Travel and Transportation customers. With annual revenues of USD 230M for FY 2010, Hexaware has a global workforce of around 8300 consultants working across disparate domain and technologies. Hexaware with its strong experience in various
business
functions
in
MRO
and
SEND YOUR MRO SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS TO THE FOLLOWING IT VENDORS:
Technical
Documentation domains along with specialize services in Portfolio Analysis, System Selection, Implementation, Custom Development and Maintenance Services, Legacy Modernization, Upgrade and Migration Services, Business Intelligence / Analytics, Infrastructure Management Services (IMS) and Quality Assurance and Testing Services.
HERE’S HOW IT WORKS:
• Visit the Tender Upload page at the Aircraft IT MRO Website by clicking here. • Login below with your Aircraft IT Membership details. If you are not a member click on sign up and enter your details — it is free to join. If you are already logged in click on ‘Upload Tender’ below. • Fill in the Tender Upload form and upload a PDF document of your requirements. Under the ‘Software Type’ section, which ever box you tick sends your Tender to all the IT Vendors in that section of the Aircraft IT website. • Click ‘Upload Tender’ and your information will be sent to the key contacts at the IT Vendors. Once the Tender has been uploaded the IT Vendors will very soon send you details about their software and product solutions that would be suitable to address your requirements.
www.hexaware.com
AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 43
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 endto-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
Pureplay, BoB and ERP MRO Solutions
2MORO SOLUTIONS
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 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.
Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo
ADSOFTWARE
W: www.adsoftware.fr T: +33 (0)4.50.89.48.50 E: contact@adsoftware.fr
Company formed: 1998, Office Location: France, Thailand, South Africa, Brazil Name of Product Marketed • AIRPACK Number of Modules.........6 Key Business/Software Areas • AIRTIME - Fleet management & CAMO • AIRSTOCK - Inventory control & Logistic • AIRDOC - Documentation management • AIRSTAT - Reliability and statistic reports • AIRWORK - Time Tracking Software ADSoftware has developed an integrated fleet management system and logistic package called AIRPACK. This 6 modules system replies to the needs of aircraft and helicopters operators, as well as MRO and CAMO centres. It meets all requirements in terms of functionality, traceability, performance, aviation legislation and regulations. Today, ADSoftware counts more than 45 clients worldwide. The strength of ADSoftware is the simplicity of its products; they are Microsoft Windows® ready, Web-enabled, available in various languages and a complete training can be done in just five days. The company also provides a 24/7 online technical support and extremely competitive pricing conditions.
Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
AMOS
A Story of Success “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
44 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
ADT - APPLIED DATABASE TECHNOLOGY
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 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.
Click Here for Software Details Click Here to Request Private Demo CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO
AEROSOFT SYSTEMS INC.
AV BASE SYSTEMS
W: www.aerosoftsys.com T: +1 905.678.9564 E: sales@aerosoftsys.com
W: www.avbasesystems.com T: +1 519-691-0919 E: info@avbasesystems.com
Company formed: 1997, Office Location: Mississauga,Ontario, Canada; Miami,FL,USA; Austria
Company formed: 1997, Office Location: Mississauga,Ontario, Canada; Miami,FL,USA; Austria
Name of Product Marketed • DigiMAINT, DigiDOC, WebPMI/DJM Number of Modules.........5
Name of Product Marketed • WinAir Essentials; WinAir Express; WinAir Pro-SQL; and WinAir Enterprise Number of Modules.........5
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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Key Business/Software Areas • Complex Maintenance Programs / Configuration Management • Aircraft and Internal Shop Production • Inventory Control & Procurement • Opertational Administration • Reliability Module AV-BASE Systems develops and supports the successful series of WinAir maintenance and inventory software solutions. With over 20 years committed to the aviation industry, WinAir is a proven solution to increase operational efficiency and harmonize departments in even the most complex operations. The WinAir Series includes 24/7 technical support, top tier help and documentation, as well as professional training and implementation options. WinAir users span the globe and include Airlines, Government Operations, MROs, Military Operations, Law Enforcement Agencies, Corporate Aviation Firms, and Aviation Services such as Medical Evacuation organizations. Visit www.avbasesystems.com for a solution that works in the real world.
