Asset management specialist TGIS Aviation, software provider DecisionBrain and consultancy PA Consulting have launched a new service aimed at reducing engine costs. The companies say the digital product, called Optima, works to significantly reduce operational and lease return costs for aircraft engines while enhancing efficiency and end-of-life asset opportunity.
According to Kata Cserep, global head of aviation at PA Consulting, Optima’s digital twin brings together the engineering, fleet management and finance perspectives to map operational constraints, costs, contract terms and “pragmatic” practices. This, she says, creates a digital environment that thinks like a powerplant manager, a head of fleet and a finance director collectively.
“Our approach to deploying Optima is focused on sharing critical insights between engineering, fleet management and finance,” says Cserep. “We build a close relationship with those teams to rapidly get the environment up and running.” Optima can then suggest optimized, achievable plans that can be refreshed as real-world conditions and constraints evolve.
PA Consulting envisions strong savings, typically $1-2 million per aircraft, through engine maintenance plans when these business areas collaborate. Cserep says Optima offers a beneficial return on investment in a short time frame and requires minimal training within airline teams to deploy its recommendations.
Optima is accessed through a web portal that was developed with user feedback. “Once it’s mobilized, customers have the choice to either run the optimization and plans themselves, or we can do it for them,” says Cserep.
If an airline chooses the “self-service” option, a detailed training and transition program is made available to their teams. “For customers who would like us to continue planning on their behalf, we would routinely share and review the plans with the powerplant, engineering and finance teams,” Cserep adds.
Trish Gray, TGIS Aviation co-founder and CEO, has seen several airlines develop detailed long-term cost management plans for their engines. However, managing those costs is complex and constantly evolving, she says. “The challenge intensifies for airlines with diverse sub-fleets or leased aircraft due to varied operational requirements and redelivery considerations,” says Gray.
While mature engine types offer predictable maintenance schedules, Gray observes that cost models rely on assumptions about mean time between removals. “These assumptions follow a normal distribution, meaning 50% of engines will surpass this expected life span, while 50% will fall short,” she says.
Gray says Optima collaborates closely with airlines to create a customized cost optimization plan. This plan considers each airline's unique constraints, such as workforce or hangar availability, and specific engine characteristics, such as life-limited parts and airworthiness directive status. Optima then builds a comprehensive engine profile.
“Optima's greatest advantage is its ability to adapt to unexpected events,” adds Gray. In cases such as bird strikes, she says Optima can revise plans, reallocate engines to minimize cost impacts and maintain long-term cost management goals.
Optima uses mixed integer linear programming and business rule technologies that allow it to identify (within a magnitude of possible combinations) the opportunities that minimize overall cash flow expenditures. “We have designed a comprehensive input data model that allows [us] to describe all the elements of the engine’s operations,” says Lorenzo Cazzoli, chief operations officer at DecisionBrain.
The system also considers specific operational constraints, such as the maximum number of engine changes per month, number of maintenance slots, engine serviceability thresholds and minimum time on-wing.
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