OREANDA-NEWS. July 12, 2016. Rolls-Royce and Microsoft Corp. are collaborating to harness the power of digital technology to transform the aerospace industry.

This collaboration brings together best-in-class solutions for aerospace engineering and cloud computing, including advanced analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT), to fundamentally change engine-related operations and services. This capability will be incorporated into Rolls-Royce’s industry-leading TotalCare® services to significantly reduce cost, improve on-time performance and provide better value to our customers and the industry as a whole.

Built on the Microsoft Azure cloud platform and utilising Microsoft’s Azure IoT Suite to collect and aggregate data from disparate, geographically distributed sources and Cortana Intelligence Suite to uncover data insights, the new digital capability is able to manage and integrate much broader quantities of airline operational data.

Using a range of smart data analysis capabilities and predictive tools, and engineering expertise to add additional insight, the results will help airlines reduce fuel usage, fly routes more efficiently, and ensure the right teams and equipment are in place to service engines more quickly and maintain the highest levels of availability.

Rolls-Royce is targeting a significant improvement in airline efficiency, a step-change in resolving engine-related issues, supporting a vision of every journey, for every passenger, taking off and landing on time, every time.

Tom Palmer, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President, Services – Civil Aerospace, was joined by Caglayan Arkan, Microsoft, General Manager, Worldwide Manufacturing & Resources, and also Captain KK Goh, Singapore Airlines, Vice President Flight Operations Control and Technical, to affirm that Singapore Airlines is supporting the work of Rolls-Royce as lead airline development partner, ensuring that data services deliver solutions that really work for airlines.

Tom Palmer said: “We have done much over the last twenty years to reduce costs and improve efficiency, but we want more. We must now exploit digital capability and big data technologies to proactively drive to an even higher level of operational performance. Teams will take signals and information from many sources and turn it into an individual aircraft strategy that uses the least fuel, avoids disruption, and is serviced with minimum downtime.

“We are excited to have an industry leader like Microsoft working with us and have Singapore Airlines, a highly-valued, forward-looking organisation, providing their guidance and insight.”

Caglayan Arkan said: “We are excited to bring the power of the Microsoft Azure cloud to the aerospace market and support a world leader such as Rolls-Royce. Aircraft engines are hugely valuable assets and we want to help Rolls-Royce ensure they are operational and function with the highest level of fuel efficiency. When we combine our skills with those of Rolls-Royce and their customers we have a powerful solution.”

Captain KK Goh said: “Our Flight Operations and Efficiency teams are working closely with Rolls-Royce to drive performance to the highest possible level in our business. We can see real savings when data and robust analytics are applied to support decision making in our processes and actions.” 

Further information is available at: http://news.microsoft.com/en-gb/#sm.0001h3aso98qjflnvu228tc3xkinl