MIRO Announces AuRA™ Version 2005

MIRO Technologies announced today that the release of AuRA™ Version 2005, which incorporates 171 modifications and represents over 5,000 man-hours of new development, is currently being installed at customer sites in a phased approach. This latest AuRA release includes 65 enhancements, all of which are available to the growing list of AuRA customers worldwide. AuRA desktops improved in this new release include: Maintenance Programs, Work Package Execution, Engineering Orders, Deferment Management, Inventory Details, Work Order Inquiry, Structure Receiving, Structure Remove & Install, Post Flight Details, Parts Catalog and System Codes.

Developed specifically to meet the needs of the commercial airline and third party MRO market, AuRA is a fully integrated solution, covering all the aspects of both maintenance and supply.

For a summary of the most significant enhancements incorporated into AuRA v2005, just link to the full article.

Cargo360 selects AuRA™ ASP solution

Seattle-based start-up airline Cargo360 has selected MainTrack’s MRO solution based on the AuRA™ software from MIRO Technologies. AuRA will be delivered as a Managed Service by MainTrack Services B.V. (MainTrack), the Application Service Provider (ASP) who has teamed with MIRO and T-Systems as the host provider.

“MainTrack’s ASP is the perfect solution to support an entry-into-service start-up airline like ours,” said B.J. Smith, Cargo360’s SVP - OPS. “The simplicity of accessing AuRA over the Internet truly lends itself to the active control of on-going worldwide operations,” he continued. “AuRA will help us ensure the highest levels of safety and operational excellence by allowing us to exercise tight control over our engineering and maintenance activities; it provides us with the metrics necessary to better serve our customers while controlling costs as we continue to expand.” Smith added, “From a business perspective, the MainTrack ASP model just makes sense; you get access to world-class IT systems like AuRA, without the cash flow burden associated with software licenses, servers, or internal IT infrastructure costs. MainTrack takes care of IT integration complexities for us; this allows us to concentrate on our core business functions.”

“We are delighted to welcome Cargo360 to the MainTrack ASP community,” stated Robert Kok, joint Managing Partner and co-founder of the MainTrack Group. “We are happy to see the trend for airlines to outsource their IT applications catch on and Cargo360 joining big names like Embraer, who already use the MainTrack ASP.”

Lockheed Martin extends AuRA™ deployment

Lockheed Martin UK, prime contractor for the Royal Navy’s top, multi-mission Merlin Mk1 helicopter, has now successfully deployed AuRATM to provide the key automated maintenance management system at the Merlin Avionics Workshops (MAWS) at the Royal Naval Air Station (RNAS) Culdrose in Cornwall.

Lockheed manages the MAWS as part of the Merlin Support and Spares Availability System programme. At the start of this phase of MSSAS the performance of the 2nd line avionic repair loop was causing concern and impacting Merlin operational availability. Now, with Lockheed Martin managing the MAWS and using AuRA to control all maintenance related activity, this aspect of the Merlin supply chain performance has improved significantly.

“AuRA is one of our preferred logistics management tools in our UK defence business, and it is complementary with MIRO’s GOLDTM application used elsewhere in the corporation,” said Richard Lansdell, Lockheed Martin Customer Support Manager. “The software and support we get from MIRO Technologies has brought success for both companies.”

“We are delighted with the successful ‘Go-Live’ of AuRA at RNAS Culdrose,” said Vincent Monteparte, President of MIRO Technologies, “and continue to value our long-term relationship with Lockheed Martin in the UK.”

GOLD™ implemented at Naval Aviation Depot - Cherry Point

MIRO Technologies’ GOLD™ software was successfully implemented at the Naval Aviation Depot (NADEP) at Cherry Point, NC in support of a U.S. Navy Performance Based Logistics (PBL) contract for the repair of CH-46 and CH-53 helicopter Auxiliary Powers Units (APUs). GOLD was selected by Hamilton Sundstrand Power Systems, San Diego, CA, and its third party logistics provider, AAR Defense Systems & Logistics in Wood Dale, IL.

“We are thrilled about the success of the implementation on this U.S. Navy APU PBL,” said Vince Monteparte, President of MIRO Technologies. “This implementation shows the versatility of GOLD as an integrated contractor logistics support system and solidifies our standing as the system of choice when it comes to PBL and CLS.”

In addition to its robust inventory management and repair tracking capabilities, GOLD has the ability to communicate seamlessly with DOD legacy supply systems via MILS, used by Navy aviation units and at NADEP Cherry Point. GOLD is a Commercial-Off-the-Shelf (COTS) product, representing Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) industry best-practice processes in a Contractor Logistics Support (CLS) environment. It allows a contractor to support an installed weapons system by acting as a Contractor Inventory Control Point (C-ICP). GOLD™ supports 15 of 18 U.S. Air Force Contractor Supported Weapons System (CSWS) today, as well as the Navy’s largest PBL contract, Boeing’s F/A-18 E/F FIRST program.

RAF Sea King fleet migrates to WRAM

The convergence of rotary wing platforms across all three UK MOD services continues with the recent announcement of plans to migrate the RAF Search and Rescue Sea King fleet onto MIRO’s Work Recording & Asset Management (WRAM) system.

Following a decision by the Headquarters Strike Command, the Joint Helicopter Command (JHC), and the DLO’s Sea King Integrated Project Team (IPT), the 25 Sea King Marks 3 and 3A of the RAF Search and Rescue fleet will migrate onto WRAM this year. The IPT and its principal customer JHC will now have full visibility of all marks of Sea King on a single WRAM database. This decision follows earlier decisions by the Lynx IPT to bring all marks of Lynx helicopters from the Royal Navy, and Army onto WRAM, and more recently to have the new Apache Longbow Attack Helicopters managed using WRAM.

Lt Cdr Don Bourne of the Sea King IPT said, “WRAM is one of our key management tools, and having all of our Rotary Wing aircraft on a single system instead of two will mean far more effective asset and fleet management.“

“WRAM has been in service with the UK MOD for almost 12 years and has been fielded in three major conflicts, both ashore and afloat,” said Vincent Monteparte, President of MIRO Technologies. “We believe that WRAM’s deployability is unique and it is a feature we are building on with the new WRAM Online application, together with a number of other innovations to bring continued value to the MOD.”

Lewis E. Curtis III joins MIRO advisory board

MIRO Technologies is pleased to announce that Lewis E. Curtis III, Major General, USAF (Ret) joined the MIRO Advisory Board earlier this year. The retired general brings 35 years of Air Force experience in aircraft maintenance and logistics management, plus ten years of private industry experience in consulting, business development and strategic planning to his new role.

“We are delighted that Lew Curtis is now a member of our Advisory Board,” said Vincent Monteparte, President of MIRO Technologies.

Major General Curtis retired from the Air Force in January 1996, where he most recently commanded the San Antonio Air Logistics Center, Air Force Materiel Command, Kelly Air Force Base. At Kelly, he commanded 14,000 military and civilian personnel responsible for system support of 35 types of aircraft and Air Force inventory of jet engines for the C-5, T-38, T-37, F-5 and other aircraft operated by U. S. allies. Currently, Curtis is President of GIG Concepts, Inc., a consulting firm that has supported numerous clients including Lockheed, Boeing, Raytheon, Northrop Grumman, Pratt & Whitney, the USAF and USN.