04/03/01
AirLiance Materials Unveils Additional Functionality to Current E-Commerce System for Air Transport Industry

Enhanced E-commerce Site Offers Significant Enhancements and Allows First-Time Users Immediate Access to On-the-Shelf Commercial Aircraft Parts

Chicago, IL (April 3, 2001) - AirLiance Materials has announced the completion and implementation of additional functionality to its current business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce system designed to offer airline, air transport and MRO customers ease in the acquisition, delivery and tracking of commercial aircraft parts. The upgraded system now grants immediate, temporary access to potential customers, allowing them instant access to AirLiance's inventory of on-the-shelf parts and supplies used in the maintenance and operation of commercial aircraft commonly flown by national and international carriers.

AirLiance's initial e-commerce site, launched in 1999, was one of the earliest in the 'e'-aviation markets. The system was designed to serve customers on all levels of sophistication. AirLiance's main objectives for the release of its new e-procurement system were guided by feedback gathered from its customers.

"The key word for the second phase of the B2B e-com system was 'simple,'" said Marek Kiklas, Director of Information Systems. "We enhanced the site and navigation system to make it exceptionally simple even for first-time or occasional users, yet powerful enough to make it far simpler and faster for advanced users to fulfill the demanding logistics and management requirements of even the most sophisticated airlines. It is structured to provide all the information the customer needs to make the parts procurement decision and automates the process from initial inquiry to confirmation of parts delivery."

The system is fully integrated to companies ERP and displays relevant material documentation online, simplifying the acquisition decision-making process. New highlights include an advanced "shopping cart" simplifying RFQ and order processing, automatic e-mail confirmation of orders processed with Airway Bill numbers for tracking, and reporting tools for historical quote and sales.

The AirLiance e-system is one of the industry's few real-time, production-linked systems. Unlike "catalog-based" systems, it is equipped with the interface to the production database disclosing real inventory status to customers.

"The thrust of our development has always been towards an organization which offers an electronic portal interface that is focused on the needs of the buyers," said Roscoe Musselwhite, Executive Vice President. "In addition to pushing the envelope in intelligent e-commerce, we continue to leverage our founding partner's operational experience toward that end." He added, "The system, continuously enhanced, is now in the metamorphic stage of becoming a permanent and central tool in the supply chain management plans of AirLiance's business partners. The system and the partner airlines procurement systems will allow seamless information flow and processes integration."

Created for airlines, by airlines, AirLiance Materials is a jointly owned company formed by United Airlines, Air Canada and Lufthansa Technik. It is the exclusive supplier of high-quality, traceable, surplus parts from the three operators to the global air transport industry. The company operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Headquartered in its 187,000 sq. ft. facility, AirLiance Materials is located at O'Hare International Airport in Chicago. The company offers its products and services through an international network of offices around the world and their e-commerce site www.airliance.com. AirLiance Materials offers a wide range of supply chain related aircraft products and services for its customer airlines and maintenance repair organizations. These products and services include material sales, sourcing, repair management services, parts exchanges, parts kitting, AOG and Just-In-Time services.

ISO 9001:2000 certified, AirLiance Materials employs advanced systems and technology to reduce the costs and complexity of obtaining high-quality engine and airframe parts for its partners and non-partners. The company's partners, United Airlines, Air Canada, and Lufthansa Technik, combine to operate more than 1,000 aircraft and generate 17 percent of the world's available seat miles.

For recent news releases and other information, please visit the website at www.airliance.com. For more information on the release, contact Michael King at King Group: 805.462.3000, e-mail: mking@kinggroup.com, or Kimberly Miller at AirLiance Materials: 847.233.5828, e-mail: kimberly.miller@airliance.com.

back to current news -->