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White Paper: Aircraft Data Systems (ADS), Air WorksCase Study: Delta Airlines, Jet Airways Vendor Job Card:TRAX

Column: How I see IT, what can we learn from ACG v Olympic Airlines plusNews, Webinars, MRO Software Directorys

V2.1 FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

RFID FOR INVENTORY

MANAGEMENTDelta knows where everything isFROM PAPER TO PURPOSEFULScanning records helps match data to jobs

EVERYONES A WINNEROrganising and sharing data means we all gain

INPUT ANYWHEREREAD EVERYWHERE

Living in a world of information

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http://www.trax.aero/

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Editors commentAircraft IT MRO: Doing the things we have alwaysdone but doing them better

Well, here we are: its 2013 and Aircraft IT MRO is onto its second volume. So letme open by wishing all readers a prosperous and successful 2013 with, perhaps,the chance that you might corner some of those intractable problems whichhave been kicking around the hangar for the last year, and finally sort them out.Because, such is the pace of change that last years intractable problem might, inthe light of the latest technology and software developments, now look a doablechallenge.That is the thing about the world we inhabit, it keeps getting better in termsof what we can do, where and when we can do it and how we can capture andstore whatever we learn from it in order to make the next task even less work butwith a better outcome. Thats the ideal: but today we have to live and work in theworld with which we are familiar (legacy) alongside the Brave New World that

new smart aircraft, technology and better software solutions are delivering.In this issue, youll find high quality writing on all of that. Bringing technical records up to date and

integrating even the old ones into your latest systems. Theres also something on the application of RFIDto dramatically improve the time and people needed for many routine tasks plus significantly improve thereliability of the maintenance schedule. Youll also read both sides of the story with reference to fast MROSoftware implementations and see how aviation can learn from others about how to harness the power ofdisruption and convergence. Youll gain insight into what makes a key software vendor tick. Plus, of course,How Michael Denis sees IT. As well as lots more news and information from your sector.

Its all of a piece with the Aircraft IT MRO mission to source, commission and publish applicable knowledgeand shared experience for people whose business is keeping some of the worlds most expensive assetsflying safely and maintaining the flying publics faith in the quality and safety of air travel.

As well as that, the Aircraft IT live demonstration webinars allow readers to research the software packagemost appropriate for their needs and access past webinars while, of course, future webinars are open forevery reader who registers.

Aircraft IT MRO: useful information and knowledge building on your experience.

Ed Haskey

04 NEWS

This is where youll find news that matters in MRO IT and whos in the News. In a fast moving world, professionals

who need to know what is happening, check regularly on www.aircraftit.com/MRO and here in the AircraftIT MRO

e-journal.

12 CASE STUDY: LEADING THE WAY WITH INVENTORY MANAGEMENT

Rick Lewis, Business Analyst, Delta Air Lines, Atlanta TechOps

When Delta determined to transfer inventory to RFID technology, there were two challenges: finding a suitable

system for a large airline and integrating legacy inventory with new RFID tagged (by OEM) items into one system.

16 CASE STUDY: ORGANISING DATA FOR MORE USEFUL OUTCOMES

Amol Salaskar. Manager Engineering IT, Jet Airways

When Jet Airways decided to participate in Boeings ISDP they were influenced by several factors including the

availability of SPEC2000 to facilitate the necessary data exchange. Here is how the implementation program went.

19 COLUMN: HOW I SEE IT

ACG v Olympic Airlines is the definition of airworthy changing? Michael Denis

Sometimes, an external event and outsiders eyes help clarify understanding. That, Mike Denis believes, is the case

with airworthiness where a legal case in a British court has set precedence and refined a definition for an elusive

state of operability.

20 WHITE PAPER: TECHNICAL RECORDS MAKING THEM WORK

Julien Albrecht, General Manager, Aircraft Data Systems

Good records are vital in the safe operation and maintenance of aircraft and a requirement when an aircraft has tobe returned to the lessor. Scanning is a good way to keep records but is that a job for engineers or could there be a

better way?

24 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 Live MRO Software Demos, including: TRAX, Lufthansa Technik, Commsoft and IFRSKEYES.

26 WHITE PAPER: WHAT SHOULD A CIO THINK ABOUT?

Ravinder Pal Singh, Global Chief Information and Technology Officer at Air Works

There are many experiences beyond the Aviation sector from which CIOs in Aviation Businesses (Airlines and MROs)

could gain real business value. The problem is, understanding them and understanding the differences they

could achieve.

30 VENDOR JOB CARD

What makes TRAX work? Chris Reed shares the story of their success with Aircraft IT

In this issues Q&A piece, Chris Reed, Managing Director at Trax, puts the information on a Vendor Job Card for

Aircraft IT.

32 UPCOMING LIVE MRO SOFTWARE DEMONSTRATION WEBINARS

A preview of Live MRO software demonstration webinars with Swiss-AS covering AMOS maintenance, engineering

and logistics software on 7th of February 2013 and AD Software demonstrating their AIRPACK maintenance software

solution on the 21st of February 2013.

37 MRO SOFTWARE DIRECTORY

A detailed look at the worlds leading MRO IT systems.

CLICK HERE: Send your feedback and

suggestions to AircraftIT MRO

CLICK HERE: Subscribe for freeAircraftIT MRO is published bi-monthly and is an affiliate of Aircraft Commerceand 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.

AircraftIT MROPublisher/Editor: Ed Haskey

E-mail: [email protected]: +44 1403 230 700 or+44 1273 700 555

Website: www.aircraftIT.com

Copy Editor/Contributor: John HancockE-mail: [email protected]

Magazine Production: Dean CookE-mail: [email protected]
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CLICK HERE FOR FULL SOFTWARE DETAILS AND FOR A DEMO

4 | NEWS| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

2MoRO Solutions and CIMPA establish a newapproach to support customers in building upIn-Service solutionsIN late November 2012 2MoRO Solutions and CIMPA, a 100% Airbus subsidiary announced the signature of an exclusivepartnership dedicated to the In-Service segment in the Aerospace and Defence industry. Together, the two companies arespecifically targeting Airlines, Aircraft Operators and MROs as well as Aircraft and Engines manufacturers on the internationalmarket. The partnership aims to provide tailored end-to-end services based on aeronautical and IT expertise and solutions so asto meet customers requirements in setting up their processes, methods and information systems in the areas of maintenanceplanning and execution, fleet management, continuous airworthiness management and in-service configuration management.

It is an arrangement that enables both partners to simultaneously offer customized solutions focused on Customers in-serviceneeds and a catalogue of proven Aeronautical and Defence software functions. The two companies have set up a new approachto support their customers in building up In-Service solutions that fit smoothly in existing heterogeneous IT environments.

This innovative service is an alternative to the two existing approaches on the market: typically, COTS (commercial off the shelfsoftware) and bespoke software, which is expensive to design, develop and maintain.

Cdric Davezat, Head of Sales for the In-Service Lifecycle Business Unit, CIMPA explained,We are pleased that 2MoRO Solutionshas joined forces with us and will contribute to bridge the gap between Product Lifecycle Management (PLM) and In-ServiceLifecycle Management (SLM).This strategic partnership is a key enabler to strengthen our common offer towards SLM customers.

David Ferrier, Business Development Manager, 2MoRO Solutions added, We welcome this strategic partnership with CIMPA.Together, we are able to offer an alternative to the Aerospace and Defense stakeholders who wish to upgrade their informationsystem in an innovative and sustainable way.The new partnership looks forward to working with aviation customers to identify collaborative opportunities and present to

them the added-value of the partnership.

Aero One (by 2MoRO) welcomes anotherLatin America flag carrier: Peruvian AirlinesIN mid-December 2012, 2MoRO was proud to announce that its Aero One softwarehas been selected to replace Peruvian Airlines existing system to optimize the airlinesprocesses regarding the maintenance, repair and overhaul of its fleet.

Peruvian Airlines is committed to offering its customers a warm and personalized service,continually seeking to improve the efficiency of its operations. The airline wants to activelycontribute to the integration, development and welfare of all regions of Peru. In Augustof 2012, Peruvian Airlines increased its fleet by three aircraft equipped with the latesttechnology. It is now undertaking the DGAC certification process required for these newadditions to be operational shortly.

