March/April 2024 - 31

DIGITALIZATION
FAA would dive into our documentation
and request additional information,
but quickly satisfying their requests was
difficult when everything was captured
on paper and in spreadsheets. "
Proving the Value
of Digitizing Asset
Management
As part of its commitment to safety and
adherence to FAA regulations, Rockford
prioritized the search for an asset lifecycle
management solution to centralize data
and bring efficiency to daily operations
and inspections.
With digital asset management,
Rockford could maintain meticulous
records of assets, inspections, and maintenance
activities, ensuring the necessary
documentation could be quickly and
easily provided during FAA inspections.
The solution would also provide realtime
visibility and a comprehensive view
of airport assets for efficient monitoring,
management, and maintenance to minimize
operational disruptions and ensure
FAA Part 139 compliance.
Rockford selected an asset management
system provided by the technology
firm Trimble to digitize the airport's
inspection workflows. To implement
the new system, Rockford engaged
award-winning consulting firm CMT,
who has served since 1978 as the airport's
planning and design provider. Of
particular value for Rockford's implementation
project was the fact that CMT
has special expertise in the full lifecycle
of airport infrastructure, from planning,
design, and construction to asset management-capabilities
that align with
the airport's strategic goals and certification
objectives.
" We have developed a strong relationship
with Rockford over the years, "
said Jim Box, MCSE, Asset Management
System Specialist at CMT. " So, we
welcomed the opportunity to help the
airport modernize its processes and earn
Part 139 certification. "
With support from airport infrastructure
expert Tim Pearson of Tim
Pearson Consulting, CMT configured
Team members can
collect information,
upload pictures,
and report
observations on
a mobile device,
seamlessly
connecting
workflows between
the field and the
office.
the Trimble Cityworks asset management
system for Rockford in just three
months and was instrumental in ensuring
that the digital workflows facilitated Part
139 compliance. After just one round of
FAA review and within three months
of implementation, the FAA approved
Rockford's transition to the digital solution
for Part 139 compliance.
" The
smooth deployment of
Rockford's new system, coupled with
the rapid FAA approval, demonstrates
that with the right solution and business
partners, digital transformation can
be efficient and seamless, " said Pearson.
" Digital workflows are enormously beneficial
for improving an airport's safety
operations and compliance. "
" Based on our years of experience
serving commercial service airports, "
said Box, " we were able to understand
Rockford's workflows and processes,
provide insights and recommendations,
and tailor Rockford's asset management
environment to fit the airport's needs,
both now and in the future. This holistic
approach was extremely helpful in facilitating
successful outcomes. "
Today, Rockford digitally tracks
service requests, work orders, and safety
inspections, and has replaced paper and
clipboards with mobile data collection
in the field. This data entry significantly
reduces the potential for errors and saves
valuable time and resources by eliminating
redundant tasks.
" Before implementing digital asset
management, we tracked everything
with a clipboard and paper, which was
not only time-consuming and errorprone,
but was also difficult to access and
prolonged the FAA inspection process, "
Automating Daily
Inspection Reports
With geospatial capabilities at its foundation,
Rockford's asset management
solution serves as the system of record for
all asset-related data. Airport operations
team members can easily locate, prioritize,
and track work orders and maintenance
activities. Each inspection and repair is
automatically associated with the asset
in the GIS database, and team members
can collect information, upload pictures,
and report observations on a mobile
device, seamlessly connecting workflows
between the field and the office.
The information needed to document
regulatory compliance is automatically
captured and organized, allowing
Rockford to generate accurate and comprehensive
reports with a few clicks. 
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JON GREEN
Jon Green is the Director of Airport Solutions for
Trimble's Owner & Public Sector. With more than
20 years of aviation industry experience, Jon
has served in various roles, including Aviation
Business Development Manager, Aviation
Program/Project Manager, and Military Airfield
Manager at several locations in the U.S. and
internationally while on active duty in the United
States Air Force. Jon is also a certified Project
Management Professional (PMP).
MARCH/APRIL 2024 \ AVIATIONPROS.COM / 31
said RFD's Fisher. " Using the historical
data captured in Trimble Cityworks, we
can look back in time and quickly determine
the condition of the airfield on any
day during the previous year. The FAA
report gives us everything we need to
answer difficult questions and provide
documentation the FAA requests, at the
click of a button. "
http://www.AVIATIONPROS.COM
March/April 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of March/April 2024
