It is called MRO (Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul) and Robin Corby, consultant to UK-based management consultancy Druid Systems, sees its application in aerospace as the next significant step in using information technology (IT) in pursuit of greater efficiency. "MRO encompasses all of the processes that surround the effective maintenance, repair and overhaul of high value assets such as aircraft," says Corby. As well as contributing to the safety of equipment, effective MRO enabled by IT helps organizations to implement even more effective business processes. MRO means that the principles of Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) are taken right into the heart of a business, to the production line, and the workshop."
The primary aim of ERP is to add value to a business by stripping out costs and enabling more streamlined processes. "MRO adds value by speeding up the manual processes associated with the maintenance, repair, and overhaul of assets," says Corby. He states that there are two critical areas within MRO. One is Engineering Change Management (ECM), which covers the continuous improvement of products; the other is cost control/turnaround time (TAT), which helps companies get the best return on their investment in large capital projects.
A jet engine may cost around $16 million to build, and from safety and financial aspects it is critical to be able to record the history of each part and to monitor its life expectancy as well as keeping it in service for as much of its life-span as possible, he explains. Because aircraft operators have so much capital tied up in their fleets, they need as much intelligence as possible to support decisions about keeping the uptime/downtime ratio in balance. "A jet engine needs to be in use for the optimum period of time, so that it is in service (safely) for as long as possible before it needs to be maintained," he says. "Organizations also need to be able to swap resources between high and low intensity applications to enable wear and tear to be spread across the asset base."
MRO works by building on similar principles to ERP; information relating to the individual components of a product is entered at the point of manufacture. When a product is brought in for maintenance, repair, or overhaul, that information can be readily accessed. "This means that manual processes can be stripped out of the MRO process, reducing costs, speeding service, and reducing time that high value assets are out of service. MRO can also be planned for more effectively. It becomes a slicker, more predictable business process with fewer risks and surprises."
An operator can also check the MRO system for statutory requirements and instructions. "The aerospace industry is heavily regulated and it could be that there are new regulations in place for specific safety checks," says Corby. "After factoring in those checks and procedures, the operator carries on with the MRO process. At every stage in that process, information used to manage MRO is fed back into the central ERP system." The information generated by MRO allows a business to accurately check its real-time asset and financial situation. The system can also be used for scheduling MRO and setting prices.
But Corby says there is more to its use than component tracing: "Today's IT systems are also able to support the decision-making process within MRO." When a blade is removed from a jet engine, a series of decisions has to be made: is the blade serviceable and, if not, can it be repaired? Is a replacement blade necessary? Is a replacement of the right size and type in stock? If not, when will it be available or can a blade from a spare engine be used? Is the cost of repairing a blade greater than its residual economic life? "Using the right system, an MRO team can base those decisions on information already stored in central ERP systems," says Corby. "Intelligence built into the system guides the user through the decision-making process, basing answers on up-to-date data from stock and work-in-progress systems. MRO should be a simple matter of entering a query and getting an accurate answer in return."
Druid works with an overhaul and repair agency for commercial jet engines, GE Aircraft Engine Service in Wales, and its aerospace customers also include GKN Westland. The MRO system developed by Druid uses graphical icons to represent engine components. As parts are dismantled, they are put back into component stock and have a status assigned to them. Users "drag and drop" parts on-screen from the current project to "bins" representing processes such as disposal, removal for cleaning, or putting back into stock. If a part needs to be repaired, it has a repair action assigned to it. If it can be used again within the current project, then it is recorded as such. A decision tree enforces a "no risk" approach to MRO, says Corby.
Stuart Birch