Peruvian airlinesfleet now consists of ten aircraft: four B737-300, one B737-500 andfive B737-200. This larger fleet made it obvious that Peruvian Airlineslegacy system wasobsolete and no longer fitted the companys business strategy and requirements in termsof regulatory compliance. After several months trying to identify a solution that could fulfillevery aspect of its business, including its maintenance activity, Peruvian Airlines selectedAero One in combination with SAP Business One: a powerful ERP designed for SMEs andalready used by more than 35,000 customers worldwide.This solution was found to be the most consistent with the budget and needs of Peruvian

Airlines. Aero One is a comprehensive Fleet Management and MRO solution, fully integratedinto SAP Business One. The combination of both is a reliable and flexible solution that fullycovers the airlines business processes, allowing for fleet data management, maintenanceplanning and execution. All data is integrated into a unique database, streamlining all of theMRO processes. 2MoRO will begin the on-site phase of the Aero One implementation inJanuary 2013 alongside its reliable Peruvian partner SYPSOFT, a SAP Goldpartner.

Dont just react to changes in the aviation industry.

Evolve with them.

Join the Evolution.mxi.com

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 Technologiesdelivers industry-leading software that lets you keep pace.

EVOLVE
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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | NEWS | 5

2012 was a busy year at MRO software provider ADT(Applied Database Technology) with new customers,new levels of capability and Wings MRO Softwarenow available on tablets.

MILLARDAIR MRO SELECTS WINGSMillardair MRO, of Ontario, Canada chose Wings MROsoftware for its MRO operations, signing an agreementin September for the project to start in October.

V.D. GULF MRO SELECTS WINGSVolga-Dnepr Gulf in Sharjah, UAE also signed anagreement for Wings MRO Software in October. Theproject was scheduled to start in November and golive in early 2013.

ATSTEAM GOES LIVEAnd Wings is in production use at ATSTEAM astheir CAMO services take off with WingsNG FleetManagement (Part M CAMO) being used for threeairlines from September.

IFLY AIRLINES SELECTS WINGSNGIn July, Moscow based iFLY Airlines signed anagreement for WingsNG engineering, maintenanceplanning (which went live in October) plus fleetmanagement and supply chain.

WINGS NG ON TABLETSJuly also saw a tablet version launched for Wings,making the solution even more accessible forbusy users on Android based tablets, using 3G, 4Gand WI-FI.

NORDWIND GOES LIVE ON WINGS NG ANDWILL BE DEPLOYING WINGS TABLETSHaving completed Wings NG implementationand started using Wings in engineering, planningand materials departments, Nordwind Airlines inRussia will also be using tablets for discrepancymanagement in Wings, with testing and pilotingtaking place in December 2012 and full deploymentduring the first quarter of 2013.

A year of development and growth for ADT

Air Botswana successfully implemented ADSoftwaresAIRPACK maintenance software solutionADSoftware announced in mid-December 2012 a successful implementation for AIRPACK FleetManagement System and Logistics Solutions at Air Botswana. Air Botswana has recently implemented amaintenance package that includes fleet management, inventory and logistics control, documentationmanagement, security management and reliability statistics reports. Though not required by any regulation,Air Botswana elected to proactively implement a framework of internal controls over its maintenancedepartment as part of its continuing efforts to adopt global best practices.To achieve this in the most efficient way, Air Botswana chose AIRPACK as its ERP software platform.

ADSoftware first migrated the data of the three ATR42-500s; two ATR 72-500s and two BAe146 -100sowned by the airline. AIRPACK Suite was then installed and implemented across twenty users; trained onsite by two experts responsible for the start-up assistance of the system.

For the first six months of running the solutions, Air Botswana will be monitored closely by theADSoftware team to allow the last required customizations and modifications necessary to optimize usageof the system.

Columbia Helicopters to implementIDMRs Technical Publications SystemCOLUMBIA Helicopters has selected IDMRs InForm application as theirintegrated electronic Task Card authoring system; it was announced in mid-November 2012. The Task Card modules will allow Columbia Helicoptersto control all aspects of their Task Cards. Many features including; simpledata entry screens, image support, status tracking, man-hour accountability,electronic material slips, bar coding, seamless integration options and more will give Columbia Helicoptersthe ability to produce and manage Task Cards in the most efficient manner technology allows. The TaskCard module is one of many modules IDMR provides in their InForm suite.


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COMMSOFTS OASES CHOSEN BYMEGA MALDIVES AIRLINESCOMMSOFT was delighted to announce in mid-October 2012 thatMEGA Maldives Airlines, the international airline of the Republic ofMaldives, had chosen Commsofts Open Aviation Strategic EngineeringSystem (OASES) for its on-going MRO operations. The airline is keento commence using OASES as soon as possible for inventory activitieswith its fleet of Boeing 757s and 767s and will progressively go livewith other functionality.

Using a dual standalone hot/cold server set up, MEGA Maldiveswill be running a suite of OASES modules, including Core, MaterialsManagement, Production, Planning, Line Management, andAirworthiness.

COMMSOFT ENTERS GREEK MARKETIN OASES DEAL WITH SKY EXPRESS

Aircraft maintenance management software specialist Commsoftmade its first move into Greece in late November 2012 after regionalcarrier Sky Express signed to use the flagship OASES product. Thedeal is also the second agreement for the hosted version of OASESfollowing its launch at the beginning of 2012. Utilising a specialistteam operating both remotely and in Heraklion, the implementationproject was started in the second quarter of 2012 with the CAMOsystem going live in mid-August, followed by inventory functionality inmid-September 2012.The new contract demonstrates how the option of accessing

OASES hosted by Commsoft can open up sophisticated maintenancemanagement techniques to smaller regional airlines by avoiding set-upfees and hardware costs.The initial OASES application covers Sky Express fleet of four BAe

Jetstream 41 and one Jetstream 32 twin-turboprop aircraft, and will beexpanded in line with the airlines growth plans. Sky Express will benefitfrom the following OASES modules: Airworthiness, Planning, Core andMaterials.

Commsoft Managing Director Nick Godwin expressed delight, to sign Sky Express as our first customer in Greece and to be able tosupport them as they grow in the future. Our rapid implementationsupport was a critical element and I am delighted that excellentteamwork with Sky Express saw OASES go fully live in just threemonths.

Mr Agamemnon Kikerakis, President and CEO of Sky Express SAadded: Cost-efficient maintenance that conforms with internationalregulatory standards is absolutely critical to our plans. By using hostedOASES we can take our maintenance operation to a new level ofsophistication and know that there will be benefits to the bottom linefrom day one.

POLANDS 5 AERO TEAM BECOMES LATEST INDEPENDENTCAMO OPERATOR TO SIGN UP FOR COMMSOFTS OASESCommsoft was delighted to announce that 5 Aero Team was about tobecome the latest user of OASES in early December 2012. Under theterms of a five year agreement for five concurrent users, Commsoftwill build a full OASES hosted system for Warsaw-based 5 Aero Teamsstart-up CAMO operations. The OASES modules selected includeAirworthiness, Planning, Core and Materials Management.

OASES (Open Aviation Strategic Engineering System) is designed tocombine ease of use with a technical sophistication that allows for thefull integration of all maintenance and engineering functions, frominventory management and purchasing to defect control and workscheduling. The hosted programme allows easier, lower cost access forsmall operators by avoiding set-up costs such as server acquisition andthird party licensing.

5 Aero Team plans to offer international clients a comprehensiverange of aircraft management services, including, ContinuingAirworthiness Management, Aircraft Evaluation and Selection, AircraftRegistration, Aircraft Storage and Aviation Training. Founded this year,2012, by five engineering managers, including Jacek Rogoski, formerlyof Air Italy Polska, Yes Airways and OLT Express Poland, 5 Aero TeamsAircraft Acceptance Service, is targeted at airlines, leasing companies,

private investors and banks interested in purchasing either new or usedpassenger, cargo or business aircraft.The business is already up and running and encompasses ground

checks, airworthiness and aircraft data reviews, documentation andrecords reviews, engine runs, title transfers, and acceptance andferry flights. It is currently in the process of applying for its CAMOcertification from the Polish Civil Aviation Authority, including ARC(Airworthiness Review Certificate) privileges for the Airbus A320 family,Boeing 737NG and Classic, Boeing 757 and 767, and the Embraer E-170and E-190 families. 5 Aero Team can also offer aircraft storage andmaintenance facilities at Katowice Airport (IATA code: KTW, ICAO code:EPKT) in Poland.

Nick Godwin, Commsofts Managing Director, commented: This isgreat news for Commsoft as it further validates our belief in the vital

importance of the independent CAMO and fleet technical managementmarket internationally. Were looking forward to building a closeworking relationship with 5 Aero Team.

