AviationWeek.com /mro AVIATION WEEK & SPACE TECHNOLOGY MRO EDITIONNOVEMBER 3/10, 2014 S1
AVIATION WEEK EXECUTIVE ROUNDTABLE
MRO IT: Ensuring Success on IT Implementation & Adoption
Sponsored by
Helen S. Kang • Madrid, Spain • October 6, 2014
With newer, connected aircraft in today’s airspace, aviation MRO (maintenance, repair, and overhaul) is
demanding faster and real-time intelligence for better reliability and predictive maintenance. However,
the tools necessary to deliver the increased amount of information are met with hindrances. Information
technology investments go through lengthy approvals and technology adoption, especially mobility, is
faced with resistance to new processes and utilization.
Although maintenance organizations operate “low-risk, low-cost” approaches, by the time IT projects are
approved, implemented, adopted and integrated, the technology may already have gone through several
upgrades due to rapid technology advancements. In addition, the training for the technology may also be
outdated. According to a recent Aviation Week/IATA study, airlines are willing to invest in new MRO IT
systems, but will it be in time to maximize on the potential of their investments?
In order to gain the fullest ROIs on technology, it must be quickly adopted and integrated successfully to
take maximum advantage of their capabilities. With every dollar invested carefully scrutinized, organiza-
tions must ensure the success of their IT investments quickly and optimally.
Determining approaches on efficiently and successfully execute MRO technology adoptions with minimal disruptions
were the foci of an October 6 Aviation Week Executive Roundtable held at IFEMA in Madrid, Spain. The goals of the
roundtable were to benchmark successes from past implementations and adoptions, and conceive approaches and
progress metrics for ongoing and future IT projects.
The roundtable was hosted by Fernando Ferreira Matos, Head of Information Technologies at TAP Maintenance &
Engineering, and Lee Ann Tegtmeier, Aviation Week’s Chief Editor MRO. The meeting was sponsored by The Boeing
Company.
This was the seventh MRO IT roundtable and the fourth for the European region*. Previous meetings determined that
mobility has become the catalyst on moving technology projects forward. The successes from these implementations
and integrations may provide a benchmarking template for IT business cases and justifications for investment.
However, short-term goals and key performance indicators must be clearly outlined for successful technology adop-
tion and effective change management.
Organizations participating in the October 6 roundtable were AerData; ANA Systems Co., Ltd.; Armac Systems; DVB
Bank SE; EGYPTAIR Maintenance and Engineering; HEICO; IATA; IBM; NORDAM; Pan Air Líneas Aéreas; Pratt &
Whitney; Primera Air; TAP Maintenance & Engineering; TUNISAIR; Turkish Airlines; Turkish Technic; and Vueling.
Roundtable participants divided into four work groups that were challenged to respond to a set of questions that
focused on the following topics:
- Measuring success on MRO IT projects.
- Turning data into intelligent information and ultimately action.
- Mobile technology adoption and integration strategies.
- Technologies that should be developed in the near-term.
The 2014 Aviation Week MRO IT Executive Roundtable participants determined that a crucial and significant factor
in the success of IT adoption is leadership buy-in and commitment. Culture and change management issues during
mobile technology adoption can be alleviated through executive support. Increased connectivity to the airplane
brings bigger data, which needs to be quickly translated into intelligence. Two pivotal approaches to making the
increasing data applicable and actionable are simplification and visualization.
KEY FINDINGS:
- Leadership awareness was identified as a critical component to the success of MRO IT projects. Although this
is more of a business challenge, rather than IT issue, having the business buy-in can address multiple concerns
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