E&M Scope
12 december 2023
TonTalk
Dear Colleagues, On 30 November, I attended SalesDay23, uniting more than 150 sales colleagues from different parts of the world. Sales teams from Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas & Europe gathered to reconnect, exchange information and learn from one another. It’s important for us to continue to innovate and showcase ourselves in the market. Together with the Sales teams, we will work to strengthen and improve AFI KLM E&M sales in the year ahead. You can read more about this event later in this edition of Scope. At Martinair’s request, a dedicated team was recently rolled out at Schiphol to improve the performance of the Martinair fleet. The team consists of eight ground engineers, four mechanics and an equipment specialist, aiming to carry out as much maintenance work as possible on the apron and to reduce the number of deferred defects (DDs) to a minimum. Martinair’s initial response was encouraging. You can read more about this elsewhere in this publication. In early December, E&M’s Transformation Council convened, uniting all of the EMT members in their six-weekly meeting to define where we are headed in terms of culture and behaviour. The meeting saw colleagues from different plants and units enthusiastically working to improve the working environment and discuss (un)desirable behaviour. There’s still a great deal to do in relation to leadership and behaviour. It was a successful session, which made it possible to learn from one another and gain inspiration. Opportunities to organise similar sessions more often are being explored. Quote Michael Jordan: “Failure is acceptable. But not trying is a whole different ballpark.” This quote applies to the efforts of our colleagues in operations, who work every day to deliver serviceable aircraft. Sometimes they find themselves facing new challenges besides their scheduled work, such as a wave of aircraft on the ground, but they keep trying and always go that extra mile. Take the past three weeks. And it’s at times like this that it becomes clear that “WE ARE E&M” is not just an empty slogan, but a valuable realisation of our broadly carried E&M team spirit. This is when we see colleagues from different production units stepping in and helping each other out where necessary. Finally, it’s important that we safeguard two essential elements when the pressure mounts: safety and quality. The safety of the engine, components or aircraft we’re working on, but also your personal safety. What’s more, the quality of the work we deliver must never suffer under operational pressure. My call to everyone is to always uphold these two elements and to help each other wherever possible. That too says “WE ARE E&M”. Warmest regards,
E&M in action
AFI KLM E&M – SalesDay23
After the hugely successful first SalesDay22 event in Amsterdam last year, the second AFI KLM E&M SalesDay23 took place on 30 November in Paris, Le Bourget – Air Space Museum. Sales teams from Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas & Europe gathered with numerous unit colleagues to reconnect, exchange information and learn from one another. A total of around 150 AFI KLM E&M colleagues attended the event. Many interesting topics were addressed as well as looking back at 2023. MRO Outlook 2024 and AFI KLM E&M’s strategy for 2024 were also examined during a series of inspiring Q&A sessions headed up by Ben Smith, CEO Air France-KLM, and featuring EVPs Anne Brachet, Géry Mortreux and Ton Dortmans.
After the hugely successful first SalesDay22 event in Amsterdam last year, the second AFI KLM E&M SalesDay23 took place on 30 November in Paris, Le Bourget – Air Space Museum. Sales teams from Asia Pacific, the Middle East and the Americas & Europe gathered with numerous unit colleagues to reconnect, exchange information and learn from one another. A total of around 150 AFI KLM E&M colleagues attended the event. Many interesting topics were addressed as well as looking back at 2023. MRO Outlook 2024 and AFI KLM E&M’s strategy for 2024 were also examined during a series of inspiring Q&A sessions headed up by Ben Smith, CEO Air France-KLM, and featuring EVPs Anne Brachet, Géry Mortreux and Ton Dortmans.
‘Building up trust is our mission’
‘Delivering the promised experience is our goal’
E&M in action
Emergency Response Drill at E&M
On Monday 30 October, KLM Engineering & Maintenance participated in an Aircraft Emergency Response Drill dubbed “Kenyan Return 2023” organised by the KLM Crisis Management Department. The drill aimed to refresh our knowledge, generate greater awareness and identify valuable lessons.
The E&M Emergency Response Command Centre was activated by the Duty Maintenance Manager in the OCC where the six participants had to be present in person (Building 404). The E&M Command Centre is located on the 6th floor of Building 404 and the participants called in served as the Command Centre Leader, Assistant Command Centre Leader, Secretariat, and representatives from Safety & Quality, Airframe and Engineering. From the E&M Command Centre, E&M’s actions were coordinated and contact was maintained with the Corporate Emergency Command Centre (CECC) in the OCC. Several E&M units were also activated during the drill, with local colleagues taking action where necessary. At E&M, this included Engineering, Engine Services, Hangar 10, Hangar 11, Hangar 12, Hangar 14, Technical Specialist, Duty Maintenance Manager, Line Maintenance Schiphol and Safety & Quality. The drill ended well after several hours, with some participants gaining new experience and learning valuable lessons to enable us to further improve the associated processes and tools. We plan to organise more frequent ERM drills in the future, addressing different aspects such as securing maintenance records, recovery (securing damaged aircraft) and organising Recovery or Investigation Go-Teams (teams that may be dispatched to the accident site).
