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Tuesday, April 1, 2008

Russ Halliday, Maintenix Product Manager, Mxi Technologies

Russ Halliday is the Maintenix product manager at Mxi Technologies. Halliday has been with Mxi for more than nine years and works to understand customer and market requirements in order to direct the growth and development of the Maintenix product.

AM: Please provide a brief company overview.

RH: Mxi Technologies provides integrated, intelligent aviation maintenance management software, bringing innovation and thought leadership to aviation organizations seeking to improve their productivity. The Mxi Maintenix software uses a modern architecture and provides advanced capabilities such as a role-based Web browser interface, automated workflow, integration adapters, electronic signatures and support for portable wireless devices. In addition to supplying Maintenix, Mxi provides a full range of services including Maintenix implementation, business consulting, systems integration, training and support.

AM: Please describe the product that now supports International Aero Engines (IAE) V2500 fleet. How long did it take for Mxi to prescribe a solution and how long after that for implementation?

RH: As Maintenix is the only product offered by Mxi, the challenge was to determine the best way to configure Maintenix to meet the needs of IAE. The entire IAE project was about 14 months, with the solution design having taken approximately two months.

The workflow-based design of Maintenix has allowed IAE to streamline the process of compiling engine data, ensuring continued data integrity and reliable fleet-wide reporting and analysis for all three engine variants(-A1, -A5 and –D5) of the V2500 fleet. The system is used to record event and shop visit status data; track Service Bulletin (SB) compliance; provide configuration management, including tracking of component utilization (e.g. flight hours and cycles); and track engine operator and owner information including registration and change of ownership. IAE field service reps use the Maintenix software to input usage, maintenance, and fault and incident data that significantly reduce the time spent entering data, allowing for increased time spent with customers. Additionally, the accurate near real-time, fleet-wide reporting and analysis of the V2500 fleet allow the management team to not only view the current condition of every individual engine at any time, from any location in the world, but also assess the success of the program as a whole.


AM: What type of training did you provide for IAE?

RH: Mxi employs a “train the trainer” approach, and the IAE project was typical in this regard. Under this model, Mxi works with the key subject matter experts (SMEs) to train those people not just in how to use the Maintenix software, but also in how to train others to use Maintenix.

AM: How does the Maintenix product support airlines?

RH: Airline maintenance organizations face many challenges in ensuring that their aircraft are kept safe to fly at an affordable cost. Managing and maintaining aviation assets involves a complex set of interconnected activities. Through the years, airline companies developed elaborate paper-based systems to manage the abundance of mandated safety procedures to ensure that maintenance was performed according to set standards and schedules. In recent years, airline companies looking to improve their profit margins began seeking cost-cutting measures, such as through the elimination of inefficient paper-based or legacy-system based maintenance practices. Recognizing the need for a reliable and effective maintenance management software product for this industry, Mxi designed and developed the Maintenix system to address this requirement.

The Mxi Maintenix product is an integrated, intelligent software system that manages the engineering, maintenance, materials and aviation-related finance activities of airlines and other aviation organizations. Maintenix streamlines the aviation maintenance process to improve labor productivity. Tremendous value can be derived from making the best possible use of labor and Maintenix is built around this philosophy. Reducing non-productive time, providing tools that make work easier for people, and ensuring that people are doing the right jobs are just a few of the ways that Maintenix drives value into an airline organization.

Maintenix provides true coordination between the maintenance, engineering and materials departments, with a role-based Web interface for ease of use and an automated workflow that enables real-time enterprise-wide data visibility and eliminates extra steps and excess paperwork from the process. The advanced maintenance planning and work execution features, along with the automated communication between departments, enables streamlined processes and reduced turnaround times, as the right materials are ready “just in time” to meet maintenance schedules. The system’s component-centric approach to management of maintenance programs, configuration and records management ensures data accuracy, total asset visibility, and improved compliance management and reporting.

Mxi’s approach to solving the challenges of airline maintenance and engineering allows its customers to adopt maintenance best practices and implement optimized business processes through intelligent automation. The end result is a considerably more efficient enterprise, through a dramatic increase in labor productivity, improvement in aircraft “up time” and a significant reduction in costs.


AM: Which carriers are currently employing Maintenix?

RH: Mxi currently has approximately 30 aviation industry customers for its Maintenix software solution, including airlines, fractionals, OEMS, military operators and third-party MROs. Of these customers, a number of airlines are currently employing Maintenix "live" in production, including KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Aloha Airlines and Air Mauritius. In addition, there are several other airlines that are in the process of implementation, including Air France, Qantas, NetJets, China Airlines and Hawaiian Airlines among others.

AM: What is the general timeframe for assessing a carrier’s need, prescribing a solution, installation and training?

RH: Mxi employs a "Solution Delivery Framework" that comprises the proven business practices and associated tools that Mxi applies to its solution delivery efforts, and covers subject areas such as project management and governance, configuration management, change enablement, knowledge management and Maintenix support. The use of this framework ensures that all parties involved are aware of what is being done, why it is needed, how it is being done, when, and what the end result is expected to comprise and achieve. It is difficult to state a “typical” implementation timeframe, as this depends on many factors, including but not limited to the number of aircraft types, operation locations, and end users to be trained, as well as the breadth of Maintenix footprint being implemented, the quality of legacy data and number of disparate data sources, the resources provided by the customer airline and the number of integrations to external systems.

Mxi would consider an end-to-end implementation of about 12-24 months to be about average. The first 2-4 months of that span are typically spent assessing the customer’s needs and designing a solution. The remaining time is spent on activities such as system configuration, data migration, training, solution testing, and final delivery. Mxi has found that implementations tend to shorten dramatically with increased involvement from customer SMEs. Support from stakeholders is critical for successful implementation projects.