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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 45
AVIATION INTERTEC SERVICES
W: www.aviationintertec.com T: +1 807-625-9260 E: info@aviationintertec.com
Company formed: 1997, Office Location: Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada Name of Product Marketed • RAAS & RAAS Express Number of Modules.........7 Key Business/Software Areas • Production Planning and Management • CAMO Solutions • Inspection Document Management • Inventory and Procurement • Reliabiliity and Performance Analysisl AIS’s RAAS system is a best-of-breed M&E solution for mid-size operators. Our solution is 100% browserbased and tablet friendly, compatible with all major browsers including Apple Safari, Google Chrome, Firefox, and Microsoft Internet Explorer. RAAS includes industry-leading functionality such as task-step level signature, parallel inspection program management per type, digital part certification handling, iPAD/Android tablet-based EFB , electronic maintenance status board, centralized document library, wireless barcode scanning, and much more. RAAS offers flexible pricing and system hosting options making it suitable for a wide range of customer types and sizes.
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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 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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IFR SKEYES
W: www.ifrskeyes.com T: +33 (0) 562 74 75 00 E: commercial@ifrskeyes.com
Office location: HQ: Colomiers / France. Offices in Moscow ; Singapore ; Quito (Ecuador) Name of Product Marketed • AMASIS –> 7 core modules + 6 add-ons • KEOPS –> 8 core modules + 11 add-ons • IBIS –> 6 core modules Number of Modules.........13 Key Business/Software Areas • Line Maintenance • Base Maintenance • Engineering • Procurement / Stores • Business Intelligence AMASIS is a robust turnkey solution to manage and optimize the aircraft maintenance. With 80+ active customers, AMASIS is a reliable solution for operators with fleets of all sizes and MRO. The new interface and the integrated Business Intelligence module (optional) brings to users the right tools to improve the maintenance processes. Our experts propose high level services to assit users during the implementation phase and the day to day operations (customizations, data upload, training, audit).
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growing success... The flexible, professional MRO system
Commsoft’s OASES MRO system offers comprehensive professional functionality together with a flexible, affordable approach that understands your business’ scaleable growth needs in today’s turbulent market. Each OASES module can be offered individually or can be integrated at the engineering centre of your business systems. Over 50 current aviation users, including airlines and MROs, spares suppliers, CAMO, corporate and bureau operators have grown their success with us.
info@commsoft.aero +44(0)1621 817425 www.commsoft.aero
46 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
LUFTHANSA TECHNIK AG
RAMCO SYSTEMS
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
Company formed: 1995, Office Location: Worldwide Name of Product Marketed • manage/m® Number of Modules.........15 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 real-time are just a few of the available WebServices.
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MXI TECHNOLOGIES
W: www.mxi.com T: +1 613-747-4698 E: info@mxi.com
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 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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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 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 mid-sized 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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RUSADA SA
W: www.rusada.com T: 03333 440730 E: sales@rusada.com
Company formed: 1987, Office Location: Europe, Middle East, Asia, Far East Name of Product Marketed • Envision Number of Modules.........10 (Single database) 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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SHEOREY DIGITAL SYSTEMS LTD.
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: 1993, Office Location: Mumbai, Bangalore, Singapore Name of Product Marketed • ARMS®: Airline Resource Management System, InfoPrompt®: Integrated Document Management System Number of Modules.........4 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 cost-effective, 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 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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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 47
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
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 industry for their MRO ERP software. TRAX is the most advanced maintenance software solution available and has been selected by over one hundred and twenty airlines and MRO’s worldwide with fleets consisting of all types of aircraft. 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 and strong customer relationships.
