World AirNews June 2018

NEWS
I
FS, THE global enterprise applications company, has announced
the launch of IFS Maintenix Fleet Planner and IFS Maintenix
Line Planner, two Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) solutions designed
to help commercial operators of all sizes boost the efficiency of
their long-range and line maintenance planning, make the most
effective use of available maintenance resources, and drive greater
aircraft operational availability.
The launch represents the first in a series of SaaS-based IFS
Maintenix solutions geared specifically for the mission-critical
maintenance and engineering needs of the global commercial
aviation market.
Commercial aviation is witnessing an unprecedented growth in
fleet sizes worldwide. Key to an operator’s success is delivering
the best maintenance plans that align closely with operational
performance objectives while adhering to critical safety
requirements.
IFS Maintenix Fleet Planner is designed to help generate more
effective long-range plans for heavy maintenance activities and
reduce the manual effort of keeping them up-to-date. It quickly
and automatically generates simple or complex fleet maintenance
plans, and gives users the ability to compare plans against key
performance indicators, model “what if” scenarios, and publish to
production. These efficiency gains ensure decision-makers have
the time and insight to choose the best possible plan and quickly
react to schedule changes.
The solution was designed with the input of experienced longrange
planners from a cross-section of large and small aircraft fleet
operators. As part of an early adopter programme, IFS Maintenix
Fleet Planner has already been selected by a large North American
airline that operates a mixed fleet of wide-body, narrow-body
and regional jets. The system has been subjected to real-world
use and has demonstrated an ability to enable improvements in
aircraft availability,
check yield,
and hangar
utilisation.
IFS
Maintenix
Line Planner
enables planners
to efficiently
create, maintain
and communicate an
executable line maintenance
plan. The solution helps drive
greater efficiencies by focusing
attention on high priority items
and identifying the cause of
maintenance issues, such as
lack of parts, labour or special
tools. Through automated
IFS LauncheS
SoFtware For
LIne maIntenance
PLannIng
workflows, IFS Maintenix Line Planner empowers users to more
readily react to last-minute schedule changes and maximize line
operational capability, maintenance task yield, and network
resources.
The solution was co-developed in partnership with LATAM
Airlines, the largest airline operator in Latin America with a fleet
of over 300 aircraft and maintenance facilities spread throughout
South and Central America. As IFS’s partner in creating and proving
the value of this solution, LATAM is live today and seeing the
benefits from its use of IFS Maintenix Line Planner.
“The sheer speed and scale of how LATAM Airlines works
required a solution that could be quickly implemented without any
disruption to our business while bringing substantial efficiencies
to our planning process,” said Sebastian Acuto, Vice President
of Maintenance and Engineering at LATAM. “IFS Maintenix Line
Planner not only saves time for our planners and improves
collaboration; it also creates better plans with improved yield and
operational flexibility.”
Both IFS Maintenix solutions work seamlessly with any
maintenance and engineering software system, and are deployed
in a SaaS environment, enabling organisations to quickly and costeffectively
capitalise on innovative solutions to meet the evolving
business needs of their maintenance management operations,
while easily scaling in lockstep with changes to organizational and
aircraft fleet plans.
Scott Helmer, SVP, Aviation and Defence at IFS, added, “Growing
fleets, more routes and new, complex aircraft have increased
the pressure on airlines to reduce maintenance costs, maximise
resource allocation and boost aircraft availability. The maintenance
plan is the foundation for this, as all downstream success— faster
aircraft turnaround times, maintaining fleet airworthiness and
keeping maintenance and materials costs in check— is dependent
on having solid, but flexible plans in place.
“With IFS Maintenix Fleet Planner and IFS Maintenix Line
Planner, customers can more cost-effectively meet these needs
while being able to quickly scale as the market grows.” Q
World Airnews | June 2018
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World Airnews | May 2018
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