Virgin Atlantic pilots RFID for aircraft maintenance

Virgin Atlantic Airways has started piloting RFID tagging of critical parts used in aircraft maintenance and repairs at its Heathrow Airport warehouse. Up to 50,000 engineered parts will be tagged in the first implementation of its kind in the UK. The pilot will use Oracle RFID and smart sensor solutions implemented by Tata Consultancy Services (TCS). Aims of the project are to reduce costs and increase efficiencies by improving visibility and accountability around parts. It’s about improving the accuracy of consignment, storage and despatch of parts, and ultimately gaining better automated control of Virgin’s maintenance supply chain. “Virgin Atlantic has made the decision to commission this pilot because we are always looking for ways to take advantage of technological advancement,” says Terry Flynn, strategic development manager for engineering at Virgin. “The aviation industry is gradually moving toward RFID standards, and we want to ensure that when these are agreed Virgin Atlantic will be well placed to take full advantage.” The system will be based on Oracle’s Fusion middleware, RFID-enabled applications and Oracle Database 10g solution. It will be used alongside Virgin’s current materials management software Ultramain, with process reviews to reduce costs and increase efficiencies.