Jacek Rogoski, 5 Aero Teams Managing Director added Our newcompany strategy for Aircraft Acceptance Service with CAMO wasimplemented this year, it was important for us to select an MRO ITsupplier that not only had an established, internationally recognisedsystem but also an understanding of our specific needs.

INAER SELECTS COMMSOFTS OASES TO MANAGETHE ITALIAN GOVERNMENTS FLEET OFFIRE FIGHTING AIRCRAFT

Commsoft announcedin mid-December 2012that INAER AviationItalia SPA (INAER)www.inaer.it will beimplementing OASESto operate the Italiangovernments fleet offire fighting aircraft.INAER, an internationalspecialist fleet servicesoperation, has signed

an initial 20 concurrent user deal for the use of OASES to manage 19Bombardier CL-415 water-bombers based at Rome Ciampino Airport,owned by Protezione Civile Nazionale.

OASES is a sophisticated, user-friendly tool that can be deployedefficiently into any aircraft maintenance environment. Combiningexperience of the aviation and IT industries, Commsoft offers softwarethat utilises cutting edge technologies to increase efficiency and drivedown costs for users. OASES will be used to support all CAMO activitiesand line maintenance support across a network of dispersed operatingsites as well as inventory and heavy base maintenance work at RomeCiampino and Lamezia.

The new OASES commercial module will also be deployed and OASESwill interface with business critical systems such as SAP.Nick Godwin, Managing Director at Commsoft, commented: I am

delighted that INAER Aviation Italia has selected OASES. The CL-415water bomber fleet has many unique characteristics, which requirespecific monitoring in a MRO IT system... The seasonal nature of thefire fighting operations with their intense periods of line operation andbase maintenance pose many challenges and our implementation teamwill be working closely with INAERs experts to be ready for these.

Roberto de Pompeis, General Director at INAER added: INAERprovides a vital service in a very challenging environment. Afterextensive evaluation of OASES and Commsofts implementationsupport, we are happy that we have found a good fit to our highlydemanding needs.

Commsoft (Communications Software (Airline Systems) Limited)OASES extends its global and sector reach with new contracts

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Ramco Systems Goes Live at Air IndiaIN early December 2012 RamcoSystems, the Aviation Maintenance &Engineering (M&E) and Maintenance,Repair & Overhaul (MRO) softwareprovider on cloud, tablets and iPad,announced that Ramco Aviation hasgone live with its implementation inAir India. With this, Ramco AviationSuite will help Air India in maintainingits 125+ fleet of Boeing and Airbus,including the latest Boeing 787Dreamliner.

Speaking on the go-live, Mr. VipinKumar Sharma, SBU Head, Air India,said, We are happy to announce thesuccessful go-live of Ramco AviationSuite at Air India. After implementingthe new Software, we hope to increaseproductivity through optimum use ofengineering resources. As the entirefleet is maintained on the system, wewould be able to effectively track thehistory of the aircraft and components

for faster resolution of defects/snagsand thus reduce our Maintenance TAT.

Commenting on this milestone,Mr. Virender Aggarwal, CEO, RamcoSystems, said, We are pleased thatRamco Aviation has successfully gonelive at Air India for its entire fleetincluding the latest generation ofBoeing 787. We have been investingin building the latest functionalityinto the product by enhancing theuser experience and delivering it on

Cloud, Mobile and iPad. Today, RamcoAviation Suite maintains over 60+leading aircraft models for customersaround the globe. This has given theproduct a depth and functionality toaddress every segment of the AviationIndustryfrom single jet ownersto large MROs. By addressing thenext-generation of aircraft, we havecontinued to serve the complete gamutof Aviation industry with our best-of-breed solution.

SHEOREY Digital Systems Ltd. (SDS) launched ARMS on the Tab in mid-December 2012,making the power of ARMS V2 even more accessible

Sheorey Digital Systems(SDS) ubiquitous ARMS V2 (Aviation Resource ManagementSystem), which addresses critical and cost sensitive issues in Commercial Airlines andAir Transport operations is now even more accessible with the launch of ARMS on the

Tab. Reflecting the growing trend towards Tablet devices across airline operations andengineering, ARMS on the Tab will deliver the attributes and values of ARMS V2 via anyuser-defined platform.

Already available on iPAD2, Android Tablets and ToughPads, ARMS on the Tab will soonalso be available on Windows 8 Tablets with online access to ARMS V2 suite (Thru Go-Global) plus ARMS on the TAB (Apps) in offline mode. ARMS V2 Suite modules availableinclude: Electronic Flight Bag (EFB): with CFP, Trip Kit, Met & Notam Briefing and Charts; Electronic Tech Log (ETL), Cabin Log and other Post-flight reports. FORMS: Safety Reports, Training Completion, Quality Audit, etc.; EDOCs/Tech Pubs Library; APPS: Load & Trim, RTOW, etc.

The whole package is supported by a Comprehensive Content Management and RevisionControl server environment at the back-end. Summarising the launch Vivek Sheorey, CEOand Managing Director at SDS explained; ARMS on the Tab is beyond EFB or ETL. Itmakes the power of ARMS V2 Suite available where users need it, providing anytime-anyplace accessibility as a fully mobile application.

Sheorey Digital Systems Ltd. (SDS)launches ARMS on the Tab
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AMOS 10.00 WITH MAJOR FUNCTIONALIMPROVEMENTS

AMOS 10.00, thelatest AMOS versionannounced in mid-August 2012,, containsnew features andfunctions that heralda new era in Swiss-AS MRO software. Itlaunches the most

extensive developments since the conversionfrom AMOS classic to AMOSNG in 2002. The latestversion is the starting point of major developmentsthat will be rolled-out over the next 2-3 releaseswhile also being the cornerstone paving the wayfor all further software enhancements. The reasonfor the staggered approach is the magnitude andcomplexity of some new features. With the latestsoftware release, Swiss-AS introduces numerousfunctions that are dedicated to the needs of pureMRO providers and represent the AMOS communitysvoting in the AMOS Strategic Board (ASB): the newAdvanced Planning, the extended rotable controlfunctions and Multi Entity Support, to name justa few new or enhanced functions. Besides theenlargement of the functional breadth and depth,the contemporary Graphic User Interface (GUI), thepossibility to add desktop widgets, a new desktopbackground and a cleaner menu and status barfurther increase the user-friendliness as well as thelook and feel of the MRO software.

Newly developedhighlights ofAMOS 10.00 Multi Entity

Support hostsand integratesmultiplefinanciallyindependentcompanieson one system, allowing airline groups or otheraviation companies with subsidiaries in differentcountries to consolidate all activities in one systembut still comply with local regulations.

In the framework of the new Advanced Planningfeatures, which the AMOS customers ranked as toppriority for strategic developments, the ImprovedResource Management has been implemented.

Resources can now be planned down to individualwork steps that allow a detailed allocation of skillsand material in the critical path of any groundtime.In this context, also the introduction of a Central

Workstep Repository was realised, which reduces themanual input and facilitates consolidation on thework package level for scheduled and non-routinework. The new Maintenance Program structure supports

the management of local operator maintenanceprograms in reference to a centrally managedmaster program to facilitate full multi operatorsupport.

Another highlight of the new AMOS release is theintegration of the Rule Engine, which allows userdefinable workflows for complex business rules,e.g. for contract management, financial approval,aircraft configuration management, etc.

FINNAIR GOES LIVE WITH AMOSSwiss-AS was pleased to announce the successfuland smooth AMOS go-live at Finnair. The Nordicnational carrier is the 1st AMOS customer to usee-Techlog and, the announcement in late September2012 highlighted the integration of both systemsfacilitates an efficient defect control and planningprocess.

SWISSAS OFFERS MOBILE DEVICE SYSTEMAlso in late September, Swiss-AS announced that itnow offers a Mobile Device System. In recent monthsthe Mobile Device System (MDS) was developedby Swiss-AS and Dr. Thomas & Partner based on anoriginal idea by CrossConsense, to support logisticsprocesses. Swiss-AS firmly believes that MDS willsubstantially assist its customers in additionallystreamlining their store procedures and, ultimately,safer costs due to better data, shorter turnaroundtimes and higher efficiency of the customers storeprocedures. The whole warehouse and logisticprocesses are supported by wireless devices.