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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 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 the 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.aerdata.com T: +44 (0)1293 817 685 E: sharon.heaton@aerdata.com
W: www.technicalrecords.net W: www.adsfrance.net T: +33 (0) 975 333 675 E: jalbrecht@technicalrecords.net
Name of Product Marketed • CMS, Financials, EFPAC, STREAM, AtlasData Number of Modules.........5
Name of Product Marketed • ADS TRM (Technical Records Management), ADS TPA (Technical Publication Authoring) Number of Modules.........5
AERDATA
Company formed: 2002, Office Location: Amsterdam, Crawley, Dublin, Americas
Key Business/Software Areas • CMS: Lease and Asset Management Software • Financials: Ledger and Financial Software • EFPAC: Engine Fleet Planning and Costing Software • STREAM: Digital Records Scanning Software • AtlasData: Global Fleet Database Tool AerData provides integrated software solutions for lease management, engine fleet planning, records scanning as well as technical and backoffice services for aircraft and engine operators, lessors and MROs. With a strong customer focus AerData delivers reliable and secure services to its clients using latest technologies and state of the art IT infrastructure. AerData has an experienced team of 125 professionals across four offices in The Netherlands, UK, Ireland and the USA. Within AerData, software developers and aviation experts work together seamlessly in order to deliver exceptional software, product support and reliable back office services to the aviation industry.
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AEROXCHANGE
W: www.aeroexhange.com T: 1 (972) 556-8548 E: sales@aeroexhange.com
Company formed: 200, Office Location: Irving, Texas Name of Product Marketed • AeroBuy, AeroRepair, AeroComponent, AeroAOG, Smart Source, and Strategic Tendering Solutions Number of Modules.........6 Key Business/Software Areas • Purchase and Repair Order Management • AOG Recovery and Loan/Borrow/Exchange Management • Supporting Process Management of Component Contracts • Constructing Comprehensive Supporting Events Aeroxchange delivers total supply chain collaboration solutions through a single, neutral platform. Founded in 2000 by 13 airlines, Aeroxchange has grown to become the industry leader of eCommerce solutions for airlines, OEMs, MROs, distributors, surplus providers, repair vendors and partners within the aviation community. Aeroxchange’s solutions increase efficiency, reduce cost, and provides full transparency to trading partners. Aeroxchange goes beyond offering basic search and list services to drive value with solutions that support the entire purchase and repair order lifecycle. Aeroxchange also offers solutions for locating parts for AOG recovery, managing loans/borrows/exchanges, and supporting process management of component support contracts.
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Company formed: 2005, Office Location: Nîmes, France
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 the 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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AIRLINE CONTROL SOFTWARE
W: www.airlinecontrol.com T: +48 22 2095035 E: contact@airlinecontrol.com
Company formed: 2005, Office Location: Poland (Warsaw), UK (London), Marocco (Casablanca), USA (New York), Argentina (Buenos Aires) Name of Product Marketed • ACS System Number of Modules.........16 Key Business/Software Areas • Flight Operations, OCC Flight Dispatch, Crew Support with Duties autoplanner • CAMO (Part-M) and Maintenance (Part-145) • Safety Management System (SMS) & QMS • Handling, Fueling, Training (CBT Platform) • Tickets & Booking (Revenue Management, Tarrif Engine)0 A specialized IT company engaged in software development for the airline. The main product is the ACS System, consists of 16 modules. There are optional modules: OPS (including OCC Flight Dispatch, NTO, FLIGHT INFO PAX OPS, MCC), CREW, CAMO (Part-M), LINE MAINTENANCE (Part-145), FLEET MANAGEMENT, HANDLING, FUELING MANAGEMENT QMS, SMS, TRAINING, TICKETS & BOOKING and built-in modules: DOCUMENTS MANAGEMENT, LOGISTICS, COMMERCIAL, FINANCE SUPPORT, SYSTEM ADMINISTRATOR. System is designed for small and medium-sized airlines cover in full all aspects of managing and supporting the airline. YOM 2012. Uses the latest technology – mainly Mictosoft and Apple. Three platform for user: PC, WWW, iPad/iPhone. Scalable and open integration with other systems existing in the airline. For data security, each client can use an online database replication.
