This new certification system allows Applus+ to interface with clients and to provide real-time updates, implementing a comprehensive work management solution for the aerospace industry.
Applus+ delivers innovative, cutting edge technologies and services in the field of testing, inspection and certification to the capital-intensive, high-risk aerospace industry. In practice, the Applus+
aerospace inspection and testing team has thousands of possible points for inspection rejection each day, the reporting of which is vital to their client base.
There was thus a pressing need to develop a comprehensive work management system that interfaces with current aerospace accounting, quality, and
inspection practices. The team worked to create the
Aerospace Processing Certification System (APCS), which allows for interface with clients and providing real-time updates.
The solution has been rolled out to several locations with great success. Key clients responded very positively to the system and its capabilities, with one requesting that the project be implemented in its facility.
APCS will continue to be implemented through several phases and locations. Once fully implemented, all inspections, processes and reporting will be scheduled, tracked and reported, thus providing the first-of-its-kind work management system in the aerospace industry.
Automated reporting and KPIs will be developed and implemented throughout several phases of the project in order to replace the current manual process. Additional enhancements planned for later phases include skills management for personnel, integrated QMS, preventative maintenance inspections, and a Client Service Portal. APCS will allow Applus+ to offer real-time feedback on manufacturing in a mission-critical market segment.
Standardised implementation across the many different
X-R-I locations will form an important part of the rollout, as will engaging and upskilling employees. Key here will be to ensure employees’ understanding that the new system is far more innovative and will allow
X-R-I to measure both client and organisational process performance.
Over time, APCS will streamline the process and decrease the time it takes for employees to process jobs. Initial efforts will focus on documenting all inspection and documentation processes across multiple facility locations and types. The aerospace workforce performs inspections in both client-owned facilities and multiple-client facilities.
In order to define standardised processes for inspection, all of the different requirements must first be understood and documented. During this scoping phase, it will be necessary to travel to the different facilities and locations to document current practices. The first phase of requirements gathering is to document the current ERP System (MAS 200) and its interface with sales order creation and invoicing.
This system aims to design, develop, and implement a comprehensive work management solution for the aerospace group. The team will align its inspection processes with client requirements and standardise those processes across all facilities. Supervisors will have the ability to schedule and forecast incoming work, as well as to track progress throughout the work order lifecycle.
Additional features of the system will include the creation of dynamic report templates, inspection certification reports, attachment of documents and pictures, tracking and expediting priority inspections, and providing “over inspect” where required.
In a market where the high value and critical safety of the assets requires hi-tech testing services, this development cements Applus+ reputation as a global leader, whose one-stop solution could cover every phase of a project from initial design through to final inspection.