Strategies for increasing speed, improving reliability, and reducing costs

It's tougher than ever to perform MRO operations efficiently and effectively. From outside, material costs are rising. From inside, siloed processes, disparate systems, and data overload make it hard to coordinate the whole MRO process, from scheduling and forecasting to inventory management and replenishment.

Only a few airframe, engine and component MRO companies have an approach that enables simplification, standardization, speed, and "do it right the first time" quality. But those that do are reducing total costs by 8-15 percent initially and achieving a sustainable competitive advantage with continuous improvement.

​Implementing the following five strategies can help MRO organizations in their efforts to become more efficient and effective. Achieve short and consistent turnaround time (TAT) using a combination of lean, Six Sigma, theory of constraints, and information:

• Improve the design and planning of maintenance
• Reduce inventory, while increasing service levels
• Select the right MRO IT solution and extract value from that investment
• Craft a fact-based outsourcing strategy