Volvo Aero secures first IT-order in product support field

VOLVO AERO SECURES FIRST IT ORDER IN PRODUCT SUPPORT FIELD Volvo Aero has secured its first major order for software systems. The company has been selected as the supplier of a new maintenance and planning system, Maintenix. The purchaser is the U.S. company DynCorp, which intends to use the system to enhance the efficiency of maintenance on the U.S. Army's C-12 aircraft. The order represents a significant breakthrough for Volvo Aero. DynCorp plans to use Maintenix to enhance the efficiency of maintenance on the U.S. Army's C-12 aircraft. The system is to be installed in 176 aircraft stationed at some 80 bases worldwide. Volvo Aero secured the order in the face of competition from a number of established companies in the sector. DynCorp, which has some 17,000 employees, is one of the largest suppliers of maintenance on military aircraft in the U.S. The value of the order has not been officially disclosed. The most interesting aspect of the order is that the company is now offering the market totally new products. Prior to this order, Volvo Aero in Trollhättan has mainly been known for its hardware products, such as components for aircraft and rocket engines. However, the company has also worked with service and maintenance for many years, an operation that currently accounts for more than half of the company's sales. As a natural extension of this activity, software is now being developed that supports service and maintenance operations, in which the company's experience and expertise can be utilized and applied in new systems. Maintenix is a software system for operation, planning and maintenance that was developed for the aerospace industry. The system calculates when an aircraft or an aircraft engine requires maintenance, and also registers every detail of the maintenance procedures subsequently performed.Maintenix is part of a product portfolio consisting of several IT systems designed to enhance the effectiveness and efficiency of product support and reduce maintenance costs in the aviation industry. Volvo Aero cooperates with Mxi Technologies Inc. of Canada in the sale and implementation of Maintenix. Mxi Technologies is a software company that focuses on the development of product support systems for the aerospace industry. "For understandable reasons, Volvo Aero has developed the system primarily for aircraft engine applications, but it can equally well be applied to maintenance work on other aircraft components - or components in other types of vehicles," explains Jan-Ove Östensen, business manager in Advanced Product Support at Volvo Aero. December 22, 1999 For further information, please contact Jan-Ove Östensen, +46 520 47 74 24. ------------------------------------------------------------ Please visit http://www.bit.se for further information The following files are available for download: http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/12/22/19991222BIT00620/bit0001.doc http://www.bit.se/bitonline/1999/12/22/19991222BIT00620/bit0002.pdf