Maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) facilities are a major contributor to
the safe, reliable, and efficient service of an aircraft. Practices have
continually evolved to support complex operations and enhance performance
and availability while decreasing operating costs. With technological
breakthroughs in electric land vehicles revolutionizing their respective
industry, MRO facilities in aviation are also adopting digital technologies
in their practices.
Despite this drive towards digitalization, the industry is still dominated by
manual labor and subjective assessments. Operations may or may not follow
the exact expected profile, and that is when sensors integrated into a
maintenance system can indicate that the aircraft may or may not fly another
flight. Today, several technologies, processes, and practices are being
championed to resolve some of these outstanding challenges. Considering
this, it is important to present current perspectives regarding where the
technology stands and how we can evaluate capabilities for autonomous
decision support systems that prescribe maintenance activities. It is a
complex issue because it is a transversal phenomenon involving many
stakeholders cooperating to achieve their logistical and strategic
interests. Overarching challenges—from data management, robotics,
optimization, artificial intelligence, and systems engineering—must be
appreciated. Overlooking some of these unsettled domain issues can
potentially undermine any benefits in speed, process, and resilience
promised by such systems. This chapter provides some understanding of
specific motivating factors by focusing on the digitalization challenges for
MRO 4.0 (i.e., the digital transformation of MRO) and the role of building
“trust” in technology by reimagining stakeholder experiences.
As a result, this chapter discusses emerging technologies that continue to
evolve with changes to the products and services they maintain and the
socioeconomic environment they function within. Prioritizing programs can
add value as MRO 4.0 is slated to significantly affect the industry in the
near future.