Electronic Task Cards for Aviation MRO Developed by EmpowerMX

Review this link for more details: http://www.empowermx.com/press%20releases/pr67.html

EmpowerMX, the industry-leading producer of aviation maintenance software solutions, announces the development of a critical, high-value addition to the FleetCycle® Execution Suite - an Electronic Task Card (ETC). This development will speed the transition to a digital, paperless environment in maintenance operations. Electronic routine task cards will be incorporated within the EmpowerMX FleetCycle® Production Manager, MRO Manager and Line Manager Execution Suite applications for heavy and line maintenance, modifications, and other maintenance activities. The Electronic Task Cards will be XML-based (either by conversion or authoring system), imported into the various FleetCycle® applications and will be interactive and specific to each maintenance event. The XML-based Task Card that will be imported into the FleetCycle system will incorporate the mechanic and inspector interaction and sign off of Task Cards within the specified application and prepare the Electronic Task Card for export to the customer records system.
"EmpowerMX is working today with industry leading airlines and MROs who understand how to leverage the power and ROI of a paperless environment," said Dinakara Nagalla, Chief Technology Officer for EmpowerMX. "In addition to EmpowerMX's already fully electronic non-routine card, the addition of the routine card is a major milestone toward a paperless environment. Early adopters will be the first to achieve the benefits of total control of paperwork flow, total accountability for all paperwork, full audit trails and recordkeeping; not to mention the information they will begin to harness around maintenance programs. We are very excited to be working with industry leaders who realize how to achieve sustainable value with technology solutions."
This multiple-product enhancement will support airlines and MRO providers with ongoing or planned Lean initiatives designed to automate and improve maintenance-related business processes; focusing on eliminating waste, reducing costs and improving efficiencies. This EmpowerMX development is part of a continuing effort to deliver next-generation information technology meeting aviation maintenance customer requirements.

Green Aviation...latest buzz word

A sudden awakening in aviation industry wanting to embrace clean technology and desire to reduce the industry’s carbon footprint even though too late is still appreciated. While there is a mounting pressure to reduce the air pollutants putting a downward pressure on the industry growth, there is a concerted effort from environmental groups and government organizations across the globe to reduce the generous noise levels and green house gas emissions. Major OEMs like Boeing and Airbus along with engine makers like Pratt & Whitney, Rolls-Royce, GE, and others have joined the crusade to considerably cut down the air pollutants and support the clean technologies. Boeing 787 while is a good example and great effort towards being greener, more has to be done to protect the planet. Industry giants not only focus on adding special offices to promote relatively safer and cleaner technologies and should become a serious watch dog and quality control on environmentally threatening designs. As a day to day airline passenger one wonder the amount of fuel gets burnt every second by thousands of aircrafts across the globes just waiting to take off and arrive. US and Europe should seriously consider upgrading Air traffic control system which will have a high double digits savings in gas savings.

EmpowerMX pursuing SAP certification

EmpowerMX is pursuing SAP certification of Fleetcycle Production Manager. We will be intially complete J2EE-DEP certification and will pursue EP-BP further. This will help further broaden our sales with european aviation customers.

What does EmpowerMX FCRM do?

EmpowerMX has a state of the art tool and probably one of the most advanced and forward looking tools that automates data gathering, analysis and reporting for aircraft maintenance and reliability processes. This system delivers:

full support for FAA CASS-compliant reporting and analysis,
improved risk and performance management,
gap analysis between operational performance and inherent reliability,
early warning of negative aircraft and component trends,
shortened response times to internal and external information requests,
improved quality, and
significant reductions in manual workflow processes.

FleetCycle® Reliability Manager is a best of breed automation tool that transforms the work of the reliability function from time-consuming data-gathering and report-building tasks to more effective use of resources applied to cross functional data analysis, information reporting and risk management. This type of innovation and organizational synergy is needed as the airline industry works to become leaner while maintaining high safety and quality standards.

EmpowerMX website updated with Customer Software Services Support link and blog link

Check out http://www.empowermx.com/ webiste for links to EmpowerMX blog and Software Support Servicces.

So what do we do at EmpowerMX...

EmpowerMX is based at Duluth Minnesota. EmpowerMX provides aircraft maintenance software and consulting services to the air transport industry. The company delivers solutions that allow air carriers to ensure safety, document full compliance and achieve peak performance. While we are retiring our asp based flag ship product Production Manager soon, we are transitioning our current customers to our java based Fleetcycle platform. We also have a module in Fleetcycle targeting data mining, and analytics into aircraft data called Reliability Manager which is based of Datawarehousing technologies and Microstrategy. EmpowerMX provides several other interesting product offerings and services. please visit http://www.empowermx.com for more details.

EmpowerMX hires James Schofield from TIMCO

I am pleased to announce that James Schofield joined EmpowerMX as Director, Business Analysis on Monday, August 6, 2007.

James brings twenty years of expertise in the aircraft maintenance industry and was most recently held the position of Corporate Director of Training at TIMCO Aviation Services. During his thirteen years at TIMCO, James held several positions of increasing responsibility to include Aircraft Mechanic, Foreman, Operations System Analyst, Product Supervisor, Project Manager, and Director of Planning/Maintenance. Earlier in his career, James worked for Delta Airlines and the U.S. Air force.

