Using the Product Lifecycle Management Systems to Improve Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul Practices: The Case of Aeronautical Industry

Abstract : Airlines companies trust in MRO facilities for extending lifespan of their assets to ensure the availability of transportation services. Nevertheless, MRO services are complex because they involve several processes whose performance depends on the design and manufacturing of products while airlines require the best-cost efficiency, quality and safety. Product lifecycle management (PLM) could improve the productivity and quality of MRO since it enables the collaborative creation, management, dissemination, use, maintenance and repair of products and its operational process information across the entire life of products from market concept to product retirement. However, it seems that PLM and MRO relationship in the aeronautical industry has been studied very sparsely in the literature. This paper attempts to gain a better understanding of the influence of product life management system in MRO services. The objectives of this study are twofold: 1) to identify MRO provider’s requirements concerning PLM systems, and 2) to assess how PLM system could be improved to better support MRO services.