Aircraft engines are complicated marvels of technology, and so is the job of keeping them in perfect working condition. In the fiercely competitive aircraft maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) industry, Rolls-Royce Trent and SIA Engineering Company founded Singapore Aero Engineering Services Private Limited (SAESL) in 2001. As the business scaled upward, SAESL began to face unpredictable demand, complex manufacturing processes, and high-stakes scheduling.
Although SAESL was working with SAP ERP at the time, they were seeking a planning approach that could match the pace and pressure of their operations. They faced planning and scheduling challenges due to their reliance on manual planning systems and outdated ERP systems. To gain better visibility, control costs, and gain higher control over their operations, they needed to implement an efficient resource optimization solution that facilitated capacity planning and enhanced their scheduling capabilities.
As an industry leader, SAESL recognizes the significance of digitalization, automation, and optimization solutions. They partnered with ICRON to streamline their planning and decision-making processes with solutions that enhanced decision intelligence, built an integrated data ecosystem, and empowered their company to overcome disruptions by making informed decisions. Here’s a look at their primary goals at the beginning of the project.
As their business grew, it was imperative for SAESL to have an integrated planning system that could draw information from every layer of the supply chain into a single source of truth.
Facing frequent shifts in demand and capacity, SAESL aimed to move to a dynamic scheduling system that could adjust schedules in real time and empower their team to respond to last-minute disruptions.
Turnaround time is a critical KPI in the MRO industry, and shortening engine and component repair cycles was a primary goal for SAESL. They needed a solution that enabled the team to get measurable and actionable insights to prioritize tasks, minimize wait times, and improve interdepartmental coordination.
Improving Planning Accuracy and Control
As their business grew, it was imperative for SAESL to have an integrated planning system that could draw information from every layer of the supply chain into a single source of truth.
Increasing Scheduling Agility
Facing frequent shifts in demand and capacity, SAESL aimed to move to a dynamic scheduling system that could adjust schedules in real time and empower their team to respond to last-minute disruptions.
Reduce Repair Turnaround Times
Turnaround time is a critical KPI in the MRO industry, and shortening engine and component repair cycles was a primary goal for SAESL. They needed a solution that enabled the team to get measurable and actionable insights to prioritize tasks, minimize wait times, and improve interdepartmental coordination
The planning processes at SAESL were focused on manual data collection and processing, which relied on spreadsheets and could not be integrated with SAP. Generating accurate, actionable plans in real-time was challenging and limited their ability to manage the growing complexity of their operations.
The absence of an integrated system gave planners limited oversight of the shop floor activities. It was challenging to track task statuses, anticipate delays, relay information across different levels of the supply chain, or make timely, informed decisions.
Changing customer requirements and shifting workloads make the nature of SAESL’s work unpredictable. Constantly adjusting their plans and waiting for accurate information was hurting their efficiency and reduced the system’s agility to respond to fluctuations.
The MRO industry requires specific resources, including highly skilled labor, specialized machinery, and customized tools. With little or no optimization, the manufacturer was constantly facing resource underutilization, overtime, or production delays.
Delays in engine and component repairs impacted service levels and customer satisfaction. SAESL required a method to reduce turnaround time without compromising quality or incurring additional costs.
Manual & Siloed Planning Process
The planning processes at SAESL were focused on manual data collection and processing, which relied on spreadsheets and could not be integrated with SAP. Generating accurate, actionable plans in real-time was challenging and limited their ability to manage the growing complexity of their operations.
Visibility
The absence of an integrated system gave planners limited oversight of the shop floor activities. It was challenging to track task statuses, anticipate delays, relay information across different levels of the supply chain, or make timely, informed decisions.
Fluctuating Demand & Capacity
Changing customer requirements and shifting workloads make the nature of SAESL’s work unpredictable. Constantly adjusting their plans and waiting for accurate information was hurting their efficiency and reduced the system’s agility to respond to fluctuations.
Resource Constraints & Inefficiencies
The MRO industry requires specific resources, including highly skilled labor, specialized machinery, and customized tools. With little or no optimization, the manufacturer was constantly facing resource underutilization, overtime, or production delays.
Long Turnaround Times
Delays in engine and component repairs impacted service levels and customer satisfaction. SAESL required a method to reduce turnaround time without compromising quality or incurring additional costs.
To address these challenges, ICRON delivered a fully integrated, intelligent Customer Centric Supply Chain Planning solution well-suited to the unique complexities of SAESL’s MRO operations. Seamlessly connected with SAP, the platform provided real-time visibility, dynamic scheduling, and advanced optimization across both engine overhaul and component repair processes.
With ICRON, operations were transformed—enabling smarter planning, seamless execution, and greater agility across the board. Through automation and real-time visibility, teams now respond swiftly to change, optimize resources, and make data-driven decisions that directly enhance productivity, profitability, and collaboration.
Singapore Aero Engine Services Pvt. Ltd., Or SAESL, is a world-renowned aircraft engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service provider. Established in 2001 as a joint venture of Rolls-Royce Trent and SIA engineering company, SAESL has grown in capability over the years and now services all products in the Trent engine family. Equipped with a state-of-the-art engine test facility, SAESL has the unequaled capacity to repair and overhaul 300 Trent engines per year. Focusing on safety, quality, and customer satisfaction, the company’s operations demand surgical precision and efficiency.
ICRON enables SAESL to operate with greater agility and planning accuracy by providing solutions for end-to-end visibility and optimized decision-making. This collaboration has equipped SAESL to scale efficiently while maintaining the service excellence and reliability that customers across six continents have come to expect.
“Partnering with ICRON has taken our planning and scheduling to the next level. Their solution fits seamlessly into our operations and gives us the agility and visibility we need to stay ahead. The ability to generate optimal plans in real-time has streamlined our workflows and empowered our teams to make faster, smarter decisions every day.”
ICRON Demand empowers businesses to navigate uncertainty through accurate forecasting using AI-driven methods that take into consideration historical data, reaTime updates, and fast adaptation to changing market conditions and disruptions.
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