Integrated Products and Services - IPAS

Research Theme: Knowledge Management

A fundamental shift is occurring in the Rolls-Royce away from the selling of products to the provision of services. The company now offers ‘power by the hour’ contracts, under which it leases engines to airlines while remaining responsible for their maintenance. In order to achieve low and predictable maintenance costs, it is imperative to apply service experience of the existing products in the design of next generation of products.

Motivation

This research is triggered by the need of the collaborating company to integrate products and services due to the change in contracts with its customers.

Objectives

  • To understand current service information flows to designers
  • To understand service information requirements of designers
  • To develop and validate a method, which can facilitate designers to retrieveeffectively and efficiently the required service information

Method

Different data collection methods are being employed: document analysis; interviews with designers and service engineers; and observational studies at Repair and Overhaul centre and design department.

Findings

Preliminary results of the analysis of documents has revealed the available service information; and identified the patterns in the information along with links between some of the parameters. The interviews with designers and service engineers allowed gaining preliminary understanding of the designer’s requirements and the service information that is not recorded by the Repair and Overhaul centres.

Acknowledgements

This project is being undertaken in collaboration with:

Support for this project is provided by the Rolls-Royce plc and British Department of Trade and Industry.