Fast 5: GA Telesis Pursues AI Transformation

GA Telesis formed its Digital Innovation Group five years ago to drive internal and external technologies and improve the aviation industry as a whole. Jason Reed, who was appointed the group’s new president at the end of June, spoke with Aviation Week Network about the group’s technology strategy and the innovations on its future road map.

You previously spearheaded some digital initiatives as president of GA Telesis' Flight Solutions Group. Could you tell us a bit about what those entailed?

We continuously focus on turn rate in our business. In such a high-interest environment, we wanted to ensure that customer satisfaction and material velocity were merged into one. Our own digital algorithms became a keen focus to ensure we could meet the airline's growing demands. By using internal technologies, we were able to leverage 60% growth year-over-year and ensure that the right stock was on the shelf when needed by our customers.

What types of innovations will be first on the road map as you take on this new role?

Our foremost strategy is to drive significant improvements in supply chain management via artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning technologies. Additionally, we saw the risks associated with fraudulent parts many years ago and created technologies to address the risks. We recently received patents [related to technologies that address fraudulent parts risks] and we are in the development stage of our products [designed] to avert these risks.

We will be the first to drive AI and machine learning in the aftermarket space. We already have proven it internally and plan to roll it out for all to use, as well. We also want the industry to progress from a PDF/paperwork industry to storing documentation using distributed ledger technologies. The difference in these capabilities just over the past five years is staggering. The overall security of our business drives safety, and we intend to be the group that puts this at the forefront of both the authorities and the OEMs alike.

How do you think AI could streamline work for GA Telesis?

The use of an aircraft drives so many different planning parameters. Anything from the location, weather, pilot, time of day, utilization, etc., creates a journey for any part or asset. Those parameters from the airfield translate directly into planning parameters within supply chain planners' portfolios. With the correct set of parameters in place, we will finally be able to create predictability in our business and others. That predictability will translate directly to planning, purchasing, repair, overhaul, disassembly and so on.

Will GA Telesis be leveraging off-the-shelf technology solutions, developing its own technologies in-house or pursuing a mix of both?

The Digital Innovation Group is highly talented in developing its own technologies; we manage it today for our own business. However, we are open-minded and willing to collaborate with others in the industry. We know we won't be the only ones in this new area; we have a head start as our CEO, Abdol Moabery, started down this path in 2015. We see a collaborative approach as valuable to the airline community's success and perhaps the fastest route to market.

What do you think is the most important or challenging element when it comes to successfully deploying new technologies at an aftermarket company?

Frankly, the technology is the easier part. The difficulty is that our industry is running off of processes that have been around for half a century. Not much has changed. The OEMs are under pressure to deliver the new processes, but that isn't necessarily what is most important to them. They need to deliver the product. We need to get the OEMs into a new overall ecosystem journey. The most difficult part will be the psychological transition from doing something you have always done to an entirely new process, much like how Apple revolutionized the smartphone and music streaming markets. We are heading toward a radical change, and GA Telesis has all sights on being the leader.