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48 | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013
AVIIT
W: www.aviit.com T: +44 (0) 1383 620922 E: info@aviit.com
EMPOWERMX
W: www.empowermx.com T: +1 866-498-3702 E: info@empowermx.com
Company formed: 2004, Office Location: Fife, Scotland
Company formed: 1999, Office Location: Minnesota, USA
Name of Product Marketed • eMan & Archimedes Number of Modules.........2
Name of Product Marketed • Fleetcycle MRO Suite, Fleetcycle Execution Suite Number of Modules.........8
Key Business/Software Areas • Technical publications Distribution - eMan • Document Acknowledment - eMan Read & Sign • ACARS data management - Archimedes • ACARS Technical Consultancy • IT systems management & support AviiT is exclusively focused on the provision of software solutions to the aviation sector. eMan provides an efficient capability for the distribution of technical publications across the maintenance and repair estate. Used by aircraft operators and 3rd party MROs alike, eMan unlocks the benefits of smooth and efficient distribution of engineering and process documentation. eMan is available as an on-premise or hosted offering for complete deployment flexibility. Drawing upon data sources such as ACARS, Archimedes provides a powerful capability to capture, analyse and present valuable, real time data in a clear and flexible format to Operation and Engineering teams.
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THE BOEING COMPANY
E: TheBoeingEdge@boeing.com W: www.boeing.com/boeingedge/informationservices Company formed: 1916 Name of Product Marketed • Maintenance Performance Toolbox • Airplane Health Management • RFID Integrated Solutions
Boeing offers the industry’s broadest range of aviation services to provide our customers the ultimate competitive advantage. We call this the Boeing Edge. In the information services field, we are keenly focused on addressing our customers’ continuous need for integration and optimization of information. Using data, software, analytics and IT infrastructure, we connect airplanes, operators and data. We strive to enable smart and informed decision-making to take operational efficiency of their aircraft fleet and operations to the next level.
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Keep up with IT developments with Aircraft IT
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 for which they are responsible. 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 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 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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HEXAWARE TECHNOLOGIES
W: T: T: E:
www.hexaware.com/travel-transport-hospitality-solution.htm India: +91 22-67919595 Americas: +1 609-409-6950 vaibhavs@hexaware.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 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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AUGUST-SEPTEMBER 2013 | AIRCRAFT IT MRO | SOFTWARE DIRECTORY | 49
HOLOCENTRIC
W: www.holocentric.com T: +1 612 9957 3169 E: info@holocentric.com Company formed: 2003. Office Location: Sydney, Canberra, Hong Kong Name of Product Marketed • Modeler, Modelpedia Key Business/Software Areas • MRO and Major Systems Implementations • Organizational Transformation • Continuous Improvement • Compliance Improvement • Business Management Systems Holocentric provides software and services for Airlines to build Operational Frameworks and Business Management Systems to support the business. This includes successfully completing the Transformation Programs, including implementing the MRO software, training material and publishing of the portal for Business, including both legacy and new applications. We do this by creating an OPERATIONAL FRAMEWORK AND PORTAL, useable by all personnel. Holocentric customers’ MRO projects are successfully completed within budge t. Importantly, compmpliance is increased acrossthe organisation as a result.
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IDMR SOLUTIONS INC.
W: www.IDMR-Solutions.com T: +1-347-565-4367 E: sales@IDMR-Solutions.com Company formed: 1998 Office Location: New York/Tel Aviv Name of Product Marketed • InForm Number of Modules.........20+ Key Business/Software Areas • Technical Publication • Engineering Orders • Task Cards • Planning • Maintenance Programs IDMR is a global provider of easy to use and all encompassing Technical Documentation Management Solutions which have been designed exclusively for Fleet operators, MRO providers and OEM organizations. IDMR’s Technical Documentation Management Solutions have proven success in increasing operational performance and decreasing operational cost while ensuring airworthiness, safety and regulatory compliance.
