How a Robust MRO Strategy

Becomes Your Prof it Center

Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) operations are facing

a rapidly changing, highly competitive environment. In the
past, MRO shops could pass the cost of inefficiencies as a
cost of doing business to the customer, but in the face
of higher competitive pressures, MRO operations
must look to modernizing practices and leveraging
digital technologies to take operations to new
levels of productivity.

Digital transformation is shifting Maintenance,

Repair and Overhaul (MRO) from the
periphery of operations to an emerging role
as a profit center. Especially in the context of
complex manufacturing, MRO is emerging as
a revenue stream, rather than its historical
place as a “cost of doing business.” MRO is now
a competitive differentiator in terms of market
position and customer satisfaction.

As the industry pursues digital transformation, the

position of OEMs in MRO is likely to get stronger.
According to industry analyst Oliver Wyman, the
global airline fleet could generate upwards of 98 million
terabytes of data by 2026. Wyman notes, “This surge
of data, in the hands of a new breed of data scientists and
innovative management teams, could lead to major changes in how
modern aircraft are cared for and perform.” As the digital transformation
proceeds, OEMs see the wisdom in investing in MRO rapidly becoming a very important
revenue stream for their ongoing operations.

iBASEt’s software solution for MRO operations can help do just that while enabling new
levels of visibility, productivity, and reliability for complex, discrete manufacturers and
MRO shops. Before we get into the solution, however, let’s take a quick look at some of the
issues manufacturers of complex products can face in maintenance execution.

Avoiding common mistakes and significant industry challenges are crucial to MRO
Common Mistakes an MRO Strategy
Needs to Resolve
profitability. Complex products, like aircraft, have many levels of sub-assemblies that need to be
taken apart and put back together. Along with those many levels comes the possibility of multiple
problems and questions with various dimensions to them:

• How do we make sure we have accountability for all of our requirements

(product models, specifications, and manuals)?
• How do we connect our equipment into the equation and make sure it is
calibrated properly?
• How do we make sure that our process standards are enforced so that we have
repeatable processes and consistent, foreseeable costs?
• How do we get our new workforce trained so that we don’t repeat old mistakes
again?
• How do we make sure we get our parts on time, at the right place and up to our
quality standards? Do suppliers need to be involved in this process?
• How do we ensure that we can compile and deliver a complete maintenance
manifest at the end of the process that won’t take days to put together?

All of these questions can be answered and solved with the right solution in place. By threading
solutions from PLM, ERP, and our MRO software solution, we can help our customers execute a
strategy that will turn their MRO shops into a profit center. We focus on three core strategies in
order to achieve efficiency and ensure quality in MRO: Visibility, Velocity, and Control.

Visibility
MRO managers need high-quality
information and real-time visibility
of historical performance, resource
availability and work order status on
the MRO floor. iBASEt MRO enables
managers to benchmark and gauge the
effectiveness of process improvements.
Reports and charts enhance access to
real-time metrics for tracking technician
and equipment performance, exceptions,
and trends. The system monitors
constraints that are holding up work and
sends alerts.

Paperless processes result in significant

 Velocity
productivity gains and cost reductions. Shops that have used paper-based processes for
years are finding that competitive and regulatory pressures demand more efficient and agile
systems. iBASEt’s MRO solution is
designed to eliminate many wasteful clerical and manual verification steps while providing a
quicker turnaround for non-routine work approval and issue resolution.
iBASEt MRO adapts as organizations undertake changes to business and engineering
processes, even when changes to units-in-progress are required. The solution integrates the
product life cycle from design to production to maintenance, ensuring that mechanics have
ready access to the correct and latest drawings and supporting document revisions.

Control
Customers appreciate the consistency and reliability enabled by the MRO solution’s
integrated process controls. The software ensures that all work is completed in the right
order and properly signed off. Critical steps are never missed; the work is performed
exactly to the planned standard-work steps and instructions. Once non-routine work steps
are approved, they can be easily converted to standard processes for reusability. The
software ensures that only certified mechanics perform specified work steps
and that only calibrated gauges are used. The iBASEt MRO solution’s systematic business
processes and controls provide an efficient way to secure compliance and impress auditors.
All data collection and approvals are automatically logged into history, including records
required per industry standards (e.g., ISO9001, AS9100). Work scope changes
can be routed to customers for approval, so charges to customers are fully documented.

