Fokker Services builds fleet knowledge management with PLM extension

The company says it has automated its product data management environment as part of a programme to ensure service continuity and growth. “We had to change to a fully digital workflow, as a paper-based organisation can’t cope with the regulatory requirements of today’s aerospace industry,” comments Andries Tieleman, director ICT at Fokker Services. “Our choice to implement Teamcenter has proven to be one of the most important decisions in the last 10 years as it discloses all know-how and know-why from our fleet,” adds chief engineer Rudi den Hertog. “This simplifies our workflow dramatically and allows us to concentrate on future developments.” Fokker Services is responsible for supporting the world-wide community of Fokker aircraft. It takes care of maintenance, modification and repair of the fleet and ensures airworthiness of all types of Fokker aircraft. Increasingly, it’s also servicing aircraft from other manufacturers, and it was to support these and its customised service programmes, that the digital system was implemented. Fokker Services has been a Teamcenter user since 1999, but the new system deals, for example, with the need to maintain long-term aircraft product knowledge, with full traceability for change in manuals and product specifications. It now manages all product-related data and documents from legacy applications, including CAD applications, so that Fokker Services can properly control configurations of aircraft in use.