French airplane manufacturer Airbus is harnessing Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to clear a backlog of orders, and to boost its own revenues.
Speaking to Internet of Business editor Doug Drinkwater at the Internet of Manufacturing in Munich, Germany in April, Airbus VP of product and cyber security program directorate Simon Bradley detailed why the IoT is important in driving a more efficient organization.
“We have manufacturing facilities all around the world, we’ve been using IoT for years, for us its nothing new – it’s just a new spin on the technology — but we’ve been looking collecting information from sensors from our factories for years.
“One first things the company did was to use RFID in tracking parts, and now we’re moving towards IoT devices to track tools in the factory, so engineers know where their key tools are, and also so the tools can be telling them if the torque is correct for implementation, and also look if products need maintenance. So we’re looking at a whole raft of things to not only improve products but also to reduce cost and improve production capability.”
On production capacity, Bradley went onto mention how Airbus currently has a backlog of 10-11 years of plane orders, so IoT could ultimately help the firm to clear these and increase its own cash flow.
Bradley had earlier given a talk at the summit, where he discussed – among other things – how IoT is helping to improve plane turnaround time.
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Airbus is working with IBM’s Watson team to collect more data on its flights and on-ground operations.
As part of the company’s new ‘Smarter Fleet’ platform, it will collect around 250GB of data per flight on its A350, with this information expected to improve not only the in-flight experience but also aircraft operations and maintenance.
Click below to watch the interview with Simon Bradley. Alternatively, sign up for IoB TV here.
Related: 10 real-life examples of the Internet of Things taking flight in aviation
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Through early adopter case studies, interactive workshops and panels, The Internet of Aviation will explore the relevance of IoT to those involved in passenger experience and e-enablement.
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