In the face of higher competitive pressures, MRO shops must look to modernizing practices and
leveraging digital technologies to take operations to new levels of productivity. The best fix is to
go paperless with an MRO solution that provides all the necessary information in an
electronic, controlled, traceable format. iBASEt delivers not only the ability to manage the
electronic written word, but it also adds in any quality issues, findings, and decisions that occur
throughout the MRO lifecycle over a span of weeks or years. At the end of the day, in order
to compete in today’s digital revolution, companies must find a solution to integrate all
interfaces into one digital thread.

If you would like to learn more about how to enable the digital thread in your MRO shops, you can
connect with one of our solutions experts.
 White Papers

6 Innovation Areas in MRO

https://info.ibaset.com/mro-whitepaper

Videos

The MRO Digital Thread

http://www.ibaset.com/video/mro-digital-thread-board-ibaset/

Valuable MRO Software Features In Solumina

http://www.ibaset.com/video/valuable-mro-features-solumina/

Why MRO is so Important to Complex Manufacturers Today

http://www.ibaset.com/video/mro-important-complex-manufacturers-today/

Two Ways to Incorporate MRO Software into Your Shop

http://www.ibaset.com/video/two-ways-incorporate-mro-shop/

Keeping MRO Focused on Quality with MRO Software

http://www.ibaset.com/video/keeping-mro-focused-quality/

Avoid Common MRO Mistakes with iBASEt Solumina MRO Software

http://www.ibaset.com/video/common-mro-mistake-avoid/

Media Articles

Modernizing MRO
https://info.ibaset.com/hubfs/Modernizing%20MRO.pdf

Manufacturing Technology Innovations Advance MRO Capabilities

http://info.ibaset.com/hubfs/media%20coverage/Manufacturing%20Technology%20Innovations%20Advance%20MRO%20Capabilitie.pdf

Digital Technology Innovations Converge to Transform MRO

http://info.ibaset.com/hubfs/media%20coverage/Digital%20Technology%20Innovations%20Converge%20to%20Transform%20MRO.pdf
 Blogs

Advancing MRO Provider Services with Digital Thread

http://www.ibaset.com/uncategorized/advancing-mro-provider-services-with-digital-thread/

MRO is Emerging as A Revenue Stream for OEMs

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/mro-emerging-revenue-streams/

Naval Defense Budget Cuts Prompts the Need for More Efficient MRO Software
http://www.ibaset.com/uncategorized/naval-defense-budget-cuts-prompt-the-need-for-more-efficient-mro-software/

Workforce Pressure Rising Fast in Aviation MRO – How Service Task Management Software Can Help
http://www.ibaset.com/blog/workforce-pressure-rising-fast-in-aviation-mro-how-service-task-management-software-can-help/

The State of the Aviation MRO Market

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/state-aviation-mro-market/

The Imperative for the Digital Thread in MRO

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/digital-thread-in-mro/

MRO Trends for 2017

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/mro-trends-for-2017/

MRO Compliance without Consternation

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/mro-compliance-without-consternation/

Why Integrate A&D MRO, Diagnostic Capabilities and Service Content?

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/integrate-ad-mro-diagnostic-capabilities-service-content/

Smart Manufacturing Targets the Full Product Lifecycle, Including MRO

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/smart-manufacturing-targets-the-full-product-lifecycle-including-mro/

As Aerospace and Defense Evolves, MRO Moves Towards Center Stage

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/as-aerospace-and-defense-evolves-mro-moves-towards-center-stage/

Digital MRO: The Ultimate Feedback Design Engineers Cannot Ignore

http://www.ibaset.com/blog/digital-mro-the-ultimate-feedback-design-engineers-cannot-ignore/