Aircraft Maintenance Technology

APR 2017

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www.AviationPros.com 51 DEVELOPING THE TEAM Around the same time as this report was published, Pattonair, a global leader in supply chain solutions for C class parts, recognized it needed to invest in developing its forecast- ing and inventory management capability and developed a global team of specialists dedicated to forecasting, planning, and inventory activities, to work closely with each of the customers. The 25 plus strong team comprises highly skilled forecasting managers, demand planners, senior data analysts and inventory analysts. Headquartered in Derby, UK, with facilities around the world, Pattonair provides end- to-end supply chain solutions tai- lored specifically to each customer's requirements. THE SYSTEM The next step was to create a suite of bespoke systems, tools, and tech- niques. The available off the shelf inventory management systems were geared to the repetitive pat- terns of production by OEMs and were unsuitable for wider devia- tions and unpredictable inventory demands of aftermarket and MROs. The technology strategy was to take an off-the-shelf supply chain management system and tailor it to meet the specific business needs of its OEM and MRO customers. Standard tools that came with the system were enhanced to mir- ror the best in class alternatives, proven through the use of its more manual bespoke systems such as the forecasting and inventory man- agement tool; this was replaced and then extensively customised to become Pattonair's patented 'Akrivis Approach' forecasting and inventory management service. This chimed with PwC's finding on best practice. A collaborative approach to planning and infor- mation sharing was introduced, amalgamating consistent internal and external data into 'Akrivis.' This allows multiple data sets to be com- pared and contrasted, such as sup- plier lead times, customers' historic forecasts, and their demand profiles of actual consumption, along with identification of unusual demand, seasonal items, and market intelli- gence. 'Akrivis' delivers a constantly updated and real-time demand fore- cast for each customer and its accu- racy has been a key factor in the company now achieving 99 percent on-time delivery, the highest in the industry. Another important factor is to align the forecasting tool to each customer's way of operating so it synchronises with their individual ordering patterns and planning pro- cesses. This knowledge combined with their data inputs informs their forecasts. NEXT STEPS Depending on the maintenance program the MRO cannot always be sure which parts need repair or replacing until the aircraft is inspected therefore demand fore- casting for MROs continues to be a challenge for the customer and the parts suppliers. Enhancing fore- casting for this area has become a priority for Pattonair as it has seen a significant shift from five years ago when OEMs accounted for approxi- mately 85 to 90 percent of global forecasted accounts to its current portfolio where spares, MRO, devel - opment, repair and AR&O; solutions account for 25 percent of forecast accounts and this continues to grow. From all these accounts 52 percent of part lines have the potential to be unscheduled demand that is not managed through a specific custom- er schedule, forecast, or engine bill of material build programme. In this market sector, utilising enhanced forecasting systems and methods alone is insufficient to meet the demands from today's customers for off-the-shelf avail- ability of unscheduled parts. Highly technical safety stock modelling and parts replenishment solutions, tak- ing account of demand patterns, service levels, supply lead times, and part criticality, is also required. For example, safety stock and other methods of inventory modelling is supported through continuous demand and inventory data analy- sis, interpretation, and high levels of master data accuracy in areas as stock integrity, forecast part scope, bill of material accuracy, and sys- tems static data accuracy. Using this approach, alongside "Right First Time" principles, Pattonair is improving inventory safety stock modelling and stock replenishment and systemising and integrating this with its Akrivis forecasting as the next stage in its maturity journey. CONCLUSION The key principles needed to achieve effective forecasting and supply chain management are a Zero Defects culture underpinned by 'Right First Time' initiatives. To achieve the better delivery times and quality standards customers expect requires robust systems to meet scheduled and unscheduled demand and a specialist team of people with a collaborative ethos to sharing information. ONE BEST practice is to align the forecasting tool to each customer's way of operating. MICHELLE CARTER is fore- casting, plan- ning & inven- tory director at Pattonair. She joined Pattonair in 2012. Her background has been predomi- nantly defence and aerospace. Former roles included pro- gramme plan- ning manager at Airbus and supply chain manager, Land Platforms at BAE Systems. She has a MS degree in supply chain management from Cranfield University. For more informa- tion on Pattonair visit www.pat- tonair.com .

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