E&M in action
Dedicated Martinair Team
Earlier this year, Martinair was asked by Line Maintenance International (LMI) to put together a dedicated team tasked with taking Martinair’s fleet performance to the next level. Martinair explicitly wanted to establish such a team at Schiphol. The dedicated team, consisting of eight ground engineers, four mechanics and an equipment specialist all volunteered and set to work full swing on 1 November.
The team’s objective is to carry out as much maintenance work on the apron as possible and drive down the number of deferred defects (DDs) as far as possible. This will serve to optimise fleet reliability, enabling Martinair to offer its customers sound, reliable products. This contributes the added advantage of aircraft requiring fewer trips to the hangar, saving valuable time and costs. Things are already going well for the team after a month. While Martinair’s initial responses are encouraging, DD figures have only dropped marginally because of the current spate of disruptions. An evaluation has been scheduled for January 2024 to assess progress and identify the next steps to be taken. Colleagues Andre Hendriks and Johan Vervaet, who both work as part of the Martinair Maintenance Team, are satisfied with the degree of progress booked so far. The team is doing everything possible to improve the performance of the Martinair fleet and remains committed to reducing the number of DDs as far as possible. Supported by the team’s efforts, Martinair continues to save costs and offer its customers a reliable product.
E&M in action
New technology predicts Cabin Air Compressor failure on B787
The Cabin Air Compressor (CAC) on the B787 has been a major cost item for Component Services for some time. The reliability of this component is low and repair costs are high. Since 2017, attempts have been made to use sensor data to predict when a CAC will fail. Unfortunately, these attempts have been unsuccessful. Recently, however, there was a major breakthrough.
Modifying the B787’s aircraft data recorder made it possible to record previously unavailable data. Using a smart algorithm developed by the KLM E&M Engineering Big Data team, it is now possible to measure whether the CAC shows signs of axis imbalance. If confirmed, aircraft can then be brought in for an extra health check. If the check shows any signs of disrepair, the CAC can be phased out sooner. This prevents operational problems as well as limiting consequential damage and therefore reducing repair costs.
The new technology has since resulted in the first Prognos 787 CAC removal. This CAC was correctly declared unfit for use, causing only limited damage. And this is exactly the outcome Component Services was hoping for. There is therefore a great deal of pride and gratitude for the excellent cooperation achieved between the respective departments including Engineering, EPCOR, the MCC and Hangar 12.
This breakthrough is important for Component Services and the other parties tasked with ensuring CAC reliability on the B787, including Boeing and Collins. It shows that there is still room for innovation and improvement in the airline industry, for increasing reliability and reducing maintenance costs.
E&M in action
TU Delft students visit KLM E&M
The airline industry is facing the challenge of reducing its impact on the environment. Airbus, Delta and the Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) have therefore joined forces within the scope of the SESAME programme to create climate-neutral flight. As part of the programme, eight master’s students from TU Delft are conducting research into how to make the cabin more sustainable from the perspective of the full life cycle of the cabin interior.
The Industrial Design Engineering students in question are examining three different aspects:
· Seat configuration maintenance and repair
· Trolley/galley and inflight catering
· Passenger boarding process via mobile walkway
To gain further insight into cabin maintenance and environmental impact, the students visited KLM E&M. During their visit, they took a peek behind the scenes at KLM E&M’s cabin engineering unit and gained valuable insight for their research.
From Hangar 14 to Hangaar 11
The day started in Hangar 14 with an introductory presentation on KLM E&M followed by student presentations on their assignments. Then it was time to enjoy looking around, asking the Cabin Engineering experts questions. Colleague Johan van der Hoek took the group to the distribution centre and guided them through an aircraft. Here, the students could take a closer look at the seats, galley and doors, all of which play an important part in their research. Once their questions had been answered, it was time to head for Hangar 11. After Hangar 14, it was time to visit Hangar 11. The stripped-down aircraft in Hangar 14 were very impressive, but the full bays in Hangar 11 and the B747 standing on the jacks were also impressive for the students. After a brief introduction by colleague Ramona Krieger, they were introduced to Jan and Thijs from the Cabin Maintenance Crew. The tour started at the job card board with an explanation of the general approach to work. The crew had finished their inspection quickly that morning and were therefore already busy with repairs in the aircraft. The group was split into two: one with those interested in seat inspections, the other with students for galley/catering and aircraft boarding. After the tour, it was time to head to the canteen for lunch and a debriefing. The students highlighted the enthusiasm that had showed on their faces throughout the tour. Some groups couldn’t get all the information they needed from KLM E&M at the start, but afterwards it turned out that for the group focused on catering and aircraft boarding, the inspection and walking in and around the aircraft were also very informative. This gave them a better idea of the sizes/dimensions, adaptability and use of space. The team working on seat inspection obviously gained lots of insight into inspecting and repairing the different classes in different aircraft.
