Airbus to Use RFID Tags in Its Aircraft Part Supply Chain

Two RFID tag makers are now working with one of the largest aircraft companies in the world in what one tag maker's CEO hopes will be a revolution in the aircraft part supply chain.

MAINtag SAS and Tego, Inc. are producing a new line of part-tracking RFID tags for Airbus. The aircraft manufacturer will be using the tags to track thousands of components and parts for the A350 XWB aircraft models.

Tego CEO and Founder Tim Butler told SCMR he hopes the initiative will change the way aircraft manufacturers and their partners look at their products' components.

Right now, Butler said, the standard method of tracking parts is to simply slap a part number on the part somewhere. Even if that part number doesn't become obsolete within weeks, which is common in aircraft manufacturing, a part number won't be able to tell anyone anything more than what the part's number is.

The new system of RFID tagging, Butler said, will go way beyond part numbers. The durable tags, tough enough to handle any kinds of conditions, will be able to store up to 32 kilobytes of data. Now, anyone with a scanner that can read the tags will be able to determine where and when the part was built, where and when it was installed, or any details on whether, when, or how the part may be broken, along with many other types of data. There's even room for part manuals, too, he said. 

"Anything that can be done to that part now has visibility," Butler said.

Even after a faulty part has been removed, Butler said, the RFID tags can provide data to track common problems, which can lead to better-made parts in the future. 

The current plan is to use the tags on thousands of parts used in Airbus planes. Butler said the system works with any part that requires regular maintenance and overhaul, ranging from components inside a jet's engine, to wing components, wheel components, and even parts of the in-flight entertainment system.

Prices for the tags vary depending on what conditions they will need to endure, data capacity, and other factors, but Butler estimated the average costs will range from $10-$30 per tag. That's cheap, he said, considering many of the parts using the tags can cost hundreds of dollars or more, and the tags are good for the life of the part.

Despite the cost, Butler said it hasn't been a hard sell to Airbus' third-party partner manufacturers. Butler said the part makers don't foot the bill for the tags, and even if they did, Butler said the reaction so far has been very positive. In fact, Butler said the part makers can benefit from use of the tags, too, and some are considering expanding use of the tags beyond just those sold to Airbus.

"They already inherently see the value," Butler said. "They view this as a catalytic event for the industry."

Source: Sean Murphy