Ramco Systems, along with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI KLM E&M), has opened Singapore Aviation MRO IT Lab. Supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB), the maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) lab combines engineering and research from Ramco, with AFI KLM E&M as co-innovator partner.
Launched at the Singapore Airshow, the lab will work on next-generation applications and develop intellectual property (IP) to solve major problems facing the MRO industry. The formation of the lab comes amidst rising concerns that the global MRO industry is trailing in innovation and could face major bottlenecks amidst continued growth in international air traffic, as well as expansion of airports. The lab is located at Ramco’s regional headquarters in Singapore.
The lab will gradually scale up to employ more than 50 global innovators in Singapore, who will work on solutions such as embedded sensors for aviation components, machine learning equipment which can cut down on manual maintenance and checking, analytics for engineering planning and optimisation to reduce aircraft on ground, robotics for the shopfloor and drones to inspect aircraft on the tarmac, and wearable devices including Google Glass for on-ground engineers.
The facility will serve as a collaborative platform for airlines and disruptive tech companies, which Ramco and AFI KLM E&M intend to facilitate with other aviation-related researchers.
P R Venketrama Raja, vice chairman and managing director, Ramco Systems said: “With its strategic location and business-friendly environment, Singapore is growing in prominence as a preferred investment hub. We are happy to have partnered with Singapore EDB in setting up this co-innovation Lab, which will be the platform for developing solutions that can transform operations for the complete eco-system of the aerospace industry.”
Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, Singapore EDB said, “We are pleased that Ramco has chosen Singapore to establish their largest Innovation Lab outside of India. Through this Lab, Ramco will work with leading aerospace companies and airlines in Singapore to co-develop and catalyse lead adoption of transformative digital solutions. The collaborations will enable delivery of greater value and new services offerings for the industry from Singapore.”
Franck Terner, executive vice president, AFI KLM E&M commented, “We are proud to extend our R&D capability and anchor it in the heart of Singapore, one of the world’s greatest innovation platforms. In being able to benefit from the combined expertise of two acknowledged MRO sector players, the MRO Lab Singapore will be able to offer in very short order innovative solutions that are likely to deliver real benefits to our clients.”
