Category: Commercial

Lufthansa Group is bringing together AMOS, AVIATAR, and flydocs under one unique comprehensive digital tech ops value stream. All the digital solutions remain independent but under one umbrella to jointly fast-track customers’ digitalization Lufthansa Technik says.

Lufthansa Technik is creating a Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem by incorporating Swiss AviationSoftware Ltd. (Swiss-AS) to lead the digital transformation of the aviation industry in technical asset operation. Swiss-AS, the developer of the world-leading M&E/MRO  software AMOS, is joining Lufthansa Technik Group. By bringing together AMOS with AVIATAR, the independent platform for Data & Analytics Solutions, and flydocs, the provider of Digital Records & Asset Solutions, under one roof,

Lufthansa Technik can now offer digital coverage of the tech-ops value stream: These three solutions are the pillars of the Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem that will create additional value for customers using a 
customer-centric and collaborative approach.  

The three entities remain independent but will enhance collaboration and join forces by connecting the dots between the modularly designed solutions. For the first time there will be comprehensive data 
coverage along the entire value stream in technical operations. This data, combined with the digital know-how in all three independent solution providers as well as Lufthansa Technik’s engineering  expertise will result in completely new offerings, accelerated digitalization and added value for customers. As a result, the Ecosystem will reduce MRO costs, enhance process efficiency, increase
operational stability and aircraft availability and also optimize asset values.  

The Ecosystem has five principles that will benefit the customers: it is open to collaborate and link with customers or external digital solutions, modular to make individual use of parts feasible and it is
neutral, meaning, that a customer stays independent of OEMs and MROs. It is also secure, granting customers full control and ownership of their data. Last but not least, the Ecosystem will be seamless to ensure a consistent workflow and data access across solutions.  

“We are happy to welcome our experienced and successful colleagues of Swiss-AS to the Lufthansa Technik Group. It makes us proud that the world’s leading M&E/MRO software AMOS becomes a core part of our strategic focus on digital solutions. From now on, AMOS together with AVIATAR and flydocs form the new Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem. By joining forces we are sending a clear signal that we are dedicated to driving digitalization along the entire tech ops value stream for the benefit of and together with our customers,” says Dr. William Willms, CFO of Lufthansa Technik.  

“We are convinced that AMOS, as a centerpiece of the neutral and independent Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem, can expand its strengths even better together with Lufthansa Technik and its digital Tech Ops solutions. There is great potential for AMOS on its own, but even more so in combination with AVIATAR and flydocs, ” says Dr. Claus Bauer, VP Technical Fleet Management of SWISS, the current 
shareholder of Swiss-AS.  

“While AMOS is the core system in a technical operation’s IT solutions landscape, its unparalleled integration capability is the key to ensure true end-to-end digitalization across the full value chain. Although AMOS is capable of integrating with any other market player, we believe that a tight alignment with the other Tech Ops Ecosystem solutions enables us to digitalize our customers faster using industry data exchange standards,” says Fabiano Faccoli, CEO of Swiss-AS. 

In order to push the Digital Tech Ops Ecosystem, Lufthansa Group has decided to bundle all related activities under one organizational roof. For this purpose Lufthansa Technik has purchased 100% of  Swiss-AS shares from Swiss International Air Lines. Flydocs and AVIATAR are already part of Lufthansa Technik Group. 

Aviation software specialist Rusada has announced the opening of a new office in Toronto, Canada to support customers and business development in the region.

Their new location will provide access to customers in Canada and the Northeast of the U.S., with Montreal, Chicago, New York, and Washington D.C. all a short flight away.

Having commenced business in 1987, Rusada has since expanded to 8 locations around the globe from which it develops, supports, and sells its airworthiness, maintenance, and flight operations software ENVISION. The new Canadian office adds to their presence in North America, which began with their Colorado office, opened in 2017. Since then, the company has added numerous North American clients to its customer base, and established partnerships with key industry integrators. With their new office Rusada aims to continue this recent run of success and further tap into the region’s market potential.

“We are seeing a great demand for our services in the North American market.” says Julian Stourton, CEO at Rusada. “Already in our five years here we have signed some of the largest contracts in our history from both the fixed and rotary wing markets, as well as a number of maintenance providers.

“We have formed numerous partnerships with some of the leading players over here, which is helping us reach new types of customers, and positively affecting the development of ENVISION. This new office adds to the foundations we established in 2017 and sets us up to continue our growth in the years to come.”

GA Telesis (GAT) says their record year of inputs continues with the disassembly of an additional three CFM56-5B, one CF6-80C2 and one PW4056-3 engines before year-end. The engines are part of a lease return pool sourced from the company’s Asset Transaction Group and will be managed by GAT’s Flight Solutions Group (FSG) for disassembly and redistribution.

Following the dismantling and repair by FSG’s Component Solutions team, the used serviceable material (USM) will be made available to GA Telesis’ airline and MRO customers worldwide in the early months of 2023. This new inventory constitutes some of the most relevant inventory desired by airlines and MROs and represents some of the Company’s largest jet engine component product lines. This inventory will add to an already unparalleled independent USM jet engine inventory that will flow down to provide additional cost savings for GAT’s airline customers for years to come.

“This is a continuation of our leadership position in the aftermarket as we head into 2023,” said Alex Tuttle, COO of Component Solutions Group. “We very much understand our role as a critical supplier for cost-effective airline engine builds,” he added.

“The Flight Solutions Group, along with the entire GA Telesis Ecosystem, continues to drive economic supply chain solutions for the entire global USM space,” said Jason Reed, President of Flight Solutions Group. “With over 100 assets planned to be dismantled by our team in 2023, GA Telesis will continue to lead the way in the aftermarket, ensuring the lowest possible maintenance costs and reliability as a whole,” he added.

