Enterprise Asset Management (EAM) systems are cutting edge solutions airports can implement to compile and synthesize all of the disparate smart data they are already collecting to optimize and innovate their operations. The purpose of an EAM system is to allow an organization to plan, optimize, execute and track any needed maintenance activities with the associated priorities, skills, materials, tools and information, said Brian Benedict, Development Director, Enterprise Solutions, Arora Technology Group, LLC. Furthermore, Benedict notes, an EAM system can connect and provide a true feedback loop between a building’s Digital Twin and IoT building systems. The Digital Twin, as Tim Wong noted, provides data which can and should be influencing both Capital Planning, Facilities Operations and Maintenance. “Having a cool 3D model is helpful, but having that 3D model interact with critical systems and influence real world outcomes is that much more powerful,” states Benedict.
“EAM systems have become popular, powerful tools for airports seeking to streamline their operations. These solutions often exist in the cloud and combine the systems, software and services used to maintain the physical assets of an organization throughout each asset's lifecycle,” Benedict said.
These systems help Airports to establish maintenance best practices and reduce maintenance costs, ensure regulatory compliance with FAA requirements, manage safety systems and increase sustainability through improved asset energy utilization and conservation, among numerous other benefits, Benedict added.
“EAM systems allow an airport to transform from relying on planned maintenance for their assets to world class maintenance best practices that are part of a Reliability Centered Maintenance (RCM) Asset Management program,” said Steve Bisch, Vice President, Enterprise Solutions, Arora Engineers, Inc.
An RCM program relies on the historical data housed in today’s modern systems to identify and predict equipment failures and recommend pro-active activities that will reduce the number of failures and also extend the life of equipment.”
With airports being such dynamic facilities, they often house the smartest, most complex systems and technology. The right EAM system captures IoT data and uses it to steer Facilities Maintenance operations both at the leadership level and the technician level through an advanced mobile work order management system. With an integrated asset management system aviation facility managers are able to coordinate and optimize management, allowing them to compare short-term versus long-term benefits, expenditures versus performance levels, planned and unplanned availability, or capital costs versus operating the diversity and complexity of assets.
Mobile Work Order solutions further optimize the efficiency of an airport’s EAM system, said Benedict.
“Implementing a Mobile Asset Management which is fed by your EAM solution allows operators, office administrators, inspectors, engineers, and superintendents to access important asset information no matter where they are. The right mobile work order management system seamlessly integrates with the airport's EAM system to provide real-time, actionable information,” Benedict continued.
EAM systems are highly configurable to the specific needs of an airport. However, Benedict cautioned, airports should configure with care.
“While configuration can go a long way in ensuring the EAM system appearance meets the expectations of an organization, they also drive-up costs and make EAM systems harder to maintain,” Benedict said.
Bisch added that airports can expect to see some of the following when adopting an EAM system:
- Increasing labor efficiency and reducing overall maintenance costs.
- Implementing effective equipment-based maintenance schedules to reduce downtime.
- Managing work order processes to ensure on-time delivery.
- Improving overall warehouse and inventory management.
- Modeling of various scenarios to determine optimum asset levels and drive decision making.
- Development of business processes and system capabilities for the tracking and charge back of airline and tenant maintenance services.
- Enhancing customer satisfaction from improved performance and control of product or service delivery to the required standards.
- Improved health, safety, and environmental performance/
- Optimized ROI, increased wrench time, and extended asset life.
- Long-term planning, confidence, and performance sustainability.
