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Published on September 10, 2007

Thai Airways International has acquired cutting-edge materials-management and maintenance systems from Boeing.

The airline is at the forefront of airlines that are using e-enabled tools to achieve greater efficiency, Boeing said from Seattle last week.

THAI becomes the 11th customer of Boeing's "Integrated Materials Management", a programme under which Boeing manages supplier-owned inventory at airline maintenance locations. The programme promotes reduced inventory holding and reduces supply-chain management costs for the airline.

THAI will only pay for parts as it uses them, thereby significantly reducing inventory holding costs and improving its return on assets. Boeing takes responsibility for purchasing, inventory management and logistics of the carrier's expendable aircraft parts.

The flag carrier will also use "Maintenance Performance Toolbox" to streamline maintenance on its fleet of Boeing 737s, 747-400s and 777s.

Toolbox represents the industry's first set of productivity tools to unify an airline's maintenance and engineering operations from start to finish, said Boeing. Thirty-five carriers have acquired Toolbox since the first customer signed up in late 2005.

"Thai Airways is successful because our customers know they will be treated to a superior flying experience," said Tummasak Chutiwong, THAI managing director for technical services.

"That means we must constantly improve our performance, which is exactly what these e-enabled tools help us do. We are pleased to have Boeing as a partner in striving for the high standards we set for ourselves."

Increasingly over the last 12 months, airlines have been embracing the value of adopting multiple Boeing e-enabled products and services that interact seamlessly and help drive efficiency and performance.

In late 2005, THAI became one of the world's first airlines to sign up for Boeing's "Aeroplane Health Management".

"We're seeing growing momentum in terms of airlines choosing multiple Boeing products and services as they see how these offerings can be combined to provide tailored solutions to unique challenges," said Mark Owen, vice president of material management for Boeing Commercial Aviation Services. "Thai Airways has a strong reputation for focusing on its customers, and we're gratified that the airline sees these tools as a way to improve its service."

All three e-enabled programmes acquired by THAI represent core technologies in Boeing's strategy to provide an integrated suite of products for the air transport system. Central to the effort is the idea that data, information is collected and shared across an entire enterprise.