The Airport Cooperative Research Program, a U.S.-based industry-driven, applied research program that develops practical solutions to problems faced by airport operators, has selected CH2M as its research partner for developing practical step-by-step guidance material to improve the journey for the aviation industry and, specifically, airport managers when designing and implementing or refining a robust and reliable Computer Maintenance Management System.

With a complex set of systems rivaling that of a small city, the challenge of conducting airport maintenance activities in a timely and systematic manner with adequate resources is necessary to optimize operations and avoid negative safety and efficiency impacts to airlines, the traveling public and tenants.

CH2M, and sub-consultant Electronic Data, Inc., will work with ACRP to develop guidance that will:

• identify which airport system is likely to provide the highest value when implementing a CMMS;
• describe the steps necessary to implement the identified system into a CMMS;
• provide the factors that an airport should consider when prioritizing the systems for inclusion into the CMMS in a phased approach; and
• provide the steps for integrating CMMS into business decision making.

Under the leadership of CH2M’s Principal Investigator John Fortin and Deputy PI and Project Manager Laith Alfaqih, the ACRP 09-14 research report will result in focused recommendations for best leveraging the investment of a CMMS, from the very beginning stages of identifying critical staff and resources needs, to the evaluation methodologies and considerations to determine which airport systems to prioritize for integration, all the way to the critical steps to phased implementation of those key airport systems into the CMMS.

This research is a continuation of the work Fortin and the CH2M team are performing on ACRP 09-13: Considering Life Cycle Costs in Airport Asset Procurement, which is expected to be completed by October 2016.