Why Is Electronic Document Management So Important?

It is not a new concept that the aircraft maintenance workforce faces a critical shortfall; we have discussed it extensively in recent articles. However, it is coming to a head in the coming months and years. Therefore, it is essential to seek digital solutions to amplify the workforce. By taking time away from traditional manual tasks, we put them back into the hands of those doing the work.

Let’s look at why electronic document management is essential to your organization and where you can start with it today.

So, Why Is Electronic Document Management So Important?

Let’s start with a baseline of electronic document management and what it can do for you.

Those of us who have been in this business for a while remember technical order management back when the only form of technical order was a book. It took hours to comb through the library of applicable tech orders and ensure your organization input the new supplements correctly—what a pain. And mercy be if quality assurance audited it and you missed an initial here or signature there, let alone missed an update in a volume altogether.

Outside of dedicated maintenance libraries and flight pubs (electronic flight bags or EFBs), there is a high demand for document management that is accessible by all approved parties at their fingertips.

And speaking of approved parties, it can be a real challenge to ensure that only the people who need to know are receiving the information and that the people who do need to know are actually receiving it.

What Does Electronic Document Management Have to do With Compliance?

Every job has a specific technical document requirement that must be available and on hand throughout the entire process, from start to finish.

These items must be available to ensure compliance when or if audited by a quality assurance or regulatory agency representative (FAA, etc.).

But it’s not just about the manufacturer’s tech documents that you need to be stored: you need local supplements. You need type-STCs available. It would be best if you had technical service bulletins.

AireXpert can help with all of these and a whole lot more.

What Types of Items Are Stored In Our System?

Our system can store any standard file type. So whether you need a technical service bulletin for the fleet of ERJ-175s or want to publish and disseminate a company or local SOP, we’ve got you covered. Anyone in the system will have access to any files of your choosing.

But there is a lot more to this service than meets the eye.

For example, a local SOP only describes the work to be done. What if we could take things a step or two further?

Instead of publishing another .pdf describing a repair, which is hard to interpret for inexperienced technicians, what if we could produce and publish a demonstration video for the procedure?

Well, it’s not a question of “what if” because we’ve embedded this technology into our system, so you can be assured that your techs have been trained in a way that ensures compliance with the industry’s requirements.

But video isn’t the only standard. You could drop any document or file you want in there. Audio files for when images aren’t important? Done. Loads of images for unique repairs? Too easy. Anything else that makes a job easier to ensure 100% standardization across the workforce.

What Makes Electronic Document Distribution Different Than Other Methods?

The industry standard for document dissemination over many years has been through:

• Physical distribution
• Email lists to individual technicians
• Shared network drives

Each is an archaic, ad hoc method that leaves much room for error in the equation. Emails are often overlooked. Shared network drives are cumbersome, hard to map, catalog, and challenging to access on the job site. Physical copies are the most complex way to track standardized documentation and procedure issuance.

How Is AireXpert Different?

AireXpert lets you control the distribution process; we won’t get in the way. You and your organization control the information being sent out to the field. Instead of emailing your information, it is made available through our software and app.

Our goal is to be your one-stop shop for all major issues that nag at your operation. We provide a solution that offers diverse services to cover all bases.

We offer that if you want improved communications between ground and flight operations. Your aircrews will have a direct line of communication with maintenance control and vice versa. Also, if the aircrew observes any visual defects tied to the deficiency, they can document it in real time with supporting images or videos.

AireXpert will also streamline your billing processes so you can stay ahead of your invoices and cut unnecessary expenses.

At the same time, you can track your parts in the supply chain in real-time, which goes for any authorized user in the organization.

What Can AireXpert Do For You?

AireXpert can do all these things for your organization and much more. We are your single source to provide reliable document management, parts and inventory tracking, and FAA/EASA compliance management systems.

Our system has the end user in mind to give you all the tools you need at your fingertips to create and foster a productive environment for your technicians.

Wrapping Up

Your organization moves fast. Schedules change, and unscheduled maintenance constantly crops up. Unpredictability is the only predictable measure. We are the agents to tame unpredictability by making those things more predictable;

• Keeping your critical documents located in a central location.
• Providing you with up-to-the-minute location and tracking on your parts.
• Streamlining the maintenance operations schedule with increased visibility to provide heightened situational awareness across the organization.

Whatever your organizational needs and demands are, we would like to discuss your organization and how we can put your air operation’s best foot forward. For more information or to set up a demo, give our team a call today, and we’ll get you started!