PGA NOW LIVE WITH AMOS FIRSTCUSTOMER TO OPERATE AN ORACLEDATABASEAnd finally for September 2012, it was announcedthat Portuglia Airlines (PGA) has successfully turnedoff its legacy systems and started to manage itsentire MRO data in AMOS. Both the PGA projectteam and the Swiss AS onsite go-live support crewwere well prepared which ensured the switch overwent smoothly. This meant also that the interfacesto 3rd party systems were operational right fromthe start. In particular the data transfer was verywell managed by PGA internally and in addition tothe minimum data level, much historical data wasmigrated into AMOS. Prior to the big-bang go-live, allAMOS users (technicians and back office users) were

Swiss-AS AMOS grows capabilities and customers
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MXI TECHNOLOGIES ANNOUNCES MARKETAVAILABILITY OF MAINTENIX VERSION 8MXITechnologies announced at the end of November 2012 thecommercial availability of Maintenix version 8 (v8). This latest versionof the Maintenix software, underpinned by Mxis exclusive AvinomicPredictive Control System (PCS), continues to elevate MRO IT to therole of a business platform by supporting high-yield maintenanceactivities to maximize efficiency and return-on-investment (ROI).

Maintenix v8 firmly establishes next-generation MRO IT as a keyenabler in modernizing the maintenance function and underpinningon-going business strategies by offering aviation organizations: A packaged, e-signature supported, HTML5 line maintenance

application which instantaneously synchronizes maintenance tasks,MELs, and ETOPS requirements with multiple operational inputs flight operations, on-board logbook and health monitoring, technicaldocumentation, required parts and tools, resource skills insupport of a tailored technician experience, real-time recording ofwork completed, and rapid return to service.

Systematically factored planning functions that use real-timeengineering governance, asset actuals data, and what if? scenarioswhile incorporating MPDs, MRBs, ADs, SBs, EOs, and Mods in MSG3 and next generation aircraft long-range and heavy maintenanceprograms to support greater predictability in planning whilereducing operational costs and turnaround times, and increasingperformance and profitability.

Performance-driven business intelligence dashboards focused on keyeconomic and logistic performance indicators to inform executiveand functional-level decision making; further supported by on-goingreliability analytics to close the loop between detailed, context-sensitive data to corrective action.

An updated interface design that offers greater flexibility in choiceof access device, introduces improved navigation and more mobile-device friendly usability features, and is more reflective of theoperational experience to support user adoption and efficiencygains for time-sensitive and high-volume activities.

As with all Maintenix software releases, v8 is built on Mxi Technologiesunparalleled technology platform that enables organizations toleverage advanced infrastructure and performance options includinga global operator network, the Cloud, and varying devices workstations, ruggedized laptops, tablets, and smartphones.

Maintenix v8 offers a MRO business platform that encompasses thecomplete aviation maintenance experience while reflecting industrydemand for a more dynamic, real-time system that quickly respondsto varying operational environments, says Jeff Cass, Chief TechnologyOfficer, Mxi Technologies. In essence, v8 is revolutionizing the way theaviation market views the maintenance function.

MXI TECHNOLOGIES LAUNCHES MRO ITINDUSTRY FIRST WITH AVINOMICPREDICTIVE CONTROL SYSTEMMXITechnologies announced an MRO IT industry first at the endof November 2012 with the availability of the companys exclusiveAvinomic Predictive Control System (PCS), which further allowsaviation maintenance organizations to govern the current and futurestate of operational asset maintenance all while enforcing MRObusiness, resource, and regulatory compliance constraints across theenterprise.

Mxis Avinomic PCS, has been architected to support the executionof business-process driven performance, the elimination of processproblems contributing to system waste, and the mitigation of in-process risk, through the coupling of: Baseline Logic for reference control, which consists of rules and

policies both asset and organizational that are explicitlydefined, managed in real-time, and continuously applied to actionswithin the system.

A State Transition System for operational and logistical control,which takes every transaction that has occurred in the system andapplies the constraints held within the Baseline Logic and creates oradjusts all pending actions.

An Enforcement & Refinement Engine for business and regulatorycompliance, which supports the capture and trending ofunscheduled transactions to drive greater predictability andcompliance back into the system.

Maintenix customers can expect to see a significant operationalimpact through the application of the Avinomic PCS, includinggreater confidence in reducing turnaround times, eliminating materialdelays, and minimizing inventory gross stock value, among othermaintenance-related improvements.The Mxi Avinomic PCS is the core enabling technology behind

Mxis Maintenix software, providing the foundation for the advancedplanning, mobility, and data analytics functions found in the latestversion of the product, Maintenix version 8. Continued researchand development investment in the Avinomic PCS will ensurethat subsequent releases of the Maintenix software will continueto provide additional business benefit to aviation maintenanceorganizations.

Mxis Avinomic Predictive Control System provides organizationswith the confidence to predictably manage aviation maintenanceas a profitable business, says Jeff Cass, Chief Technology Officer, Mxi

Technologies. By creating an MRO IT system that wholly encapsulatesand controls the aviation maintenance experience, Mxi has created aplatform for our customers to launch transformational advancements insupport of tangible business benefits, including double digit returns.

Mxi Technologies further sharpensits cutting edge technology

trained and PGA decided on a combination of e-learning, train-the-trainer approach and traditional classroom training.The highlight of the AMOS implementation at PGA is that AMOS was

implemented for the first time relying on an Oracle database. Swiss-AShad strategically focused on realising an AMOS version that is databaseindependent and followed the market requirement to be more flexiblein terms of predetermined databases.

AMOS TO BE IMPLEMENTED AT ALL FIVE MEMBERS OF THETHOMAS COOK GROUP

Thomas Cook Belgium, CondorBerlin and Condor Flugdienstare long-term customers ofSwiss-AS. In early October2012, it was announced thatthe remaining members ofthe Thomas Cook Group (TCUK and Scandinavia) had decided to replace their legacy system withAMOS. The decision to implement AMOS group-wide across Europewas the result of the latest assessment of the groups requirements andthe new corporate strategy. The benchmark established AMOS as thepreferred solution for the travel group.

One of Swiss-AS latest developments, Multi-Entity Support (seeabove), was one key factor for being awarded the contract. The Multi-Entity Support in AMOS enables the Thomas Cook Group to manageits multiple Airline Operations Centers (AOCs) with multiple financialaccounting, maintenance programs and local authorities, within onesystem while realising substantial synergies on group level.

AMOS TO SUPPORT REMARKABLE GROWTH OF TURKISHLOW COST CARRIER PEGASUS AIRLINESPegasus Airlines, atthe start of December2012, awarded Swiss-AS to implement theM&E software AMOS.

The onsite AMOSpresentations as wellas a visit to a referencecustomer finally triggered the decision that AMOS is the system thatbest meets Pegasus demands.

During the pre-sales phase Pegasus did not only carefully evaluate thefunctional scope as well as technology of AMOS, but also had a closelook at the service package that Swiss-AS offers its customers to ensurean efficient and successful implementation. The plan is to implementAMOS without any specific customisations since the system fully coversthe requirements of the low-cost carrier. AMOS is a community productthat has grown over many years due to individual customer requestsas well as strategic developments having been implemented. In recenttimes, more and more AMOS customers have decided to implementthe Swiss MRO software as is and thereby benefit from leanerimplementations in terms of complexity, time and cost.

Pegasus Airlines is planning to integrate AMOS with other systemsused in the organisation, such as Flight Operations, Human Resources,Finance, Accounting and Electronic Flight Bag. With the fullyimplemented AMOS, all maintenance processes in Pegasus Airlines areplanned to be managed electronically.

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SKY REGIONAL AIRLINES JOINS TRAXTowards the end of November 2012,Trax marked the newest addition to the user family when it wasannounced that Sky Regional Airlines has chosen to sign with Trax.Trax Maintenance software will help Sky Regional Airlines manage their numerous locations and diverse

fleet with its MRO software to ensure their maintenance and engineering work and records are inimpeccable shape. This will enable them to be as efficient and organized as possible.

Jose Almeida, President and CEO of TRAX USA Corp., states It is with much excitement that we welcomeSky Regional Airlines to the TRAX Family. The signing of this contract reiterates continuous growth inCanada.

Sky Regional Airlines will be implementing e4, the latest version of Trax Maintenance. This version includesover 20 modules catering for virtually every aspect of airline maintenance. TRAX Maintenance will assist SkyRegional Airlines in countless ways, from Material Management and Finance thru to Technical Records andReliability. Sky Regional Airlines will have aircraft, inventory and maintenance activity information integratedinto a single system.

