Ramco Systems Opens Innovation Lab In Singapore

Ramco Systems (Ramco) in association with Air France Industries KLM Engineering & Maintenance (AFI) inaugurated an engineering lab to develop advanced aviation IT solutions such as wearables for ground engineers and drones to inspect aircraft on the tarmac in Singapore.

Launched at the Singapore Airshow, the lab will work on next-generation applications and develop intellectual property (IP) to solve major problems facing the MRO industry.

The formation of the lab comes amidst rising concerns that the global MRO industry is trailing in innovation and could face major bottlenecks amidst continued growth in international air traffic, as well as expansion of airports.

The lab is located at Ramco’s regional headquarters in Singapore. The Lab is Ramco’s most significant aviation investment in Asia to date, the company said. The lab will gradually scale up to employ more than 50 global innovators in Singapore, who will work on solutions such as:

“Internet of Things”, or embedded sensors for aviation components;

Machine learning equipment which can cut down on manual maintenance and checking;

Analytics for engineering planning and optimisation to reduce aircraft on ground (“AOG”);

Robotics for the shopfloor and drones to inspect aircraft on the tarmac; and

Wearable devices including Google Glass for on-ground engineers.

“With its strategic location and business-friendly environment, Singapore is growing in prominence as a preferred investment hub. We are happy to have partnered with Singapore EDB in setting up this co-innovation Lab, which will be the platform for developing solutions that can transform operations for the complete eco-system of the aerospace industry,” said P R Venketrama Raja, vice-chairman & managing director, Ramco.

“We are pleased that Ramco has chosen Singapore to establish their largest Innovation Lab outside of India,” said Lim Kok Kiang, assistant managing director, Singapore Economic Development Board which has supported in setting up the lab.

“Through this Lab, Ramco will work with leading aerospace companies and airlines in Singapore to co-develop and catalyse lead adoption of transformative digital solutions. The collaborations will enable delivery of greater value and new services offerings for the industry from Singapore.”