James holds a B.S. in Aviation Management, Masters Degree in Aeronautical Science, and is currently working on his MBA. He is certified in A&P, Six Sigma, and Project Management (PMP).

In his role as Director, Business Analysis, James will serve as part of the Technology leadership team, assume responsibilities for the BA organization, and will also bring the critical expertise required to bring the EmpowerMX FLEETCYCLE® MRO Manager to market in fiscal year 08.

EmpowerMX has its head quarters in Duluth, Minnesota.

- Dinakara Nagalla

EmpowerMX annual company picnic

Yesterday’s EmpowerMX Company Picnic was a blast! Thanks to Fun Committee Members who made this day possible for us to enjoy!

Picnic Organizers: Courtney Burress, Kris Grant, Trish Lanthier, Sandra Miller, and Laurie Pinther
Special Event Volunteers: Chris Anderson, Ross Fremont, Brian Linder, and Josh Mau



MORE PHOTOS ON THE OFFICE SERVICES SHAREPOINT!


Intranet Link: 2007 EmpowerMX Picnic

Extranet Link: 2007 EmpowerMX Picnic

EmpowerMX has its head quarters in Duluth, Minnesota

EmpowerMX releasing Fleetcycle Production Manager initial performance service pack

EmpowerMX is ready to release performance service pack for 3.5 release in a week. Following that EmpowerMX is planning to release further service packs aimed at performance fixes and bug fixes.

- Dinakara Nagalla

EmpowerMX external news - United MRO Services

http://www.chicagotribune.com/business/chi-thu_unitedaug23,0,3679316.story

United may shed repair unit
Could raise millions in potential spin-off
By Julie Johnsson Chicago Tribune staff reporter
August 23, 2007

United Airlines is exploring spinning off much of its maintenance division, including its massive repair base at San Francisco International Airport.Chicago-based United earlier this year hired McKinsey and Co. to draw up strategic options for its maintenance, repair and overhaul operations, which employ about 5,500 mechanics and handle much of the airline's routine repair work as well as maintenance for about 150 other carriers."We are contemplating bringing in third parties who can invest in the maintenance, repair and overhaul business," said United spokeswoman Jean Medina. "This will enable us to continue to provide the highest quality maintenance to United and our customers. We are working cooperatively with our labor groups to ensure that any arrangement would be for the long term with a partner that creates value for our customers, investors and employees."
United executives are said to favor pursuing a joint venture that would allow the airline to retain a minority stake in the maintenance operations while handing over control to an outside investor such as a hedge fund, third-party contractor or even another airline.Any such change in ownership structure would require union approval, sources said.Entering into such a joint venture could help United raise hundreds of millions of dollars from outside investors and avoid costly infrastructure investments needed to keep its San Francisco operations current, sources say. The San Francisco maintenance facility dates to the 1950s.Since emerging from bankruptcy in early 2006, United has continued to trim costs and explore new ways to wring more money out of its franchise. The moves are intended to strengthen United's finances as a slowing economy threatens the recovery of the airline industry, and to improve its standing with investors.Off-loading the airline's largest maintenance base, where more than 3,000 mechanics work, could also potentially lessen the clout held by a labor group that has not shied from confrontation in the past.United officials, including Chief Operating Officer Peter McDonald, notified the mechanics union of the strategic shift at a meeting Aug. 10. The two sides are discussing the details of the strategy and its implications in San Francisco this week.While the mechanics contract is not due to be revisited until early 2010, the two sides are embroiled in a dispute over the degree to which United has shipped maintenance work to third-party vendors. The Aircraft Mechanics Fraternal Association said this year that the carrier had greatly exceeded its contractual limits on outsourcing, a charge the airline denied. An arbitrator is set to review the matter next month.A spinoff would affect about 2,800 United employees, most of them based in the Bay Area, sources say. It would not affect workers in San Francisco, O'Hare or elsewhere who perform line maintenance, the term for overnight tweaks and repairs needed to keep jetliners airworthy.However, some of United's approximately 700 mechanics at O'Hare International Airport could lose their jobs as a consequence. Union rules allow senior workers whose base is shuttered to assume jobs held by junior workers in other cities.About 200 of the 1,200 United mechanics working in Indianapolis took jobs in other cities when the carrier closed that maintenance center in 2003.United's maneuver apparently ends its recent strategy of trying to turn its maintenance unit, branded United Services, into a profit center. And it signals that United CEO Glenn Tilton will continue to pursue smaller deals while advocating for broader industry consolidation.United Services generated $280 million in revenue last year, about 75 percent of which came through maintenance and repairs. Investment bank Bear Stearns & Co., in a July 17 research report, estimated that the division could have an equity value of anywhere from $60 million to $600 million and noted that recent deals in its sector pointed to a valuation of about $330 million.The report estimated that United could generate billions of dollars, and nearly double its stock price, by unloading such assets as its frequent-flier program, real estate and some international routes.Before its descent into bankruptcy in 2002, United boasted one of the largest and best-equipped maintenance forces in the business. The carrier built an $800 million, state-of-the-art maintenance center in Indianapolis in the 1990s and employed more than 15,000 mechanics at its turn-of-the-century peak. United jettisoned the Indianapolis facility in 2003.