INFORM GmbH

Advanced Optimization Software to Improve Planning and Operational Decision Making

Company Profile

• Turnaround Management

  Every year flight delays result in millions of dollars in costs. In order to achieve efficiency in a hub or turnaround operation, all related departments, processes and events have to be controlled in a manner.

  As a sophisticated process-monitoring and steering tool, INFORMs Turnaround Management Solution ensures that factors that may negatively affect a seamless turnaround are easily and promptly identified, and that their impact on the operation can be evaluated and corrected.

  

• Workforce Management

  Flexible shift and working time models are hot topics among airline and ground handling management. The workload demand fluctuates significantly. Staff scheduling has to cope with unpredictable flight changes and employee absences. A high quality, cost effective service can only be realized, when the complexity of workforce management is mastered.

  INFORMs Workforce Management Solution is a fully-integrated rostering solution containing an optimizer, which takes into account complex and dynamic requirements. Thus, the planning process complexity can be mastered.

  

• Gates and Stands Management

  Another big challenge for many airports is to adjust their own infrastructure to the ever increasing volume of traffic.

  INFORMs Gates and Stands Management Solution offers the entire range of strategic, seasonal and tactical planning for the control of gates, apron positions and terminal resources. To this end, the solution automatically provides all relevant data and makes them available to users and third-party systems. Equally important is the customer satisfaction of both airlines and passengers. In this case, punctuality and preferences in the allocation of gates and service counters are crucial factors.

  

• Ramp Services

  INFORMs Ramp Services Solution covers all services that are incurred during the ground time of an aircraft and are required for successful aircraft handling. Besides the monitoring of ramp handling, aircraft loading, baggage handling and baggage transport, INFORMs solution includes aircraft movements, aircraft services and ground transportation. Due to excellent optimization methods both cost-effective processes and high customer satisfaction are achieved.

  

• Passenger Services

  The conduct of a successful passenger service often requires a significant number of employees with different skills and skill profiles. Constant changes of the flight schedule and passenger booking figures require continuous rescheduling of the handling activities. The increasing trend towards self-service and congested terminals places the regular planning and scheduling of business processes to the forefront.

  INFORMs Passenger Services Solution provides a real-time scheduling system for employees, geared towards the specific needs of passenger handling at these service points. Its powerful optimization methods enable a cost-effective solution resulting in a high customer satisfaction.

  

• Special Services

  The need of assistance for passengers with reduced mobility (PRM) or special requirements poses a number of challenges, particularly at airports with high passengers volumes. Such assistance is not only time-consuming but also requires the consideration of individual needs in a very dynamic environment. Therefore, Special Services providers face a need for more staff in order to offer its contract customers (airlines and airports) a high-quality service.

  With INFORMs Special Services Solution the management of all staff, assistance requests and equipment can be efficiently planned and coordinated including origin and destination information in real-time. INFORMs solution provides efficient support in the planning and allocation of resources and the ability to use mobile devices to provide full control over the execution of the services.

  

• Aircraft Line and Base Maintenance

  Planning aircraft maintenance staff is a complex task. Especially in view of line maintenance a considerable part of the workload cannot be estimated in advance and operational situation almost always differs from previously created plans. The profitability depends on a well-balanced staff availability with the actual amount of work they carry out.

  INFORMs Aircraft Maintenance Solution addresses these challenges and provides a system that supports from the planning stage to the assignment all operations of a dispatcher. The real-time scheduling system provided by INFORM results in a complete overview of all planned tasks for the day, employees and the corresponding allocation of the aircraft. Through the use of INFORMs first-class optimizer, which reacts to any changes in the plan, the dispatcher can easily focus on situations that require special attention.

  

• Transfer Management

  Due to increased passenger transfer operations and shorter ground times, monitoring passenger and baggage connections becomes increasingly important.

  INFORMs Transfer Management Solution supports the entire transfer operation: From dispatching of terminal staff for short and missed transfer connections to performing changes in the reservation system to evaluating the operation efficiency (KPI) through dashboards and reporting.

  

• GSE Management

  Aviation related fleet operations are under significant cost pressure and forced to improve their efficiency by optimized resource allocation and reduced fleet sizes. At the same time they have to improve their service levels, guarantee a safe working environment for their staff and protect their valuable assets.

  INFORMs GSE Management Solution tracks and monitors Ground Service Equipment (GSE) during their operation on the ramp and offers on-line information about location, operational status and further telematics input. INFORMs solution offers a wide spectrum of reports for any controlling purpose of the equipment, e.g. efficiency and incident reports.

  

• Cargo and Express Shipping

  INFORMs Cargo and Express Shipping Solution has proven its success for the optimization of air cargo logistics which is applicable to either global cargo hubs or smaller operations. With interfaces to FIS and cargo information systems, the solution addresses warehouse and warehouse-to-aircraft transportation processes proactively and under optimization criteria.

  INFORMs solution supports the strategic and tactical planning of transport processes and the operational deployment of resources by determining the need for personnel, equipment and ULDs based on flight information and statistical data.

  

• Deicing

  The control of aircraft deicing is often reactive and on very short notice. Lack of communication and cooperation between stakeholders often leads to avoidable delays and inefficiencies. In addition, some of the employees are less experienced than employees in other sectors due to a seasonal business demand.

  INFORMs Deicing Solution addresses all challenges linked with aircraft deicing and offers the best support for optimized deicing processes. Requests can be carried out automatically via a connected interface, or conveniently registered by verbal requests. Besides the scheduling of staff, deicing vehicles and deicing areas are considered in the planning.