E&M in action
Together we're improving Airframe
At Airframe, we are improving our processes. With the ‘Airframe Operational Improvement Plan’, Airframe contributes directly to the goals set by KLM in its Back on Track programme. This is because our focus on improving our On Time Performance and reducing overrun hours, among other things, affects the reduction of technical cancellations and thereby non-performance costs. We do this by taking a critical look at our processes and working environment and improving them structurally.
Below you can read more about how we are continuing relentlessly to reduce DDs after the summer peak and how we're seeking cooperation within KLM E&M to better prepare for unforeseen situations during A-check.
Non-routine predictor: working together within E&M
In our daily work, we often encounter unexpected situations, sometimes with a direct impact on our performance, such as the late delivery of an aircraft after a maintenance check. To be better prepared for such contingencies during aircraft maintenance, colleagues Dion Posthumus and Karim Hassani are working on the non-routine predictor. This is a tool in high demand, but for which no solution had been developed so far. With a pragmatic approach and in collaboration with the Big Data Engineering team and engineers from the H11 Wide Body team, this tool is now in development and the first milestone has already been achieved.
Non-routine predictor to better predict risks in maintenance
'We've divided the non-routine predictor into three projects: one for production, one for the planning department and one for MEF. We started developing the tool that is valuable for the H11 WB team, specifically focusing on A-checks. This tool focuses on the top 10 inspection tasks that pose a higher risk of critical defects (findings), which can lead to a flared maintenance check. By addressing these top 10 inspection tasks first during the check, production has more time to solve these critical findings and order the required materials earlier. In this way, we hope to eventually reduce or even prevent the hours of unplanned A-check work.’ explains Karim Hassani, Black Belt within KLM E&M and involved in the Airframe Operational Improvement Plan.
Reliability of 68% for 777 inspection tasks
Dion Posthumus, Project Manager in the PWC-A planning department, continued: ‘Through our pragmatic approach, we've made significant progress. For the B777, we found that in 68% of cases, an outgoing A-check can be traced to the top 10 predicted inspection tasks. Our goal is to achieve this level of reliability for all A-checks across the fleet, with the current focus on the Wide Body fleet. We are working closely with technicians who perform the A-checks on a daily basis to verify whether they think the top 10 inspection tasks are relevant. This feedback helps us increase the reliability of the tool. By achieving these goals, the practical application of the non-routine predictor is getting closer and closer. We continue to make improvements and will coordinate with the H11 WB team at the end of this month when we can introduce the tool into production."
Further development
Together with the KLM E&M Big Data Engineering team - who are responsible for building the non-routine predictor - we are further developing the tool. "The pragmatic approach, cooperation with the departments involved and the feedback collected from production has given us the right solution direction. Because of the feedback from production in particular, we were able to apply the right models from the Big Data Engineering team and this helped us solve the technical challenges,’ conclude Kevin Morales Mc Lernon and Szu-Tung Chen.
Reducing DDs after the summer peak
Since February 2024, as part of the Airframe Operational Improvement Plan, we started the DD Sweep Team. This team works with various departments within Airframe to reduce the number of deferred defects (DDs). This approach led to a decrease in the number of DDs from over 1,000 at the end of February to 586 on 4th July. Unfortunately, the number of DDs increased again during the summer period to around 800. It is crucial for our fleet, cockpit and cabin crew, and our passengers to reduce this number again.
Increase in the summer months
In general, we see that the number of DDs increases in the summer months. This is because we operate more flights during this period with more passengers on board, leading to an increase in defects. As the percentage of defects that we solve immediately rather than postpone (also known as ‘first time right’) remained the same during the summer, the number of DDs appeared to increase.
In addition, due to damage caused by turbulence, among other things, the PH-BHE was unable to fly all summer. This put additional strain on production in Wide Body Hangar 11 and put additional pressure on the flight schedule and available ground time for Line Maintenance.
End-to-end DD management embedded in the organisation
The introduction of end-to-end (E2E) DD management has provided a daily focus on reducing the number of DDs. This E2E DD management has now become a permanent feature within Airframe under the leadership of Unit Leader MCC, Marc Kesting. The focus on reducing the number of DDs is continuously maintained. This is reflected, among other things, in the DD Stand-up, which takes place four times a week and from which continuous improvement actions emerge to reduce DDs. Additionally, a list of 25 improvement initiatives is being developed, aimed at preventing DDs through a higher 'first time right' rate and making DDs as quickly plannable and resolvable as possible.
Lessons learned
Key lessons learned include adding extra staff during the summer peak and ensuring that critical tasks are taken over by colleagues during holidays. We've noticed that the rise in DDs coincides with the summer peak and lasts until October. Now that the summer rush is over, we’re optimistic that our daily focus, combined with ongoing improvement initiatives, will enable us to significantly reduce the number of DDs again.