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INFOTRUST GROUP, INC.
W: www.infotrustgroup.com T: +1 949-732-7532 E: loster@infotrustgroup.com 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+ Key Business/Software Areas • Content Management System (CMS) • Interactive Electronic Technical Publisher (IETP) • Technical Operations Edition • Technical Publications Edition • Flight Operations Edition A recognized leader in the aerospace industry for more than 25 years, InfoTrust delivers solutions 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 increase productivity by taking advantage of XML capabilities and content reuse, and that produce more accurate and reliabile information for compliancy. Its solutions 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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NVABLE LTD
W: www.nvable.com T: +44 141 280 0050 E: contact@nvable.com
Company formed: 2005. Office Location: Glasgow, UK Name of Product Marketed • Appixo, Appixo ETL Number of Modules.........4 Key Business/Software Areas • Electronic Technical Log • Alternative Training & Qualification Programme (ATQP) • Station Operational Compliance (SOC) • Management Dashboards & Analysis NVable (pronounced “enviable”) was founded as a specialist software development consultancy creating bespoke solutions that allow customers to exploit the full value of their operational data. NVable now also offers its own software products. NVable recently launched Appixo – a platform that combines large scale data handling with a framework to support multiple mobile data acquisition applications. The Appixo ETL is one such application, first launched in May 2012 with BA CityFlyer. NVable is now expanding its suite of aviation focussed applications. The growing list now includes ATQP and SOC Management. The data gathered from each application is fed into the Appixo analysis platform to feed the Management Dashboard & Analytics. This allows for real-time analysis of aircraft status, fuel burn/ uplift, defects, Out of Phase Maintenance etc.
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OMEGA AIRINE SOFTWARE, INC.
W: www.omegaair.com T: +1-972-775-3693 E: info@omegaair.com
Company formed: 1991. Office Location: Midlothian, TX Name of Product Marketed • Ames Advanced Planning and Scheduling System Number of Modules.........5 Key Business/Software Areas • Optimized long range planning • Short-term scheduling • Line/RON scheduling • Engine and component scheduling • Business intellegence Omega Airline Software has been supplying the aviation industry with Ames, the industry standard Advanced Planning and Scheduling software tool, since 1991. Ames currently enables the optimized planning of maintenance on over 4000 aircraft at 21 customer sites around the world. Unique in the industry, no other tool provides the planning power or information creation of Ames. Companies enjoying the benefits of Ames include mainline commercial operators, regional airlines, fractional ownership companies and MRO operations. Amesfive, the current release, combines the power of Ames with the versatility and access of the Web.
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PSIPENTA SOFTWARE SYSTEMS GMBH.
W: www.psipenta.com T: +49 (0)800 377 4968 E: info@psipenta.com
Company formed: 1997. Office Location: Germany (Berlin, Stuttgart, München, Essen) Name of Product Marketed • PSIpenta Project Management; PSIpenta Materials Management; PSIpenta Maintenance, PSIpenta Purchasing, PSIpenta Order Management, Psipenta Sequencing, PSIpenta Warehouse Management, PSIpenta Adaptive Planning, PSIpenta Mobile Processes, PSIpenta Data Collection, PSIpenta Control System, PSIpenta Finite Capacity Scheduling, PSIpenta Cost Accounting Number of Modules.........15 Key Business/Software Areas • MRO • Materials Management • Planning & Scheduling • Production & Planning • Mobile Solutions PSIPENTA Software Systems GmbH offers a complete solution for managing and maintaining complex technical systems. Our philosophy of Perfection in Aerospace is reflected in all aspects of our software. Successful customer connections give a reference for our highly customer-oriented software solutions. PSIpenta suite supports the planning and control of maintenance and servicing processes. The scope covers the whole MRO process ranging from slot planning to mobile processes. PSIpenta Planning, Execution & Control refers to a solution-oriented approach based on standardized software modules. It enables the optimization of value-adding processes and increases logistic planning in existing system landscapes with commercial focus.
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