200 customers with
4000 engines
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But it is not just in terms of its innovative use of local teams that Rolls-Royce excels: huge advances have been made in the application of new
technologies in the field of repairs. “We say we’re delivering world’s best repair technical solutions,” states Magowan,
“and a great example of that is borescope blending, best visualised as key-hole surgery.” On-wing, in-situ blend repairs to compressor blades with foreign object damage (FOD) via this ‘key-hole surgery’
have helped reduce costs of ownership for one major customer by $10 million.
Maximising the use of technology is enabling improvements which can offer big gains in time and savings. We continue to work with our customers, partners and vendors to push the boundaries and develop better and more cost-effective technology.
“The latest generation of engines has, by definition, the latest generation of
materials and we have to continuously improve our repair technologies to maintain our high standards. While these advances are being made and we strive to innovate in terms of service support and technological applications, we also know that our customers demand minimum disruption, maximum value and world-best service solutions. As an OEM we also Delegating authority to local teams
boosts the speed and quality of response, and Rolls-Royce manages this through its global network of facilities which includes Hong Kong Aero Engine Services (HAESL), Singapore Aero Engine Services (SAESL) and Texas Aero Engine Services (TAESL).
Not only do they assist in a timely fashion but they also offer high professionalism and boast regional knowledge and
understanding. SAESL’s satellite repair team will be fully operational in late 2004. This local support network is close to
Magowan’s heart — she set up the first satellite repair team in HAESL before returning to Rolls-Royce in Derby as repair service manager and subsequently being promoted to head of repair services.
have complete control over design and manufacture; we know the impact of one part not only on its ‘neighbour’ but on the engine as a whole, something that third-party spares manufacturers do not have any visibility of,” says Magowan.
According to Magowan the Trent 900 as a prime example of this. This is the launch engine for the Airbus A380 and is due to go into service with Singapore Airlines in Spring 2006. Although still in development
— with certification due in October 2004
— repairs are being collated so that by the time the engine goes into service the target of 300 repairs will have been achieved.
“That repair requirement will be generated from Trent family service experience and Trent 900 development running,” explains Magowan. “Those repairs will be prioritised to meet criteria such as on-wing maintenance repairs and reducing the maintenance cost of high-cost components.”
Ensuring the solution is designed in at this stage of engine development is vital but Magowan still stresses the importance of listening to the customer. “Open a Rolls-Royce manual and you’ll find the repairs detailed. Look at the development programme of our engines and you’ll find the consideration given to ensure repairs that are much easier, quicker and cost-effective. Most importantly, we will listen to and work with our customers and members of our repair network. Come and talk to us - we hate operational disruption and we’ll work with you to develop an appropriate solution!”
Around-the-clock service
A new-style customer response unit, available 24-hours-a-day, seven-days-a-week to provide airlines with coordinated and proactive support, has been launched by Rolls-Royce in Derby, UK. The operations room, located in Trent Hall 2 and manned round the clock by teams of six on a three-shift rotation, was an initiative within the 2003 airlines business re-organisation, emerging as part of the technical services and operations unit under director Paul Craig.
Rob Hill, head of operations room, explains: “We wanted to raise our response and fleet monitoring to a level which reflects the needs of the expanding global customer base. We knew this type of team-based unit worked well when the
"Yes,like any other organisation we’ll protect our intellectual property but,fundamentally, we’re an open organisation that is determined to work together with our customers to meet their needs…"
—Sharron Magowan,head of repair services,Rolls-Royce.
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organisation needed to be on high alert to provide response in emergencies, but the problem was that we followed a pattern of creating it in the short-term and then disbanding. The obvious step was to organise ourselves at that heightened level on a full-time basis.”
The changes involved union agreement to new working patterns as well as a culture change by some in the wider organisation who tended to bypass the former system, preferring to use their own network of personal ‘experts’ to find solutions. “That not only caused confusion, but also it sometimes led to tasks being undertaken inappropriately -for instance, work which wasn’t covered by terms of individual contracts,” says Hill. “One of the intentions under the new system is to impose the discipline of a single point of contact inside Rolls-Royce.
We need to control the flow of enquiries and to be totally disciplined about monitoring the status of our responses.”
One important trait is certainly being retained and encouraged. The experts manning the operations room are exactly that: typically, highly trained service engineers who in many cases have experience of being based as field representatives with customer airlines.
They appreciate the importance of providing immediate and practical advice based on a degree of independent decision-making.
“Team members will continue to have the capability to go outside maintenance manuals to authorise technical variances,”
says Hill. “This in no way compromises safety, but we will continue to place implicit trust in their actions. It’s a level of empowerment airlines appreciate because it produces practical solutions.”
Phase one on the path to creating the operations room began with establishing the initial team in April 2003. Members worked in a ‘virtual’ ops room
environment, developing tools and structures, designing and commissioning the final scheme. Phase two involved the gradual addition of more tasks to the workload, and this is to be followed by a more detailed review of the processes and organisation.
The operations room is made up of two distinct areas. A ‘front desk’ crew reacts to customer calls on subjects such as requests for technical assistance including
remote-site rescue situations potentially involving the provision, for instance, of lease engine cover. Meanwhile, a ‘back desk’ team concentrates on forward planning and strategy, predicting issues involving fleet management, engine health monitoring and constant updates of the fleet database. This allows accurate tracking of, for instance, ‘on-watch’
engines, precise planning of spare and lease engine availability; and provision of real-time information on progress of
engines through repair facilities using internet tools such as aeromanager.com
There can be no doubt that the growing demand for TotalCare packages in recent years reflects the central importance of customer service agreements in the business model. There is also no question that the operations room will aid the smooth running of such service provision, benefiting airlines and improving the bottom line for Rolls-Royce — a classic
win-win situation. ■
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