TRIP LINHAS AEREAS JOINS TRAXLater on in mid-December 2012, TRIP Linhas Aereasalso became a TRAX customer when it chose to signwith Trax. Trax Maintenance software will help TRIPLinhas Aereas manage their diverse fleet with itsMRO software to ensure their maintenance-relatedand engineering-related work and records are inimpeccable shape. This will enable them to be asefficient and organized as possible.

Jose Almeida, President and CEO of TRAX USA Corp.,states, I am delighted that TRIP Linhas Aereas has

joined the global TRAX community as this strong partnership is beneficial for both companiesgrowth andsuccess.TRIP Linhas Aereas will be implementing E4, the latest version of Trax Maintenance. This version includes

over 20 modules catering for virtually every aspect of airline maintenance. TRAX Maintenance will assistTRIP Linhas Aereas in countless ways: from Material Management and Finance to Technical Records andReliability. TRIP Linhas Aereas will have aircraft, inventory, and maintenance activity information integratedinto a single system.


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Volartec welcomed AAL-SA (Advanced Aviation LogisticsSouth Africa) as the latest customer to join the Alkymcommunity in mid-November 2012. They become thefirst African based Helicopter operator to join the fold.

The rotary wing interest in Alkym has grown steadilyover the past 12 months with this agreement being theculmination of many months work.

John Barry, VP Business Development withVolartec was on hand with his comments thatVolartec identified the Helicopter market as beingunderserved some 12 months ago. We knew Alkymwas well established as an Airline MaintenanceSystem and continue to grow that market. At thesame time Alkym had all attributes required for theHelicopter market.

AAL-SA will begin the on-site phase of theimplementation project next week after the teamhas completed the pre-implementation work thatis currently on going. The onsite project in PretoriaSouth Africa will be completed in four short weeks.

The three person team from Volartec will consist ofhighly skilled professionals who have experience inthe IT aspect of the project but more importantlybring vast experience working on similar aviationprojects from around the world.To begin with AAL-SA will utilise seven of the Alkym

modules with the main focus being on the CAMOaspect of the business. As the business grows theyhave the option to select additional modules to assistin that growth.

ALKYM BY VOLARTEC WELCOMESAALSA AS ITS LATEST CUSTOMER
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SURPRISES CAN BE commonplace or airlinesand rarely are they inexpensive. Tere istremendous cost awareness in the industry and, becauseso many expenses are beyond their influence, managinginventory to the right levels can be a key element inairlines profitability. Inventory is usually classified as

either Repairable or Expendable. Repairable componentsare normally managed by time in service or cycles, sothey have a relatively predictable repair schedule managedby an enterprise asset tracking solution. Beyond theobvious throw-away stuff, the expendable category caninclude single use items that are lie limited by the

manuacturer and must be replaced afer a certainamount o time whether in service or sitting on ashel. Tese are not generally tracked as well as Repairableinventory and require time consuming inspections toconfirm serviceability. Tey can also be quite expensive.

Knowing when to purchase or replace lie limitedparts to minimize under-utilization or expiration mayseem like a small thing, but there are several installedon any one aircraf and just one that is missing orexpired can ground or delay that multi-million dollarworking asset. Items like passenger oxygen generators(that supply oxygen to the masks that lie abovepassengers heads), lie vests, first aid kits, protectivebreathing equipment, specialized emergency equipmentbatteries, portable oxygen bottles and emergencydefibrillator devices are all considered lie limited parts.

It may not be difficult to keep track o lie limitedparts on one aircraf, but or Deltas fleet o more than700 aircraf, that equates to about 140,000 lie vests,over 40,000 oxygen generators and more when you addin the items mentioned above. Te dynamics o aircraf

flying all over the world add urther to the challenge otracking lie limited parts.

o be sae and remain in compliance, lie limited partsare checked regularly to ensure that no items remainin service beyond their expiration date. Depending onthe type o maintenance program, items like oxygengenerators are checked while the aircraf is in orthe equivalent o a C-Check, or about every 18-24months. Te overhead passenger service units (PSUs)are opened so dates on the oxygen generators can be

visually checked. At that time, mechanics read the dateo manuacture, which may involve loosening a bracket,rotating the generator so the data placard is visible,reading the date and then reinstalling the bracket. Lie

vests are managed in a similar manner, with lots otime spent crawling around the floor looking under aseat cushion to check a date. A calculation to determinethe remaining service lie is done to make sure the itemwill not expire beore the next check, allowing or anappropriate saety margin. I it is determined that thepart will still be serviceable until the next scheduled

visit date, the mechanic tightens everything up andmoves on to the next location. For comparison, therecan be approximately 60 oxygen generators on a typicalB737 to 200 or more on a B777 depending on theconfiguration and there can be hundreds o lie veststhat require inspection. It can be very time-consumingto check each part, taking rom a ew hours to a wholeshif or more.

Not only is the inspection process tedious, but thechance o collateral damage to other parts is significant standing on seats to be able to read the small texton data placards, pinching wires or tubes when latchingthe PSUs, accidentally activating the generator (whichheats to about 350F), etc. Multiply that by a fleet o40,000 generators or 140,000 lie vests and you have asignificant workload. Without the data being capturedin a record keeping system, this same cycle o work willbe repeated each time the inspection is due visuallychecking each part, no matter how new, to ensureserviceability until the next visit.

Cost and timing or replacement inventory adds tothe challenge. Buy too many and parts sit on the shelunused with the calendar running: order too ew andAOG (aircraf on ground) shipping expenses pile up orovernight shipping rom all over the world.

It may not be difficult to keep track oflife limited parts on one aircraft, but forDeltas fleet of more than 700 aircraft, thatequates to about 140,000 life vests, over40,000 oxygen generators and more.

Leading the Way with

Inventory ManagementRick Lewis, Business Analyst, Delta Air Lines, Atlanta TechOps explains

how RFID was implemented at Delta Air Lines.

12 | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

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THE TARGETA ew years ago, Delta Air Lines started evaluating anew paradigm to address these business challenges. Weneeded something that would improve the process notby a ew percentage points, but by orders o magnitude.We also wanted to minimize any business processchanges. We wanted to be able to use data to replaceinventory data is better, aster and much cheaperthan inventory. Our past approach was we dont knowwe need it until we look but with data (knowledge) theuture process will be we dont have to look until weknow we need it. Tis saves in three significant ways:1) Avoids purchasing lie limited parts beore they are

needed (reducing shel-loss);2) Minimizes AOG shipping expenses related to these

items;3) Avoids repeated date checks on items that are still

serviceable.Delta was also committed to getting results quickly, noairline can afford a multi-year return on investment(ROI); we are also committed to a learn-as-you-goscenario. We knew we couldnt figure out all thebenefits or all the costs, ahead o time but we werepleasantly surprised at what we ound.

A ast, accurate way to collect and store data orselected lie limited parts was needed, and Delta settledon using RFID (Radio Frequency ID) technology.RFID technology is truly amazing its like bar codetechnology that doesnt need line o sight. Te radio

waves rom a handheld reader can go through, over,under and around obstacles to provide the RFID tagwith RF energy. Tis allows the tag to answer back tothe reader. I the portable reader sends out one watto power to query any RFID tags in the vicinity, eachRFID tag answers back at about one millionth o thatpower to say Im over here and heres who I am.

Te reader can find hundreds o tags per secondwhich is pretty amazing considering that the RFID tagshave no power o their own (passive RFID) and theRFID chip itsel is no bigger than a grain o pepper.

Delta started pursuing this technology solutionin 2009, at about the same time the partnership oAerospace Sofware Developments (ASD, Dublin,Ireland) and echnology Solutions (Oakland, CA)began making RFID commercial off-the-shel solutionsavailable or airlines. Tey are leaders in aviationRFID, having helped develop the AA Spec2000 RFIDstandards and demonstrated the first industry solutionin 2007. Tey also have solutions or OEM suppliers.Teir sofware solutions are the only ones in theindustry that have been certified by the GS1/EPCGlobalorganization.

Te initial goal or Delta is to make parts visibleto those who manage and replace them. With this

visibility comes an element o predictability orinventory, scheduling and workflow helping, asdiscussed earlier, to avoid costly surprises and expensiveAOG shipping expenses.

FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES | 13


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14 | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

THE SOLUTIONTe first demonstration o the RFIDAeroCheck solutionto Delta management occurred over two years ago withDirectors and Managers in the First Class section oa Boeing 757 and more people standing in the backaisle. Te Oxygen Generators in the PSUs had beenpreviously tagged with RFID tags. A brie explanationo the system was provided by Dave Browne romASD in the ront o the First Class section, then thetrigger was pulled on the handheld reader and a serieso beeps too quick to count was heard rom thereader. It had read the entire First Class section withouttaking a step.

Dave then demonstrated how easy it was to inductthe individual oxygen generators into the sofware.Te reader was handed to each person to enter thenecessary data just like a mechanic would at eachgenerator location. Tere was initial hesitation, ollowedby an, Is that all there is to it? response.

Afer a brie discussion o the potential uses or RFIDon our aircraf, we got the thumbs-up approval toproceed with the project, and we were off and running.

Delta did not wait or OEMs to begin tagging theiroxygen generators to be able to leverage the technology.It didnt make business sense to wait or existing O2generators to age out o the system, nor to replace allthe generators with new ones that would lose asignificant amount o useul lie on those assets andwould take us in the wrong direction. A solution wasdeveloped or tagging these legacy parts according tothe AA Spec2000 standard, giving each legacy parta unique number to identiy it. In the uture, OEMswill be delivering RFID tagged parts containing theactual manuacturers CAGE Code, Serial Number, PartNumber, and Date o Manuacture. At that time, thetransition will be transparent and the mix o both new

and legacy parts will coexist seamlessly.Te oxygen generator RFID tags designed or this

particular use work extremely well, providing 15 ootread ranges and quick read times using a portableRFID reader. ags are also available or application tolie vests, lie vest boxes/pouches, passenger oxygenmasks, medical kits and many other emergencyequipment items. All are available rom William Frick& Company and are AS5678 certified, as required bythe FAA.

Te sofware chosen, RFIDAeroCheck, presents asmall ootprint, is server based and web accessible.It provides many user assignable switches to allowconfiguration or a variety o terminologies, date

ormats and expiration schemas (i.e. first o month, lasto month). Te portable RFID scanners connect viaWi-Fi at hangar and line station locations. Mechanictraining or the wireless handheld scanner applicationwas easy and only took about 30 minutes on theaircraf.

raining or the server side application is slightly moreinvolved. Tats where the LOPA (LayOut o PassengerAccommodations essentially the floor plan o theairplane) is created or each fleet configuration andpopulated with the desired emergency equipment.

Te process is assisted by a GUI (Graphic UserInterace) design tool and some basic configurationmenu selections such as, Economy is 3x3 seatingstarting at row number 11 and continuing or 28 rows;and immediately youve generated a picture o theEconomy section seating. Adding lavatories, galleys,closets, exit rows, extra aisles, etc. is easy. Te locationsare click-and-drag positioned and can be namedaccording to the appropriate nomenclature. Te layoutis easily created and looks like the actual aircraf soall equipment will be located where it is expected oneach aircraf. Te design tool accommodates singleaisle, double aisle and double decker, also allowing orcustom named classes and extra sections. Te serversofware also holds the sofware configuration options,reerence part data and reporting unctions.

Once the LOPA is configured in the sofware, eachlocation (seat, PSU, closet, etc.) is populated with a lie

vest, oxygen generator, etc. until there is a completemap (and database) o every piece o equipment oreach aircraf.

THE PROCESSWhen the aircraf arrives or a visit, each item isinducted into the sofware, assigning each uniquelyidentified part to its specific location. Drop downmenus or 2D barcodes are used to harvest the partnumber and date inormation. Tis initial inductioncan be done on a B757 in about 40 minutes by twotechnicians and about two hours on a B777. Afer theinduction is complete, the part inormation exists onthe server and can also be checked with a 45 secondwalk down the aisle with the handheld scanner, quicklyconfirming the presence and expiration status o anytagged items to the specific location. Any itemsthat appear on the Exception Report, generated on thehandheld sofware ollowing the RFID scan, are visuallychecked or serviceability and replaced, tagged andinducted back into the sofware i required.

Tis RFIDAeroCheck solution is a complete,standalone solution rom data collection to automatedreporting. It can even automatically email data ornotification o items that are approaching an expirationdate. Te database reporting unction also allowsmaintenance to plan what their lie limited partworkload will be on any given tail number, and allows

A solution was developed for tagging these legacy parts according to the ATA Spec2000standard, giving each legacy part a unique number to identify it. In the future, OEMswill be delivering RFID tagged parts.

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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | CASE STUDY: DELTA AIRLINES | 15


Hexaware is a niche, focused IT Solutions and Business

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RICK LEWISBUSINESS ANALYST, DELTA AIR LINES

Rick Lewis is a 30-year veteran ofDelta Air Lines, starting his careerwith the airline in 1982 as anaircraft technician. He is currentlyone of the Business Analysts thatsupport Aircraft Maintenanceactivities and is managing Deltas

RFID program. Rick holds an AMT license and adegree in Aviation Management.

INTERACTIVEASK THE AUTHOR A QUESTION

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE YOUR QUESTION

INTERACTIVEJOIN THE DEBATE

CLICK HERE TO LEAVE YOUR FEEDBACK ABOUT THISARTICLE AND START OR JOIN A DISCUSSION

inventory analysts to better predict both short andlonger-term inventory requirements. OEMs also benefit,minimizing last minute AOG orders and scramblingto accommodate customers. Its a win-win oreveryone and, when appropriate, this solution can beintegrated with existing enterprise systems or inventoryplanning and scheduling o aircraf maintenance, togenerate even greater ROI opportunities. Delta hasnot integrated the RFIDAeroCheck sofware with theenterprise systems yet. Our approach is learn first, andthen grow.

Te ROI to Delta can be measured in terms omonths, not years. Implementation is not at allcomplete and we are still exploring the scope oequipment that should be tagged. We are alsoinvestigating ways o perorming item level securitychecks using RFID solutions. And we are also workingwith select vendors to include RFID tags on newpurchase inventory. Tis will begin the process oswitching to OEM tagged inventory. Until then, wehave a solution to best manage our legacy tagged,already paid or, flying inventory.

Delta has been studying this opportunity or manyyears. Using aviation-specific RFID standards,inexpensive tag options, and user accepted andriendly sofware, we are moving orward using RFIDtechnology to reduce our costs and explore ways topositively impact our operations as industry leaders inthis arena. n
http://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/Vendors/Integration-Partner-for-Aviation-MRO-Technical-Documentation-Systems.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/RFID-Leading-the-way-with-Inventory-Management.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/Vendors/Integration-Partner-for-Aviation-MRO-Technical-Documentation-Systems.aspx

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16 | CASE STUDY: JET AIRWAYS| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

SPEC 20001 IS a set o e-Business specifications, products andservices which have evolved over more than 40 years and aredesigned to address challenges in the supply chain processes o the airlineindustry, incorporating the latest technological advances in inormationexchange. It aims to streamline business processes and reduce administrativecosts. As more trading partners embrace it, the system will becomeincreasingly efficient and effective.

Created by the airline industry under the auspices o A4A (Airlines orAmerica previously AA), SPEC 2000 is divided into our major areas oe-Business: Aviation Marketplace, e-Commerce Standards, File Standards,and Bar Coding Standards. Tese are urther developed into 17 chapters ordata exchange o which Chapter 11 deals with the collection and exchangeo fleet and component reliability data [2].

Boeing introduced the In-Service Data Program (ISDP), which createda platorm or airlines and suppliers to share fleet-wide reliability data.Tis service allows participating airlines and Boeing to perorm reliabilityanalyses on fleet perormance which, in turn, supports improvementsto current in-service aircraf as well as new aircraf development. Temaintenance and reliability data exchanged through ISDP has been anenabler or analyses to determine whether aircraf perormance problemsare unique, assess i the mean time between ailures are normal, identiy theNo Fault Found (NFF) rates, determine returns on modifications, developcontingencies or uture ailures, efficiently review perormance data rom

various entities on a common platorm, and develop benchmarks [3].With the introduction o the SPEC 2000 data exchange ormats, it is

possible to collect data rom both airlines and suppliers. From airlines,it is possible to collect material on ten data subjects: hours and landings,component removals, schedule interruptions, logbooks, scheduled

maintenance, service bulletin, shop findings, piece parts, status change andsummary. From suppliers it is possible to collect data on airline returnedcomponents, Boeing (actory and receiving) rejected components, andcomponents returned or modifications [2].

