BOX Computer Adopted in the Core System for Aircraft Maintenance
- Customer
- Japan Air Commuter Co., Ltd. (JAC)
- Industry
- Transportation
- Contec products
- BOX Computer BX-955S
- Goals
- Space saving, Work efficiency improvement
When Windows XP support was ending and budgets were tight, Japan Air Commuter kept its J-MAC aircraft maintenance system running on about 70 fanless Contec BOX computers with Windows Embedded Standard 2009.
Overview
Japan Air Commuter Co., Ltd. (JAC) was founded in 1983 in Amami Oshima, Kagoshima, to serve Japan’s remote southern islands. Part of the Japan Airlines (JAL) group, it now flies 20 routes and carries 1.82 million passengers a year, with no fatal accidents in more than thirty years. Since 2000 its J-MAC core system has managed nearly all maintenance data for its 25 aircraft, from parts and engineering to maintenance planning, said Shin-ichi Iwamoto of the Maintenance Management Division.
Challenge
J-MAC ran on Windows XP, and JAC had planned a full system overhaul by 2014, when XP support ended. In 2011 the JAL group’s financial situation forced a change of plan: JAC needed to keep the system running on a limited budget. Running the old devices with a virtualized OS was ruled out for security reasons and group restrictions.
Solution
JAC found Contec industrial computers running Windows Embedded Standard 2009, which let it keep its XP software. Iwamoto said the fanless BOX computer offered high flexibility and durability and came closest to what JAC wanted. About 70 units have been installed since March 2014.
Contec lent a demonstration unit, verified operation together with JAC and responded quickly to customization requests, including a whitelist security system and customized Windows Server Update Services for automatic OS updates.
Results
- Remote management: programs and settings are changed from the Kagoshima head office instead of visiting each airport
- Space saving: the compact A5-size units are managed in batches in the server room
- Smooth transition: local staff kept working as usual during the changeover
- Long-term use: industrial hardware supports a core system that must last as long as the fleet
Contec products used
Originally published by Contec Co., Ltd. at contec.com.