AviTrader MRO Magazine 2017-05

Industry opinion
30
Big data takes off….
with predictive maintenance
Big data has the potential to transform the MRO supply chain.
Photo: Lufthansa
I
n aviation, downtime is money. Whether it’s a plane that’s not performing
any functions while waiting for a part to come in, or it’s
overtime pay to get that part installed when it finally does come in,
the time it takes to replace parts (from sourcing it at the right price
to receiving and installing it) comes with a hefty price tag.
Predictive maintenance for the supply chain, however, is a big game
changer. Predictive maintenance harnesses the power of big data
to get customers the parts they need when they need them and at
the price points they want. Accessing data around certain parts and
aircrafts, this data-driven approach is able to predict when a part
will be needed.
Clearly, it has the potential to transform the MRO supply chain. Before
big data entered the picture, MRO managers were left to beg, borrow
or steal to ensure the right parts were available at the right time. The
goal was always to keep planes in the air and not in the repair cycle
- but without a predictive understanding of which parts would need
replacement and when - the goal wasn’t always achievable.
For companies who want a competitive advantage within the aviation
industry, tapping suppliers who use big data gives them an edge.
From keeping repair cycle time at a minimum to sourcing the best
pricing for a part, reliably fast access to spare parts at competitive
pricing has the potential to transform operating costs.
Exodus Aviation, a commercial aviation asset manager specializing
in Airbus and Boeing parts, uses the Talend software to predict maintenance
trends on specific part numbers for a given aircraft and, in
turn, orders repairs on units.
According to Chris Santana, Exodus Director of Sales and Strategy,
his company saw the potential ROI that big data could bring to customers
and jumped on it. “This data-driven approach to parts ordering
reduces the mean-time-to-repair while keeping costs down for
our customers. There’s a shift happening and it’s about time. ”
Using predictive maintenance, Exodus has the units their customers
need ready to go as soon as they need them. No need to park or
down the aircraft waiting for a certain part to come in: instead, the
aircraft is kept flying and the maintenance schedule isn’t side-lined.
Beyond just having parts ready at competitive prices, customers who
use Exodus for parts sourcing are able to better plan ahead for repairs
that will be needed and, in doing so, allocate resources appropriately.
Data-driven approach is able to predict when a part will be needed.
Photo: Boeing
“The ability to predict which parts our customers will need not only
gives our customers an advantage; it gives us a big one, too.” Santana
remarked. “It’s really a win-win...thanks to big data, we are
able to offer unparalleled service and pricing that’s made us a go-to
within our niche.”
AviTrader MRO - May 2017