Fleet data shared by airline customers is critical to Boeings commitmentto provide cost-effective fleet support. When customers provide ongoingoperational inormation, Boeing is better equipped to make cost-effectivesaety, perormance, maintenance, and modification recommendations.Participants in this flexible, confidential program compile data on as many asnine primary service reliability areas (as defined in SPEC 2000, Chapter 11)and send it to Boeing through MyBoeingFleet.com. In addition to providinga broad-based source o fleet data, it gives operators an opportunity to ocusattention on issues that address their individual needs [3].

Furthermore, ISDP allows participants to view data compiled byindividual, participating airlines, some o which have fleets and operatingenvironments comparable to their own. However, use o this data isrestricted to improving operating perormance.

THE MOTIVATION AT JET AIRWAYSJet Airways echnical Services would send fleet and component reliabilitystatistics to Boeing every month: Boeing would then compile and analyzethis data received rom all the operators. Te airline operators wouldhave to contact Boeing in order get specific inormation, e.g. trends orindustry perormance o certain aircraf systems or components. Teairline operators did not have ready access to all the data rom which theycould perorm any customized analysis. In order to benefit rom the vastrepository o this data (rom other airlines), an airline would have to enrollin the ISDP (In-Service Data Program).

Organising data for more useful outcomesAmol Salaskar. Manager Engineering IT at Jet Airways describes integrating IT systems

using standard data exchange formats for technical reliability.

Jet Airways is a member o the ISDP, and was alsosending across data. Tereore, by simpliying andautomating the process o transmitting the datain xml standardized ormat or data exchange, themanual efforts (or both Jet Airways and Boeing) willbe reduced, and the implementation o the greateradvantage rom this project would allow Jet Airwaysto perorm any data analysis on the vast inormationrepository held by Boeing on reliability o aircraf andcomponents. Tis would aim towards improving thetechnical dispatch reliability.

Te opportunity to leverage technology arose withthe availability o the data exchange standard, SPEC2000 Chapter 11, which deals with Reliability DataCollection/Exchange specifically or airlines, andairrame, engine and component manuacturers.

Several o the data subjects were included as eaturesin the E&M (Engineering and Maintenance) I systemat Jet Airways and Boeing actively wanted to supportwith SPEC 2000, that being the standard ormat ordata exchange. Tis lead to Boeing wanting to setup a

joint implementation team that would ensure that JetAirways is ully capable o deriving the benefits o ISDPwith the SPEC 2000 chapter 11 data exchange ormats.

In the original implementation efforts Jet Airwaysplanned to go live in 18-24 months, but with the activeparticipation rom Boeing, this project time-line is nowless than 12 months.

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FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | CASE STUDY: JET AIRWAYS | 17

LEVEL OF ACTIVITIES IN THE PROJECTTe project plan was drafed with the aim to have all nine datasubjects (see below) o SPEC 2000 Chapter 11 reported by JetAirways to Boeing. Te ollowing key stages were consideredas working towards a successul completion o the project:a) Identiying the project team on both sides Boeing and Jet

Airways.b) Mapping data rom Jet Airways I system (AMOS) with the

SPEC 2000 xml data ormats or Chap 11.c) Identification o hardware and implementation setup.d) Evaluation o the data quality.

e) esting o the existing SPEC 2000 xml standards withinAMOS or meeting data quality requirements.

) Changing internal processes so that they would align withthe standard processes.

SETTING UP THE TEAMTe project team was drawn rom Boeing and Jet Airways.On the Boeing side there was a Business Analyst, an Iprogrammer and a SPEC 2000 specialist (on standby).Te Jet Airways team consisted o the Engineering/Reliabilityexpert, I ocal, and a data subject expert (as needed).Te working protocol consisted o an on-site meeting toestablish the project activities and timelines, and perorm thedata mapping. Tereafer all stakeholders were to work onindividual project activities and report status in the weeklyproject report-out teleconerence. Te weekly teleconerence

and the weekly status reports were released by BoeingsBusiness Analyst.

we requested of Volartec that theimplementation project should notexceed 30 days, in order not to interfere

with our operation.


AMOSA 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

MAPPING DATASPEC 2000 Chapter 11 consists o the ollowing ninedata subjects: Hours/Landings; Aircraf Events; Aircraf Logbook; LRU Removals; Scheduled Maintenance; Service Bulletin; Shop Findings; Shop Findings Piece Parts; and

Aircraf Status Change.Te team met on-site to perorm a data sanity checkconsisting o two parts:a) o know whether the data was available within Jet

Airways (either in the I system or in any otherormat).

b) I the data was available, then to develop a processor collating and organizing it in the SPEC 2000ormat required or reporting. Tis consists oi. Data extracts that are available as a standard

within the I system (AMOS).ii. Data within the I system but that need to

be extracted and organized in the SPEC 2000ormat required or reporting.

iii. Data outside o the I system in other ormats,e.g. MS Excel: special sofware processes

needed to be developed to collect that data andorganize it in the SPEC 2000 ormat

The opportunity to leverage technology arose with the availability of thedata exchange standard, SPEC 2000 Chapter 11, which deals with ReliabilityData Collection/Exchange specifically for airlines, and airframe, engine and

component manufacturers.

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18 | CASE STUDY: JET AIRWAYS| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

AMOL SALASKARMANAGER ENGINEERING IT, JET AIRWAYS

Amol Salaskar has been a managerEngineering IT with Jet Airwaysfor over seven years. In this role,he manages the administrationand integration of solutions(technology and process) intothe business areas of Engineering

and Maintenance. Prior to that he workedas a Business Analyst for Fleet ManagementOperations, with General Electric where hecertified as a Six Sigma Green Belt.

He holds a Bachelors degree in Mechanical

Engineering, a Master of Science in Industrial andSystems Engineering from Auburn University,USA, and followed by a diploma in ManagementStudies.

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Based on this assessment there were several actionsinitiated. Te project plan was developed into threespecific stages.

Stage 1 was to implement the SPEC 2000 datasubjects that were already available rom the I System(AMOS).

Stage 2 consisted o developing the data extracts thatwould support towards developing the xml outputsthat are not available. Tis would be done using anexternally developed I tool; in this case, MS Access.

Stage 3 was to augment use o the I System (AMOS),by converting the present manual processes into anelectronic process. It was urther proposed to utilizethe SPEC 2000 interace capability available in the Isystem.

IDENTIFICATION OF HARDWAREAND SOFTWAREIn order to map the data the SPEC 2000 schemaswere procured rom A4A. Due to various versions othe schema being available, there was a need to agreeon the SPEC 2000 version that would be used in theimplementation, and one that it is compatible with theI systems at both Jet Airways and Boeing.

During the data mapping process there were threeobservations:a) Some o the data subjects produced rom the I

system could be directly transmitted to the Boeingsystem;

b) A ew data subjects required data cleansing beorethey could be transmitted to Boeing;

c) A ew data subjects were not a standard part o theI system, hence suitable data extracts routines werecreated that would then be organized in SPEC 2000xml ormat beore transmitting to Boeing.

Since b) and c) were concerns to be addressed, theteam decided to have a custom developed system as astaging application system. Te Jet Airways I systemwould send the data to a staging system using FP(File ranser Protocol); the staging system would thenprocess the data into the required ormat beore itcould be transerred using FPS (File ranser ProtocolSecure) to the Boeing data upload service. Te stagingsystem was decided based on the data load and theprocessing requirements.

It was agreed that the Jet Airways I system (AMOS)would send data to the staging application (within JetAirways domain), that would process the inormationand perorm a data sanity check. Once the files werescrutinized the data would be prepared in the SPEC2000 xml ormat, and transmitted to Boeings dataupload service. At the check-points there were peopleidentified who would receive email alerts in-case therewas a ailure with the process o data transmission.

ABOUT JET AIRWAYSJet Airways currently operates a fleet of 99aircraft, which include 10 Boeing 777-300 ERaircraft, 11 Airbus A330-200 aircraft, 2 AirbusA330-300 aircraft 59 next generation Boeing737-700/800/900 aircraft, 16 ATR 72-500 and 1ATR 72-600 turboprop aircraft. With an averagefleet age of 5.66 years, the airline has one of theyoungest aircraft fleets in the world. Flights to 73destinations span the length and breadth of India,and beyond to Asia, the Middle East, Europe andNorth America.

REFERENCES[1]http://www.spec2000.org/. [2] Using SPEC 2000 tostreamline your business. Jon Andresen Presidentechnology Solutions. AA eBusiness Program. Oct2008. [3]. In-Service Data Program. John Kneuer eam Leader, In-Service Data Program. Boeing. AeroMagazine. Q1 2008.

