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COMMERCIAL MRO Additive manufacturing allows printing of replacement parts on demand for damaged equipment to support maintenance operations. 22 MAY 2016 AIRCRAFT MAINTENANCE TECHNOLOGY full integration of operations, maintenance and the supply chain, into the optimized logistics support enterprise. We will also see airline maintenance teams equipped with mobile apps to access relevant infor- mation at the time of need, rather than the long walk to the office. The trend will be to create an environment to better enable the user to do their job, reducing solution overheads, for busy maintenance engineers. Information must be in a format opti- mized for specific equipment, easily customizable, and devoid of overhead. The first glimpses of return on investment from additive manufacturing are anticipated. A&D; is already a trendsetter in terms of adopting additive manufacturing, contributing 10.2 percent to the industry's $2.2 bil- lion global revenue in 2012, and all indications are that this will continue to grow. Boeing and Airbus have been using the pro- cess to manufacture components for over two years. In MRO terms, the technology allows printing of replacement parts on demand for damaged equipment to support maintenance operations. We are also seeing a real business need for wear- able technology emerging. Airlines are now trial- ing Google Glass in the maintenance process. The glasses are worn by engineers working around the plane on the tarmac. Images of the aircraft are sent to maintenance specialists for assessment who then feed any issues they see back to the engineer on the ground. Maintenance is completed promptly, can be assessed in real time, and all information is recorded to assess further issues down the line. Wearable technology has the potential to reduce complexity, workload, and maximize deployment of scarce skill resources. Context-aware computing is also coming to the fore, IS solutions will automati- cally tailor their operation through recognition of the maintenance environment. The technology's key benefit is that it reduces the time taken to complete maintenance tasks in difficult environ- ments — engineers can get the job done quickly, streamlining the maintenance process. But as new technologies are implemented, MRO IT solutions must be able to adapt and integrate — and quickly. Traditional ERP solutions have had a track record of months or even years to install, let alone adapt to incorporate new technology and that can result in a dramatic effect on the bottom line. But, modern, modular, ERP applications have an inherent agility — reducing the time and pain required to modify processes and make it possible to deploy new technology quickly. BUT THERE ARE SOME RISKS ... Make it or fake it — with large fleets containing aircraft at various stages of lifespan, there is constant demand for parts, while cost and schedule pressures have created an environment which allows counter- feiting to flourish. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) estimates that 2 percent of the 26 million aircraft parts installed each year are counterfeit. This has the potential to severely impact the support chain assurance as well as airworthiness. To dramatically reduce the number of counterfeit parts requires agile IS solutions to introduce key audit checkpoints across both logistics, supply, and MRO processes. Strict export control plays an important role in keeping the world safe. It's not just a defense issue and can cut across all sectors of the aerospace indus - try. Only by complying with stringent export control regulations, as implemented by various government agencies, is it possible to combat infringements of sanctions. It is absolutely critical that these businesses can demonstrate that they can comply with the most robust export control if they are to be recognized as bona fide suppliers. AND BENEFITS Efficient and effective MRO is one of the key areas that an airline can significantly influence in order to drive increased profits and USPs. It requires advanced regulatory and safety compli- ance, ability to optimize workforce resources with a focus on efficiency, high utilization, and process innovation. It involves smarter procurement, better parts availability, better supplier management, and improved use of facility capacity and also better financial performance — by aligning contracts and resources to operational efficiency. But any sup- porting IS solution needs to underpin this with the inherent solution agility that can readily adapt to the changing aviation market and technological initiatives. This will provide airlines with increased cus- tomer service, increased availability with minimized turnaround times, and a real business differentiator going forward — achieving that 10 percent reduc- tion of maintenance costs that can result in a dou- bling of profit.