All in all, the visit was a great success! We would like to wish the students all the best in completing their assignments in the coming period. KLM E&M will also be present at the final presentations.
E&M and our people
ES Continuous Improvement Fair 2023
ES Continuous Improvement Fair 2023
On 21 November 2023, Engine Services (ES) hosted the Continuous Improvement Fair – “Let’s Connect”. Several surveys show that Team Engines is all about “connecting”. Let’s take a look at our colleagues from other departments. What exactly do they do? Cooperation is a key ingredient to honouring our customer pledge. It’s nothing more than building and maintaining business relationships. “I need to know my neighbours to know what their qualities are and what I can turn to them for.” Let’s flow trajectory Several observations have emerged from the Let’s Flow trajectory in recent months. Take the topics ES deals with on a daily basis as a link in the chain. There’s also room for continuous improvement in the chain process. The trade fair presented a great opportunity to exchange ideas with different departments about creative solutions directed at improving the ES chain process.
Who attended? The different ES departments were represented by several exhibitors who were visited by many of the Team Engines members. And the departments didn’t hold back. Repair, for instance, had made a fantastic video, in which they highlighted a product that follows a path through all the Repair departments – what a remarkable journey! Aside from a huge volume of information, our ES colleagues from the Business Control department also handed out some goodies. A treasure chest full of chocolate coins – incredibly creative! To make it interactive, a jar with different questions was placed on the table. In this manner, they tested their colleagues’ knowledge and were immediately able to answer any questions taken from the jar.
Informative and fun all in one! It was nice to see how everyone showed genuine interest, interacted with one another and shared information while also having fun together. Especially during the Lean Wash and ES 30-Seconds, the teams played fanatically. Of course, there was also time for a well-earned meal – only this time with a twist. On entering the canteen, everyone got different coloured wristbands. Each colour was unique, determining which table and with whom they were seated. There were jars with questions on each of the tables, formulated to find out more about one another, like “where were you born?” or “what is your biggest dream?” While everyone was busy “connecting”, colleagues walked around with delicious flatbread (roti) treats. Great conversations unfolded between colleagues from different departments. They got to know one another better. Instead of just saying “Good morning”, they could now ask about their respective hobbies, for example. All in all, a great success for ES!
E&M and our people
Culture and behaviour: reflecting on 2023
The end of the year is approaching fast; reason enough to look back at 2023 together. So what have we achieved, what are we proud of, what didn’t succeed (completely) and what can we learn from? We examined these questions at the Transformation Council meeting on 4 December.
But what exactly is the Transformation Council? The Transformation Council meeting unites all the EMT members (E&M Management Team with VPs from all Business Units) once every six weeks to provide direction on matters related to culture and behaviour. These include Leadership, Teaming and creating a safe working environment where people enjoy their jobs. This time, colleagues from teams across E&M were also invited, including ground engineers and mechanics, as well as Team Leaders. Maintaining Dialogue Proposing a number of statements and holding a table discussion with the VPs, we engaged in an interactive dialogue. People at various plants and units worked enthusiastically to improve their working environment (e.g. freshening up walls with paint, setting up table tennis tables, organising volleyball tournaments) and discussions about (un)desirable behaviour were initiated. However, there’s still a lot to do in terms of Leadership and taking action to address behaviour. Very often, there’s simply no time due to operational pressure. Nevertheless, around 80% of those present expressed the need to free up time for (team) development. This aspect will be addressed in 2024.
Takeouts Proposing a number of statements and holding a table discussion with the VPs, we engaged in an interactive dialogue. People at various plants and units worked enthusiastically to improve their working environment (e.g. freshening up walls with paint, setting up table tennis tables, organising volleyball tournaments) and discussions about (un)desirable behaviour were initiated. However, there’s still a lot to do in terms of Leadership and taking action to address behaviour. Very often, there’s simply no time due to operational pressure. Nevertheless, around 80% of those present expressed the need to free up time for (team) development. This aspect will be addressed in 2024.
''It was great to be able to attend and hear how senior management sees things too.”
''Very nice to hear what other Business Units are busy with. Engines’ Continuous Improvement Fair provided inspiration to get going.” ''Not a lot of new information (familiar topics like canteens and smoking were covered), but good to hear what our colleagues are busy with.” ''Can’t we do this more often? It’s fun to peek behind the scenes next.''door.”
In short, a successful session. We’ll definitely look into organising a similar setting more often to engage in dialogue and inspire one another.
“Creativity is intelligence having fun.”
