Mass. firm to help Airbus track parts

OATSystems, IBM team up in RFID deal

RFID technology will help Airbus keep track of its inventory. (Martin Bernetti/AFP/Getty Images)

OATSystems Inc. of Waltham will join with IBM Corp. to build a new inventory control system for the European aircraft manufacturer Airbus. Privately held OATSystems says the multiyear deal will be the biggest deployment of radio frequency identification, or RFID, technology ever attempted by a manufacturing company.

Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed.

In the new system, companies that provide parts and supplies for Airbus planes will attach RFID chips to the components. When these chips are within range of an RFID reader, they will broadcast identification data. By posting RFID readers at various points in the supply chain, Airbus and its suppliers will be able to track the location of millions of airplane parts, allowing more efficient inventory control.

"It lets you collect information without manual intervention," said Carlo Nizam, head of Airbus's RFID program.

At a time when US carriers like Southwest Airlines are under fire for neglecting aircraft maintenance, an RFID system could simplify upkeep. Tags attached to vital air frame, engine, or electronics components would make it easy to identify parts that are due for overhaul or replacement. Keeping track of parts is a massive challenge for Airbus, a consortium of European aerospace companies that makes its airplanes in 16 factories in four countries.

Until now, Airbus has applied RFID systems on a limited basis, in specific parts of its manufacturing process. The deal with IBM and OATSystems will result in a companywide network that will use RFID technology to track components throughout the lifecycle of an aircraft.

"This is going to save them hundreds of millions of dollars," said Paul Cataldo, OATSystems' vice president of marketing. "They're going from a manual supply chain to a digitally managed supply chain."

Nizam said the company worked with a number of suppliers before settling on IBM and OATSystems. "IBM and OAT was the best solution overall for us," said Nizam. "It fitted in quite nicely."

He said the IBM-OATSystems software came with built-in programs that were compatible with Airbus's manufacturing methods.

Martin Wildberger, IBM's vice president for sensor solutions, said that Airbus was already tagging cabin items, such as under-seat life vests, which some passengers remove from the aircraft as souvenirs. In future years, maintenance personnel armed with RFID readers will be able to check a plane's inventory of life vests simply by walking through the aisle with an RFID scanner.

Hiawatha Bray can be reached at bray@globe.com.