BriskHeat has selected Costa Rica as the site to establish its Latin American operations and, thus, serve its end customers in the western world in less time.

BriskHeat manufactures heating parts, controls, and accessories for applications in various industries, including semiconductors, pharmaceutical and medical, transportation, agriculture, and aviation/aerospace, as well as food and injection molding, among many others. With its Costa Rican operations, the company will primarily supply the semiconductor industry with future growth opportunities in the consumer goods and life sciences sector.

Costa Rica’s facility will produce thermal blankets and insulation for heating and gas line insulation, condensation prevention, and gas/fluid uniformity. BriskHeat’s current high-volume facilities in other locations are near capacity, so this expansion will help BriskHeat grow and reduce delivery times.

Manuel Tovar, the Minister of Foreign Trade, commented, “Costa Rica serves as a location for 47 multinational advanced manufacturing companies that carry out a wide variety of operations. Briskheat selected our country as the site for its first Latin America operations – a vote of confidence that recognizes Costa Rica’s role in secure, transparent, sustainable, and resilient supply chains. We celebrate this new investment, which will create close to 250 new and quality jobs, as it contributes to our national development.”

BriskHeat is headquartered in the United States and was founded in 1949; it operates a manufacturing plant in Vietnam. Costa Rican operations – specifically, in the Green Park Free Zone in Alajuela – will now be added to their international locations.

“BriskHeat’s arrival demonstrates to us the result of positioning Costa Rica as a proximate and competitive manufacturing headquarters for serving the most demanding markets in America. This phenomenon is complemented by the great capacity of Costa Rican talent and its extensive technical knowledge in the manufacturing sector, which, according to CINDE data, registered 15% growth in job creation in the last year, for a total of more than 17,000 people employed in the industry,” added Jorge Sequeira, managing director of CINDE.

Training Agreement: BriskHeat – INA
To train Costa Rican talent in BriskHeat’s specialized process, BriskHeat developed, with the technical assistance from INA, a customized training program on manufacturing processes for thermal blankets and other skills. The company entered this partnership to have the resources necessary to guarantee its operational success and growth.
 
“In order to train Costa Rican talent to operate this specialized equipment, Briskheat developed, in partnership with INA, a training strategy based on customized curriculums that cover the manufacturing processes for thermal covers and other skills. This relationship evolved out of a need for the human talent required to guarantee the operation’s success and the company’s growth,” added Juan Alfaro, the Executive Chairman of INA.

BriskHeat plans to hire about 50 people during the remainder of 2022 and, by the end of 2023, it expects to have more than 200 employees in Costa Rica.

The company seeks people with experience in the basic handling of industrial sewing machines, assembly, and manufacturing, as well as teamwork skills. Interested applicants can apply via LinkedIn or by emailing talent@BriskHeat.com.

CPaT Global, a provider of distance learning for the airline and aviation industry, announced it has been awarded a new contract with American Jet S.A. CPaT will be providing ERJ 145 Aircraft System courses and our General Subjects library for their pilot training.

“CPaT is honored about this new partnership with American Jet S.A. for their pilot’s distance learning,” said Capt. Greg Darrow, vice president of sles. “CPaT is excited to support yet another Latin American airline with our industry-leading content.” 

American Jet S.A. is based out of Buenos Aires, Argentina. 

Cirium has revealed the aviation industry’s first satellite-based aircraft maintenance tracking feature in its Ascend Profiles module.

Its new Ground Events feature enables aircraft and engine manufacturers, maintenance, repair and overhaul service providers, parts suppliers, lessors and insurers to monitor and predict future aircraft maintenance events.

It also helps to identify aircraft transitions and define strategies around how and where maintenance and aftermarket budgets are being allocated by operators or owners.

Jeremy Bowen, CEO at Cirium said: “We are innovators and constantly looking to surface new ideas to empower the aviation industry. By tracking each Ground Event of an airline’s aircraft, we can identify whether it was for redesigned cabins, new aircraft branding, a maintenance event, or for its return to service.”

The first phase of the new Ground Events feature captures all instances when aircraft spend over seven days on the ground and identifies the aircraft registration, airport, arrival date and time, departure date and time, ground event duration (in days) and aircraft age. For specific airlines the feature showcases the types of maintenance activity and the provider.

The new feature demonstrates the power of combining Cirium’s unrivaled fleets and advanced satellite-based flight tracking data with the MRO locations and MRO relationships data.

In one example, it shows Air France has been redesigning the cabin interiors of all 15 of their Airbus A330 fleet to match the interiors of their A350 aircraft.

This reflects the carrier’s focus on enhancing the passenger experience and benefitted the airline when air travel started to return post the COVID-19 lockdowns. All 15 A330s were ready to return to service with the new interiors installed in July 2020.

Meanwhile, the feature shows how Lufthansa returned five of their Airbus A340s, which were due for retirement, back into service as the pandemic impacted the deliveries of new aircraft.

It further records how the airline partnered with IAC in Dublin to repaint the A340s in the new Lufthansa livery and regular maintenance checks were conducted by Lufthansa Technik Malta, Lufthansa Technik Philippines, and Joramco.

Given the increased demand during the pandemic for the shipment of PPE and the rise of ecommerce, Cirium’s Ground Events data shows how Federal Express (FedEx) were able to maximize their fleet and leverage strong relationships with their maintenance provider. FedEx ramped up their cargo flights, utilizing young aircraft – around one-to-eight years old – and maintained a consistent two-year maintenance cycle.

The Ground Events feature is part of the Ascend Profiles User Interface (UI) which visualizes aircraft intelligence of airline and lessor profiles and provides quick insights around aircraft types, airport locations, OEMs, MROs and more. It is available as an app and works across desktop, mobile and tablet.