Press release
Four years ago, the Technical Centre of Marignane (Provence-Alpes-Côte-d’Azur) of Airbus Helicopters wanted to digitize the knowledge of its Design Office. The objectives were not only to make a large amount of information, which had previously been on paper, accessible to all employees but also to be able to train new engineers with ease using a tool in which they could easily find specific knowledge.
The strategic desire to design several helicopters simultaneously, while reducing development time, led the group to hire new engineers, to whom it was necessary to transmit experience. It is in this context that Airbus Helicopters Technical Centre in Marignane called on the BASSETTI Group. The editor proposed a very pragmatic approach – based on the TEEXMA® for KM software solution – consisting in structuring knowledge into “tasks” and “rules”. The aim is to gather all this knowledge in a structured way in a single digital platform in which our knowledge is stored by technical fields and activities.
Airbus Helicopters has reaped great benefits in terms of knowledge sharing, as each department can now work from the same databases, so that as soon as an error is detected, the data can be updated. For good reason, TEEXMA® for KM allows knowledge to be kept up to date, which was not the case before because the information was stored on local servers. The solution has also enabled the harmonization of working methods of the various departments (some work on hardware, others on software), and thus minimizes the risk of errors within the same function.
A solution that meets the security requirements of Airbus Helicopters
In addition to the digitization of knowledge, the BASSETTI GROUP was able to meet the challenges in terms of security, following the numerous performance tests carried out by Airbus Helicopters to verify that the solution was safe. In order to ensure that the knowledge entered into TEEXMA® for KM is completely reliable, it has to be validated by technical referents via a workflow, with an expert providing the final approval, as a representative of a technical domain. Finally, the extraction of “Check Lists” has been set up to verify everything that is produced and done according to the rules of the art. Airbus Helicopters is now thinking of integrating new developments, concerning the structure of the database and the management of rights.
In addition to the software solution, the Marignane Airbus Helicopters Technical Centre team and BASSETTI set up a support system including objectives, key users and regular monitoring through steering committees. At the beginning of the project, they planned a number of information sessions on the new tool in order to inform users of the evolution of technical knowledge. Similarly, training sessions on the tool were set up for each new user.
“To implement the project, we went through various progressive phases, including a pilot phase involving some fifteen departments. The management of the change with our teams is internal, but BASSETTI brought us its business expertise on what to do or avoid doing”, underlines the project manager within the Marignane Airbus Helicopters technical centre. Now that the database is operational, communications are made at each update on the changes incorporated and training sessions are now provided by the experts in each department.
In terms of return on investment, Airbus Helicopters now benefits from improved knowledge sharing, a
reduction in technical errors and an estimated 1/3 reduction in “REWORK” (work which needs to be redone
unnecessarily). “We have a methodology within Airbus Helicopters for all projects: they follow a life cycle
conditioned by a number of milestones. Currently, we are in a phase where we consider this project to be
operational and TEEXMA® for KM now meets the various criteria in terms of sustainability, profitability and
safety,” concludes the project manager.
Press Contacts
Agence Bpr France – 01 83 62 88 10
Pierre Bethuel pierre@bprfrance.com / Guillaume Woodford guillaume@bprfrance.com
