Air Canada part avec Maintenix (document en anglais)

Case Study Analysis

Air Canada takes off with Maintenix

1. What problems does Air Canada hope that Maintenix will solve?

Air Canada is keen on replacing old software packages (that has served the company over 15 years) with new and more efficient packages able to boost productivity. This decision is aligned with the company’s strategic goal which is to improve operational efficiencies and decision-making process. The old systems were not able to interact with one another, resulting in more time spent by the engineer to coordinate between the different systems rather than focus solely on maintaining planes which is the core activity.

2. How does Maintenix improve operational efficiency and decision-making?

Air Canada is striving to be more competitive in the airline industry. The company believes that by investing in information system, it will be able to capture more value resulting in higher dollar figures at the bottom line. Value is created by improving operational efficiency and by rendering decision making process more effective. Therefore, Air Canada has decided to put in action a new software package called Maintenix which is provided by Mxi.

Briefly stating, Maintenix consists of a software package delivering integrated, intelligent aviation MRO software. MRO stands for maintenance, repair and operations, and all of these elements must work collectively to accentuate the company’s productivity.

Sharing of information is made easy on Maintenix allowing for increased cooperation and communication among the different functions. And as a result repetitive task are minimized. An important aspect is that Maintenix can be linked with other software making the work less fragmented and so information can pass from a system to another smoothly. (Maintenix is able to supply data to ERP and financial software as well as to connect to PeopleSoft and HR software). One last advantage of using Maintenix is that this platform can be accessed through the Web which implies its ubiquitous access.

3. Give examples of three decisions supported by the Maintenix system. What information do the Maintenix modules provide to support each of these decisions?

The first example deals with the extent to which a component or a part is more compatible than another. The maintenance engineering module allows setting up a “logical configuration “which describes and compares components between each other. This module aids in the decision making process.

The second example consists of checking whether substantial human resource or personnel is available in order to execute the necessary maintenance. The line maintenance module involves matching a dynamic list of maintenance work requirements against limited resources availability. In this module, the scheduling aspect is crucial for the proper implementation of that module.

The third example involves knowing whether the material needed is available and ready to be delivered to the concerned party. The material management module allows for real-time inventory management which is linked to the company inventory management system. Thus, the module reduces stocking issues whether it is a surplus or a shortage in materials availability.

To conclude, we can say that Air Canada can benefit from

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