FL Technics Implements LEAN Principles at Base Maintenance Facility
FL Technics is highlighting the company’s implementation of LEAN principles across its heavy maintenance facilities. The company notes that this change has improved turnaround times and helped to streamline workflows.
FL Technics is a global provider of maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services. The company also plans to apply the LEAN methodology at its new base in Punta Cana, the Dominican Republic.
In 2014, Žilvinas Lapinskas, CEO of FL Technics, introduced LEAN principles into the company’s maintenance procedures. After three years, the company began seeing results, and by the fifth year, FL Technics noted significant operational improvements.
“Implementing LEAN was not easy, especially in aviation, where change often meets resistance,” Lapinskas says, “But by involving our employees and proving the benefits step by step, we transformed our hangars into highly effective operations.”
Lapinskas continues, “Today, LEAN not only improves our service quality and turnaround times but has also earned the trust of leading airlines worldwide. The same approach has already proven successful in our facility in Indonesia, and as we expand to Punta Cana, we bring this philosophy to the Americas.”
How FL Technics is benefitting from using LEAN principles
FL Technics asserts that every stage of the workflow is benefiting from the impact of LEAN. The team starts each morning with short stand-up meetings, which involves:
- Setting priorities
- Naming challenges
- Identifying progress already made
Later, the team shares critical information all the way up to the CEO level.
Using the A3 methodology, FL Technics addresses problems with the the plan–do–check–act cycle. This reduces the time it takes for engineers and managers to:
- Identify issues
- Determine solutions
- Implement improvements
“We’ve redesigned our hangar’s workflow to make operations more flexible and efficient,” Lapinskas adds, “By rotating staff according to customer needs and task complexity, and providing guidance from experienced managers, we can allocate people more effectively across projects. This allows us to complete maintenance faster, directly benefiting our airline customers.”
Supply chain management has also been improved with new digital tools that help with maintaining inventory levels, so the parts needed are always available for maintenance procedures without needing to overstock each time.
FL Technics has also invested in technology to improve accuracy and speed in its operations. This involves integrating tools such as dentCHECK technology into base maintenance operations.
The dentCHECK technology includes a handheld, wireless 3D scanner with built-in augmented reality (AR) capabilities. The system provides immediate, actionable measurements of critical airframe damage, reducing human subjectivity in assessments and offering benefits like:
- Enhanced consistency by up to 18 times
- Improved accuracy by 20 times
- Time savings of up to 90%
According to FL Technics, the dentCHECK solution has improved inspection efficiency.
Base maintenance teams are also now testing helium-based leak detection tools that use helium as a tracer gas. Helium is comprised of tiny molecules and takes up minimal presence in the atmosphere, giving it the power to offer highly accurate leak detection. The method is both faster and more precise than traditional detection techniques.
This gradual robotization of repetitive tasks gives specialists more time to focus on higher-value work, whether the tasks be:
- Training
- Procurement
- Administrative functions
The company’s teams also benchmark themselves against peers by visiting competing MRO providers and learning from industries further along the LEAN journey.