AMTE 326

MAINTENANCE PLANNING AND CONTROL

 LESSON 8
PRODUCTION PLANNING AND CONTROL
ORGANIZATION
 INTRODUCTION
⮚ Production Planning and Control (PP&C) is the heart of
the maintenance and engineering (M&E) organization.
⮚ It is primarily responsible for planning and scheduling of
all aircraft maintenance activity within the airline.
 PP&C ORGANIZATION
⮚ Planning work can be done by a centralized and
decentralized PP&C group.
a) Centralized Group – all functions: forecasting, planning,
and control are done within the organization with liaison
to the work centers during actual performance of work.
b) Decentralized Group – the forecasting and planning is
done by each work station. If the airline structure and
size is such that the planning has to be done by the
individual work centers instead of a centralized group.
MAINTENANCE AND ENGINEERING ORGANIZATION
Vice President of Maintenance and Engineering

Production Planning and Control Department

Manager

Maintenance Planner Long Range Planner

 MANAGER, PP&C
⮚ Responsible for the planning department and its
functions. This includes:
a) Making sure that all assigned maintenance and inspection planning activities
are accomplished according to the airlines policy, and FAR’s and the
company’s required maintenance programs.
b) Must have the cross-functional ability to work with other departments
within the airline’s organization
c) Plan, coordinate, and route aircraft to maintenance bases in a timely
manner.
d) Take appropriate and necessary action which may affect the airline’s daily
operation.
 MAINTENANCE PLANNER, PP&C
⮚ They are assigned to different maintenance bases.
⮚ One maintenance planner can track two or more maintenance bases and is
normally the contact for maintenance bases for planning schedules.
⮚ Primary function is to develop all scheduled work and work scope needed for
all line maintenance and hangar maintenance aircraft.
⮚ Its duty is to track and monitor the completion of all planned work assigned
to a maintenance base and the aircraft.
⮚ Coordinates with the stores department about any logistics required for
maintenance planning.
 LONG RANGE PLANNER, PP&C
⮚ Does both short term and long term planning and forecasting of
aircraft maintenance, which consists of:
a) “C” check and main base visit checks.
b) Structural repair (fatigue, crack, corrosion).
c) Painting
d) Lease return
e) Retirement
f) Any upcoming airworthiness directives (AD).
 LONG RANGE PLANNER, PP&C
⮚ Long range planner’s responsibilities are:
a) Designing the work plan.
b) Ascertains logistics availability.
c) Decides which facility can best perform repair and modification
due to its capability and the aircraft location
d) Relocates the aircraft to a facility required maintenance.
e) Ensures that all work is completed according to the company’s
policy and manual and that the AD is credited for work
performed satisfactorily.
THE PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL DEPARTMENT’S
FUNCTION
⮚ PP&C has three (3) functions: Forecasting, Planning, and Control.
a) FORECASTING ACTIVITIES includes: estimating maintenance workload for the
existing fleet, creating business plans, and being aware of any changes in the
forecast period.
b) PLANNING ACTIVITIES involves:
▪ Scheduling upcoming maintenance, planning and scheduling details (manpower, parts,
facility).
▪ Time frame requirements for such maintenance: less than “A” check items, daily items,
48 hour checks, and letter checks. These plans would include incorporation of SB’s, Fleet
Campaign Directives (FCD’s), SL’s, and AD’s.
▪ Maintenance Tasks such as engine changes, fuel nozzle changes, gear changes, and
generator changes deemed necessary by the airlines.
THE PRODUCTION PLANNING & CONTROL DEPARTMENT’S
FUNCTION
c) CONTROL FUNCTIONS allows for adjustments of the plan and keeps (or
attempts to keep) a check on schedule.
⮚ Several methods of adjusting the plan includes:
▪ Deferral of maintenance to a later check.
▪ Addition of personnel to complete the work.
▪ Outsourcing the work to a contractor.
⮚ Feedback from a check allows PP&C to adjust the planning effort for
future checks.
⮚ An old saying for PP&C is “ PLAN your WORK, and WORK your
PLAN.”
 FORECASTING
⮚ Concerns with the future workload of the M & E organization.
⮚ The PP&C department is responsible for reviewing and providing upcoming
maintenance on the aircraft fleet. This requires:
▪ Workload planning.
▪ Goal setting.
▪ Implementing.
▪ Monitoring.
▪ Routine and Non routine maintenance requirements.
▪ Changes in future operations relative to maintenance.
▪ Tracking of changes in fleet size, routine structure, facilities, manpower,
and skills requirements.
 FORECASTING
⮚ Future plans may also accommodate:
a) The aging and replacement of new equipment.
b) Corrosion prevention control program.
c) Addition of new equipment.
d) Modification of equipment.
e) Upcoming AD’s and SB’s.
⮚ Forecasting functions ensures that M&E and PP&C are up to date
on these changes and ready to adjust their processes and
procedures accordingly.
⮚ Forecasting are usually made for long, intermediate and short
term.
 LONG TERM FORECASTING
⮚ Would be for 5 to 10 years.
⮚ The changes that are planned by the airline in the long term will
affect maintenance and engineering activities.
⮚ This changes will impact scheduling, budgeting, training,
manpower, and facilities within M&E.
⮚ Adjustments must be made in all areas of M&E to meet its goals
and objectives.
⮚ Long term forecast is general in nature and subject to revision on
a yearly basis.
 SHORT TERM FORECASTING
⮚ More detailed and covers 1 to 2 years.
⮚ Contains more definitive plans with attention to actual man
power and budget numbers.
⮚ Schedules for checks and known modifications are finalized.
 INTERMEDIATE TERM FORECASTING
⮚ Would be for 2 to 5 years.
⮚ Used by larger airlines
 PRODUCTION PLANNING
⮚ Deals with the day to day activities of M&E.
⮚ The goal of M&E is to deliver airworthy vehicles to the flight department in
time to meet the flight schedule, with all maintenance activities completed
and deferred.
⮚ Production planning involves planning of all maintenance activities:
a) Daily
b) 48 hours
c) Transit checks
d) Letter checks
e) Modification due to Airworthiness Directives (AD’s)
f) Service Bulletins (SB’s) and Service Letters (SL’s)
g) Engineering Orders (EO’s)
h) Planning for manpower, parts, supplies, facilities.
i) Coordination with flight operations, ground handling, and support
activities.
 PRODUCTION PLANNING
⮚ The daily, 48 hours, and normal line maintenance checks are usually
standardized and require no effort on the part of the PP&C other than
scheduling.
⮚ Additional tasks, whose interval is less than the “A” check are usually added
to these checks or performed concurrently by a separate work crew.
⮚ The Engineering are the one to develop the appropriate work packages and
issued as necessary for the required checks.
⮚ The Maintenance Control Center (MCC) administer the checks and routine
tasks to the line maintenance.
 MAINTENANCE AND ENGINEERING
(M&E) DEPARTMENT

PRODUCTION
MAINTENANCE
PLANNER AND
CONTROL
CONTROL
CENTER (MCC)
(PP&C)

LINE
ENGINEERING MAINTENANCE

QUALITY QUALITY
ASSURANCE CONTROL
(QA) (QC)
 RELATION OF ENGINEERING TO PLANNER
⮚ Engineering has develop the maintenance plan from the Maintenance
Review Board (MRB) or Ops Specs document and divided the work into:
a) Appropriate Work Packages
b) Identifying the task to be done
c) The intervals at which they will be done
d) Manpower requirements for each tasks
⮚ Planner must now must now take this engineering package to:
a) Plan the work
b) Schedule the work
c) Adjust the work
d) Adding any additional tasks as necessary