EVALUATION OF DATA QUALITYDuring the data mapping process, the team evaluatedthe quality o the data or each o the data subjects. Tesample file rom the test (sandbox) environment (Isystem) was setup to generate the SPEC 2000 xml files.A sampling o some o the data points was perormedto check or inconsistency or whether the reportedinormation was not in accordance with the definitiono the SPEC 2000 definition. Tese were careullyanalyzed or any repetition or duplication, and thenmeasures were taken to correct the data and educate

the users, who generated the data so that it would becorrect right rom the start.

Procedures were designed and implemented alongwith Engineering Quality so that compliances wereaster. Also, training and write-ups were separatelyissued to give step-by-step instructions on how theinormation was to be input in the I system.

PECULIAR DATA CHALLENGESDue to a long legacy o using the I system (AMOS),there were a ew data gaps in the inormation captured.Tese were addressed by the ollowing methods:a) For inconsistencies, it was decided to make certain

data fields mandatory so that errors are eliminated atsource.

b) Education o the users, and preparing work-

procedures or user reerence.c) Issuing quality circulars that allowed us to enorce

certain discipline in the way inormation is captured.Te bigger challenge arose when the process did notully adhere to the requirements o the I system,which in-turn influenced the quality o data producedby the xml file. Tis was addressed as ollows:d) For data stored in the I system but not part o

the standard SPEC 2000 out-puts, separate sofwareroutines were developed so that AMOS data couldbe extracted and produced into the required xmlormats.

e) For at least one data subject, the I system was notbeing ully used or managing the entire businessprocess. Hence, sofware routines were developed(application) so that the data could be drawn romalternate systems (e.g. MS Excel files) and joinedwith data rom the I system, to prepare therequired data ormat.

ADVANTAGESTe primary advantage derived rom implementationo the ISDP requirements using SPEC 2000 Chapter 11data standards was that Jet Airways would now haveaccess to the vast repository o reliability inormationavailable within Boeing. Also, certain processes were re-designed and re-implemented; hence business processesnow conormed with global standards. And, pre-existing manual business processes would get convertedinto electronic orm. n

The primary advantage derived from implementation of the ISDP requirementsusing SPEC 2000 Chapter 11 data standards was that Jet Airways would now have

access to the vast repository of reliability information available within Boeing.
http://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Reviews/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspxhttp://www.aircraftit.com/MRO/eJournals/eJournal/Aircraft-IT-MRO-FebruaryMarch-2013/Questions/Organising-data-for-more-useful-outcomes.aspx

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Even so, the OCR sofware can still conuse a 0 (nought/zero) and an O (capital letter O),an l (lower case letter l) and a 1 (number one) or S (capital letter S) and 5 (numberfive) For common words this is corrected using the standard dictionaries but, or part and

serial numbers it can quickly become such a huge headache that engineers will give up onscanning and using scanned copies and revert to paperwork.

Tese days, the cost o computer storage is so cheap, except or Cloud based systems, thatit would be easy to dramatically reduce document quality in order to save a relatively smallamount o money. But, reducing the quality o scanning reduces the value o scanning. Andtalking about Cloud based applications; how would a user, with no or limited Internet access,connect to the Cloud to consult scanned technical records while working in the field? We useUSB sticks to fill that gap with sofware designed to run on any platorm (except IOS Mac).

22 | WHITE PAPER: ADS| AIRCRAFT ITMRO | FEBRUARY-MARCH 2013

INDEXING IS THE KEYEven afer having recognized the printed content o the pages there isstill a good chance that users will miss the records they are looking or.Since 2005, we have ound that 95% o searches are related to non-routine inormation which is handwritten in most cases and hand writteninormation still cannot be properly read with sofware: that is one o thereasons why it is called Dirty Finger Prints (DFP). But what this means isthat 95% o searches will concentrate around the 5% o inormation that isnot recognized even with seven OCR engines and there is still a chancethat the OCR will have messed-up in recognizing the part and serialnumbers.

o finally achieve a 99% search capability rate, every single page needs tobe presented to operators or a quality check and eventual correction. Tisalso allows operators to input handwritten inormation into indexes so thatthe final user can search even on dirty finger prints.

In most cases, users should find a cartouche on every page that indicatesinormation about the detailed maintenance operation.

We have added what we called Optical Zonal Recognition or OZRwhich allows users to define layouts o task cards or specific MROsor Airlines and apply a layout reading capability, indicating which areashould be stored in which index. Like, but not limited to, Registration,MPD (maintenance planning document) task reerence, Work Packreerence, related parts, AD / SB (airworthiness directive / service bulletin),Modifications EO (engineering order). Tis allows all the records to bescanned by work packs with only one reerence PO (purchase order)or WO (work order) reerence. Te sofware does the rest. All indexing isdone virtually and, as the records are the responsibility o the operators,

nobody should alter their content. Once the work packs have beenscanned, they can be stored to a remote sae location exactly as they wereproduced by the operator or the MRO. It becomes pointless to revert to thepaperwork again.

Tus, instead o having many files with names such as task 001, task002, task 003 we set out to present inormation linked to as much relatedinormation as possible.

Documents have to be presented as what they are, with indexes and titlerelated to the maintenance operation. Who cares about the file number orits location? But who does not care about having access to all airworthinessdirectives and service bulletins related to a specific landing gear? Indexingcould be achieved by putting printed barcodes on A4 pages in ront ospecific sets o paperwork or by scanning them into specifically named files,but this would be more time consuming and would ultimately represent aprohibitive increase in the cost o the solution.

Indexing could be achieved by putting printed barcodeson A4 pages in front of specific sets of paperwork orby scanning them into specifically named files, but thiswould be more time consuming and would ultimatelyrepresent a prohibitive increase in the cost of the

solution.

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Having in-depth indexing capability helps to createstatuses: these statuses are not the actual statuses o theaircraf but rom the technical records filing system. Itthen becomes easy to cross check the statuses comingout rom the MRO I sofware and the digital recordssystem, thus dramatically reducing the time to identiyand fix discrepancies between the two reerence systemsand/or the paperwork.

SYSTEM INTEGRATION,MRO SYSTEM LINKING

Tese indexes, stored in an open relational database canhelp build bridges between MRO systems and scannedtechnical records. Storing the indexes directly into thefiles can mean having to open every file to look or aspecific page. Storing the indexes into a database willhouse the result o your searches and the sofware willonly load the page that you require when you havedisplayed the correct indexes.

WHETHER OR NOT TO OUTSOURCETECHNICAL RECORDS SCANNINGAND MANAGEMENTTe first step has to be to compare the cost o anengineer offering material to a scanner against a lowcost external company undertaking that task. As wehave seen above, engineers have other jobs to do and

might be quite a costly resource to use to scan andmaintain records. But its also useul to consider thetime needed by the MRO, the operator, engineers andthe lessor to reconstitute sets o records at repossessiontime this can also represent using a costly engineerresource or a task which is not really in the jobdescription.

A study, published in 2004 by EASA, gives a costo 19 euro per page or the storage o technicalrecords so it might be useul or Airlines to considerusing a low cost certified storage company to handletechnical records. Also, fire is a real risk in light othe destruction o hangars in Athens or in Brussels.Most importantly, the aviation business is about flyingaircraf, not document storage. It would always bebetter to give the responsibility to someone specialized

in that business. Te same study rom EASA gives acost o 3 euros or a scanned, indexed and remotelystored page. Outsourcing also allows trained personalto handle corrections o the OCR engine and retypingo dirty finger prints, reeing engineers to do what theyare hired or, engineering.

A final advantage is that, in case o bankruptcy, therecords are not held on retention. We had a case whenan airline went into bankruptcy in 2010. Te lessormanaged to get the aircraf out o the airline, but anaircraf without its documentation means nothing.Fortunately or this lessor, there was a complete seto scanned records to help put the aircraf on themarket because the airline was storing the records in a

JULIEN ALBRECHTGENERAL MANAGER, AIRCRAFT DATA SYSTEMS

Graduate IT engineer. After hisdegree and his military periodin the French Air Force, he wasengaged by Alain Perroteau to bethe Network Manager and teamleader in project management forLOGITAIR integration processes.

LOGITAIR, was specialzed in airlines revenueaccounting and financial back office processing.

As he has been in aviation since he was two

years old pushed by his father Franois, also wellknown in aviation industry, he confounded