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Air France KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M) is responsible for aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) for one of the world’s five largest airlines. The MRO segment provides routine maintenance, repair and retrofit support for 1,500 aircraft operated by 150 airline customers at 300 facilities around the world. Tracking parts was a huge challenge, so the company deployed an RFID system to automate the process and save costs.
Many parts need to be shipped in rugged boxes or boxes lined with cushioning material. By tracking these boxes, KLM can monitor these parts.
(KLM E&M transports aircraft parts in durable boxes or boxes lined with cushioning material)
To solve this problem, KLM and the Swedish multinational packaging company Nefab have cooperated to develop a web-based solution called Aviation Packaging Information System (APIS) to manage the packaging and transportation of Nefab and KLM E&M. The solution uses fixed readers in the room and on the truck, with Nordic ID Morphic UHF RFID portable readers as backup.
Fixed EPC Gen 2 UHF RFID readers provided by Intellifi are installed in Nefab’s fixed facilities to read data shipped to KLM packaging. Typically, Nefab ships parts to KLM once every two weeks, and the RFID reader reads the tag ID number and automatically sends the relevant information to KLM.
(Intellifi’s fixed readers are installed in various locations of KLM E&M)
Several different models of stationary readers are also installed in KLM’s maintenance site engineering department, logistics center, and warehouse. Omni-ID Power 50 battery powered tags are used on the parts package, which guarantees a 100% read rate. When the box arrives, the Intellifi reader automatically reads the tag ID and updates the APIS software, which was developed with the assistance of Dutch company ScoreTrace.
In the past, Nefab had to attach labels to packages (most of which were recyclable) and build a database of part packaging requirements and packaging location information. Now, employees use the reader to write the package location data to the label, so it can be easily found.
The system is almost 100% hands-free and paper-free. As a result, KLM E&M employees no longer have to manually record the arrival times of labels. KLM administrators can log in to the Web APIS solution to view information on when and where parts are sent and received. The system can also track used parts packages. At the same time, the program also provides data information on the recycling of packaging.
(An Omni-ID Power 50 BAP tag is attached to each package, with a read distance of 50 meters when using BAP and 7 meters when passive mode is used)
Jos de Kleine, Business Manager Engineering & Repair Logistics at KLM, said: “Using RFID technology, we can track the location of equipment and make relevant preparations. The system provides employees with information that a paper-based system can provide, which can speed up the repair process and reduce costs. .”
According to Kleine, the system saves 50 percent of packaging costs and provides analytics for another 50 percent. The system helps KLM standardize packaging and establish KPIs for its suppliers.
KLM’s goal is to use the RFID system to reduce operating costs by 25 percent, reducing parts inventory and search time. To accomplish this, the company plans to simplify the process of using the APIS solution. In the future, the company will integrate RFID data with SAP and maintenance systems. In addition, KLM E&M is in talks with several airline customers to encourage them to install RFID readers so the system can track when packages arrive at KLM and ship back to the MRO provider.
(The exclusive manuscript of rfid world network, please indicate the source author for reprinting!)
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