In the May issue of Avitrader MRO, Keith Mwanalushi addresses questions about how the aviation aftermarket sectors are leveraging digital technologies to improve business operations and increase the bottom line.

 

One of the factors slowing down implementation is the industry’s ‘heavy reliance on manual processes for data exchange and interactions.’ According to Alex Chen, HAECO Group General Manager, Digital, it is the communication channels among industry stakeholders and the outdated and fragmented systems that are the primary cause of this. He explains how digitisation can overcome these obstacles and offers insight into what HAECO Group is doing at the ground roots to change its business operations and service delivery.

 

Craig Macpherson, Chief Information Officer (CIO), AJW Aviation, notes that digital technologies such as predictive maintenance, data analytics, and artificial intelligence, pre-emptively identify issues and prevent unplanned maintenance tasks. ‘This increases aircraft reliability and reduces downtime for maintenance, leading to cost savings and increased efficiency,’  he says. He describes tools that can be used to streamline the supply chain, explaining how these are used at AJW Technique, the Group’s MRO facility in Montreal.

 

‘Remote diagnostics and repair, reduce the need for costly onsite visits and improve the speed of repairs to ensure timely and accurate delivery of spare parts,’ says Macpherson.

 

The article explains how the aftermarket industry has transformed and the key role digital processes have played in this. According to Macpherson, predictive maintenance is the most noteworthy among digital tools. ‘By using remote monitoring tools, we keep track of equipment performance and identify issues before they become significant problems.’

 

He points out that AJW Group places a great deal of importance on the customer journey, and stresses that, ‘Leveraging digital technologies is crucial to remain competitive in the aftermarket  services industry.’

 

Kevin Wall, Chief Commercial Officer at APOC Aviation, offers his insight into how the integration of digital and software packages has impacted the market and feels digitisation is paramount when businesses consider redesigning their business models. Wall offers his advice that ‘All aftermarket providers – aircraft maintenance, parts supply chain, logistics – need to embrace new technology as it will define our industry in the future.'

 

GA Telesis Chief Executive, Abdol Moabery, suggests that the goal of the industry should be to help airlines by developing tools to reduce their operating, maintenance, and parts costs to create more efficiency, thereby increasing profits for the aftermarket industry. He offers an opinion that there should be more collaboration between industry stakeholders to share data and information, which would speed up digitisation efforts.

 

Aviation software developer, Component Control’s Senior Vice President, Daniel Tautges, explains the operation of the company’s ERP system, pointing out various benefits of digital processes and how these will benefit bottom-line revenues. Tautges offers caution on the issues surrounding the adoption and conversion to a truly paperless business, ‘Change is never easy in a mature business and several key, and in high demand roles, are reluctant to change but change is coming as we are continuing to build out these solutions.’

 

Others such as Saravanan Rajarajan, Director-Solution Consulting at Ramco Systems, believe in empowering the industry workforce by enabling them digitally, suggesting the use of AI/ML, advanced analytics, mobile, and 5G technologies will be the tools to improve operational efficiency at MROs.

 

Mwanalushi details some digital initiatives that could help overcome the challenges within aftermarket services, these falling under the headings of; digitisation of core operations, automation of manual and repetitive tasks, and integrated eco-systems.

 

The aviation industry is highly regulated and one that is slow, and at times reluctant, to adapt to changing their highly trusted systems and processes, observes Macpherson. ‘There would need to be a compelling case and benefit to them, to encourage an operational shift away from the legacy systems within their organisations,’ he says.

 

AJW’s CIO draws the article to a close suggesting that certain areas of the industry may be cautious about the adoption of digital technologies due to concerns surrounding data security.  ‘Ensuring the security of this data is crucial to maintaining the trust of customers and stakeholders.’

 

Digital transformation is an inevitability, but it appears the aviation industry may require more time to fully embrace this change.