LLC, Hauppague, N.Y. “We publish our parts, inventory and lead
time on these databases and update them monthly. We update
ILS every evening. The larger, more sophisticated distributors are
able to forecast demand by part by application to ensure that they
maintain the appropriate inventory to support the global airline
and MRO customer base. We take a bottom-up approach based
upon speaking with customers about scheduled shop visits.”Mobile Applications
A key development in aviation parts procurement is mobile
applications. Taking integration and accessibility even further, mobile
apps showcase parts, repair and order fulfillment for systems at a
handheld level.
“Supply chain efficiency is all about speed and visibility,” says
Holm. “Anytime, anywhere access and transparency maximizes
efficiency. To meet demand in the industry for increased mobile
access, at AAR we have incorporated some of the functions
available through our customer-facing, integrated IT solutions into
a mobile application. Now, instead of logging into a laptop, our
customers can access AAR’s business intelligence dashboards on a
tablet or smartphone.”
For AAR’s customer-facing application, it incorporated some
of the functions from its OPS customer portal into its mobileapplication to grant customers real-time access to AAR’s ERP
systems on their mobile devices. “They can enter a part number
to view availability, review inventory item details, view associated
documentation and open and shipped order details; request a
quote for stock items, call/email sales rep or request an invoice;
review past quotes and order online,” says Scott Ingold, vice
president and general manager, AAR Aircraft Component Services,
Garden City, N.Y. “MRO customers can review pending estimate,
bump, material and invoice approvals on work cards in real-time
on their mobile devices. Our customer-facing mobile app (B2B)
allows customers to check the status of open orders, track shipping
information, waybill and projected shipping date.”
AAR software engineers custom-designed an inter-company
mobile app (B2E) that allows management and sales teams to
answer customer questions about parts availability and provide a
quote with a few clicks. While not having to set up a laptop or place
a call to submit a request is a bonus, the app’s primary goals were to
eliminate the need for additional user IDs and passwords; to retrieve
data from existing databases without redesigning the functionality
used by its Web applications; and thirdly, to collect information on
the mobile app and save data to the database using existing APIs.
“However, that doesn’t mean that every mobile application
need has to be fulfilled with a custom application,” says Serdar
Yorgancigil, director, IT applications at AAR. “There are scenarios
where an off-the-shelf mobile application was the better solution
for us. We integrated our Oracle BI dashboards that provide real-
time tracking of maintenance projects with a mobile BI application
for tablets and smartphones.”Websites
The Internet has vastly improved how aviation parts are evaluated,
bought, sold and delivered.(Top) Aviall, a Boeing Company has a diversifi ed global footprint to provide
aftermarket support across the aviation industry.
Photo courtesy of Aviall, a Boeing Company(Bottom) Gulfstream Aerospace Corp. new Product Support Distribution
Center (PSDC) has begun the core operations of shipping and receiving parts.
The 405,868-square-foot/37,706-square-meter environment-friendly facility
consolidated several of the company’s material distribution departments near the
main Gulfstream Savannah campus. Gulfstream maintains a worldwide spares
support inventory of more than $1.6 billion.
Photo courtesy of Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.08_AVM_JunJul16_Parts16_Signoff.indd 41 6/27/16 5:52 PM