MRO software provider EmpowerMX has launched a new cloud-based data exchange platform to help airlines and MROs more effectively manage operations across up to 40 lines of maintenance worldwide. According to EmpowerMX CEO Dinkara Nagalla, the new EMX Insights platform will bring closer collaboration between airlines and MROs.

“We are solving a critical problem for airlines. It’s a long overdue issue that involves a lot of people inputting information into a manual system that just doesn’t do what they need it to do,” says Nagalla. “With no ability to see problems before they impact delivery, they are at the mercy of the process and the system they are currently using, which lacks the quality of information one should expect.”

EmpowerMX says EMX Insights will leverage the network effect of its core software suite, which includes digital applications for aircraft maintenance planning and execution, supply chain management, labor scheduling, aircraft records and more. The platform will be able to directly connect to EmpowerMX to access data streams and predictive analysis. “You can have maintenance in three different parts of the world and a single repository that’s not only standardized in format and information being presented, but also optimize to a degree never before done,” says Levi Schmidt, managing director of customer excellence at EmpowerMX.

Schmidt says EMX Insights will be able to provide predictive analysis, raising critical issues before they occur and providing delivery forecasting to help with scheduling. “The more the system is used, the smarter and more proficient the system will become,” he adds.

American Airlines and Delta Air Lines will be the launch customers for EMX Insights. According to Rick Uber, head of base maintenance at Delta Air Lines, it will leverage EMX Insights’ data exchange capabilities to improve interaction between its internal and third-party MRO operations.

“In our industry, seats are sold months in advance of the actual flight, and our biggest challenge is making sure the aircraft is ready and available for service in our scheduled span time,” says Uber. “Collecting maintenance data from a diverse range of vendors who service over 40 lines of work is a massive task, and then disseminating it is an even more complicated task.”

Greg Emerson, head of base maintenance at American Airlines, says EMX Insights will help the carrier optimize reporting methods to increase visibility. “We want vendors to receive and transmit data in an open network environment, from whatever platforms they use for their internal workflows,” he says. “This enables total visibility for all maintenance activities the airline needs to manage.”

EMX Insights is free for airlines and MROs, and it is currently available in Apple’s iOS App Store. EmpowerMX says it will soon be available for other platforms. While it is a separate module from the EmpowerMX suite, which is a paid software-as-a-service platform, it will be able to directly connect to the software’s applications as authorized by customers.