Boeing

Boeing [NYSE: BA] and China Airlines today said that the airline will use Maintenance Performance Toolbox, Boeing's award-winning, computer-based maintenance solution.

China Airlines is the first airline in the world to use Toolbox in conjunction with another critical component of Boeing's e-Enabled maintenance and performance products: Maintenance and Engineering Management (MEM). China Airlines adopted MEM (then called Enterprise One) in 2005 to coordinate and standardize maintenance activities across its entire fleet of airplanes.

The addition of Toolbox moves China Airlines, based in Taipei, to the forefront of airlines using multiple software tools to enhance their maintenance operations. Initially, the airline will use three modules of Boeing's Toolbox: Tasks, Authoring and Library.

The Tasks module of Toolbox is a good place to look for synergy between Toolbox and MEM. Task cards are required for many types of airplane maintenance operations, from relatively simple jobs to complex overhauls. With Toolbox, the Tasks module will allow China Airlines to quickly and easily create task cards, which streamlines a manpower-intensive task-card re-authoring process.

The Tasks module will be able to supply MEM with data on supplies, manpower and tools required for a specific job, which will inform the kinds of scheduling and logistical configurations that MEM does best. Tasks also helps Toolbox drive manufacturer data into MEM for planning and execution of maintenance work.

"China Airlines has become an industry leader in terms of adopting the necessary tools to make sure that its maintenance operation is collecting and using the information it needs to perform efficiently," said Dan da Silva, vice president of Sales and Marketing for Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. "Boeing is pleased to offer the tools to make this information revolution in airline maintenance possible."

MEM coordinates and simplifies an airline's maintenance operations by automating workflows; optimizing schedules of people, parts, and tools; and streamlining processes to simplify regulatory compliance. Most important, MEM performs these functions while improving efficiency and saving money.

One of the great advantages of Toolbox is that it allows airlines to trace and confirm that proper maintenance and repair procedures have been followed, which has follow-on benefits for both safety and regulatory compliance.