AM: For an airline technician working with Maintenix, what type of training is needed? How long does the training take and how often does retraining occur due to upgrades?

RH: Mxi's training department offers a variety of interactive courses to our customer SMEs. We feel that people learn best by doing, as well as hearing and seeing. With that goal in mind, our courses take a variety of formats. These include hands-on training using live and simulated environments, workshops, on the job training and presentations. Our Maintenix Overview courses are designed to provide decision makers and high-level support and deployment specialists with context and insight into the operation of the Maintenix application. Through computer-based simulations and hands-on practice in the Maintenix environment, participants are exposed to the full potential of the application, a “big picture” that allows them to place all further work in the context of the entire system.

Other courses we offer such as Solution Delivery Framework, Baseline Design and Application Integration take a more workshop oriented approach, and are intended to introduce participants to Mxi's best practices in designing and implementing a Maintenix Solution. These types of courses use the client's business processes and practices as the basis for the training. Finally, courses such as Data Model, Data Migration and Reports Development Kit take users deep into Maintenix for a truly down in the weeds experience. These types of course require in-depth knowledge of technical subjects.

Mxi's approach to end-user training, such as that required for technicians or line managers, revolves around working either with our customer’s in-house training departments or third-party training development specialists. We provide the client with the building blocks they will need to develop end user training programs that are unique to their working environment and satisfy their end user requirements. Key to the success of this approach is a detailed understanding of our client's business processes, so that we are then able to build the training around actual end user experiences.

As most of the work required for the development of the courses is integrated into the actual development and deployment of a Maintenix solution, the time required to develop the materials, the length of the actual courses, and the amount of time required to deliver the courses varies greatly. Part of any training program is maintainability. Built into the change management process is the need to build a training solution to match. Once again, the tight integration of training and development means that estimates vary greatly.


AM: As the airlines begin to adapt more advanced internet technology and wireless amenities for passengers and crews alike, what will Maintenix do to keep pace?

RH: Mxi anticipated the growth of Web-based technologies and began the process of embracing thin-client architectures back in 1999. Being a fully Web-based architecture, the ability to support wireless technologies comes automatically – a wireless laptop or tablet device can simply connect to Maintenix in the same way that a desktop PC connected to a local network would. In addition, Mxi has recognized the need for smaller portable devices, such as PDAs and handheld barcode scanners for technicians and storeroom personnel. Maintenix has numerous screens designed specifically for these small-screen devices, allowing a user to remain connected to Maintenix while as unencumbered as possible.


AM: Please outline the lecture you gave during the Airline Line Maintenance Conference in February 2008.

RH: Mxi is often called upon to speak at conferences where topics such as increased efficiency and cost cutting measures are addressed. Recently, at the Aviation Industry Group's Airline Line Maintenance Conference in Budapest, our CEO, Doug Brouse, spoke about Logistics and Line Maintenance and managing factors such as personnel, rotables, consumables, expendables, tools, and work instructions as more and more scheduled maintenance is being performed at the line. By integrating all of these departments, from engineering to supply through to line maintenance, with a maintenance management software system that provides built-in intelligence, the process is streamlined, offering enormous productivity improvements.


AM: Any partnerships with other complementary software providers?

RH: We do not have any ongoing partnerships with other software vendors at this time. However, Mxi has designed Maintenix so that it may be integrated – efficiently and robustly - to fit seamlessly with other systems from different parts of the business. The integration of Maintenix with external systems is accomplished using the Mxi "Maintenix Integration Adapters" and technologies such as Web services and XML. These Integration Adapters are designed to provide an out-of-the-box integration layer that is often used to plug directly into external systems, or they may be used to provide the basis for a custom integration.

AM: You are working with AFI to help support the A380. What unique challenges did that aircraft present for Mxi?

RH: The A380 is a very strong indicator of the rising importance of onboard software in the configuration management landscape. Understanding the versions of all loaded software and how those versions interact (or worse, do not interact!) with the rest of the aircraft configuration is an increasingly important, and surprisingly complex, issue. Since its inception, Maintenix has had a very strong focus on configuration management. As such, Maintenix has developed a strong model for defining the allowable configuration of an aircraft – whether it be an F-18, a Boeing 787, or an Airbus A380 - including its onboard software as well as the more traditional parts configuration management.

AM: Anything else you’d like to discuss?

RH: As a thought leader within the aviation maintenance management industry, Mxi is continually looking for new ways that technology can streamline the maintenance process, and improve efficiency. For example, the Maintenix product incorporates modern technologies such as wireless support, which allow airlines to make use of wireless laptops and portable devices to ensure that important information is efficiently pushed out to, and collected from, the point of maintenance. Maintenix further supports "point of maintenance" information management and a paperless maintenance process through its electronic signature capability. This technology allows airline maintenance organizations to take advantage of digital signatures and electronic record keeping to streamline the maintenance process through effective workflow management and the elimination of paperwork.

In addition, we are always working with our customers to further develop the core functionality of the Maintenix software. For example, Mxi recently added an Automated Line Planning tool to its Maintenix product. The integrated functionality of the Maintenix software provides near real-time visibility into the flight plans of each aircraft within a fleet, the maintenance capacity at each airport, and all of the discrepancies and tasks required. Taking all of these factors into consideration, the Automated Line Planning feature generates and schedules a realistic set of work packages, beginning with the most important tasks. Planners are immediately informed of any issues that could prevent work from being accomplished, such as routing, insufficient capacity or unavailability of parts. The planner may then make the important decisions required to ensure that the necessary work is performed and that capacity is optimized.




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