Hangar of the Future

Abstract

The global aircraft fleet was predicted to grow by approximately 40% between 2017 and 2027 by Oliver Wyman (2017). This fast-growing fleet needs to be supported by equally developing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) divisions of airlines. In light of the growing need for more efficient and technologically advanced aircraft maintenance, this project called the Hangar of the Future was initiated. The Engineering and Maintenance (E&M) division of KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is one of the largest MRO service providers in the airline industry. KLM’s Hangar 12 at Schiphol carries out A-checks for its entire Boeing 737 and 787 fleet. These are the airplanes that are the most promising for future use and KLM is acquiring more of them every year. For this reason, Hangar 12 has an increasing responsibility for sustaining the company. For the development of the hangar, KLM has several priorities that were initiators of the project:- New technology is required to continue to be competitive and to maximize the efficiency of maintenance. - KLM believes in retaining a sustainable workforce for which ergonomics i.e. providing a pleasant and healthy working environment play a huge role. - Sustainability is a strategic pillar for the company and is hardwired into KLM’s future mission (The attention to this topic was minimized going forward in the project due to several reasons).While considering these factors, the project was tackled with a fairly methodological approach. It was guided by the overarching Double Diamond structure of industrial design. The scheduling of the project was done in line with the four phases: Discover, Define, Develop, and Deliver. Clear goals were set for all the phases before starting them and within each phase, one or more design/research methods were used to achieve these goals.In the Discover phase, research was carried out about the working of the hangar, the employees, their problems, and requirements. A broad understanding was gained and documented in this starting phase.In the Define phase, the research was analyzed and converted into usable data. The problem statements that would be the most beneficial to address were identified. This phase was crucial in guiding the focus of the project.The Develop phase was the one that resulted in the highest quantity of innovative ideas due to the brainstorming activities incorporated in this phase. It was intended to go broad again, explore ideas, research on the possibilities, and come up with multiple directions that address the problem statements.Lastly, the Define phase was the one where it all came together. The ideas were filtered, concepts were given shape, and validation was carried out. Virtual prototyping and concept animation was done for presenting the concepts.The project resulted in a family of three concepts that fit the hangar: a collaborative inspection robot for full ground and drone inspection, an Automated Guided Vehicle (AGV) for moving materials and tools, and a dashboard that updates the teams with realtime information at the hangar workfloor. These three concepts address the top priorities of the stakeholders and are backed by well-grounded research.