The only KPI that really matters in MRO

TAT (Turn-Around Time) is the total time between receiving equipment for overhaul and returning it to the customer. It covers everything: assessment, waiting for parts, work, testing, quality control, and dispatch. It is the primary contractual commitment of an MRO workshop to its airline customers.

Because the condition of the equipment is unknown on intake. Operation time cannot be read from a routing: it is discovered at the technician's assessment. On top of that come waits for parts, supplier warranty and test benches: the initial schedule changes considerably, and without the right tool each reorganisation costs lead time, which adds up to days of TAT. Static scheduling cannot cope with this variability: it takes dynamic scheduling, able to recalculate continuously.

By attacking queues rather than working time. Three levers, in this order: measure the number of days spent in each status and the actual position of WIP; only schedule workable work to avoid clogging the queues; automatically re-sequence at every disruptionDisruptionAn unplanned event that invalidates the schedule: machine breakdown, absence, missing part, non-conformity, additional work discovered during inspection.See in the glossary → using a priority score.

Status and dwell-time tracking, before anything else. It requires no infrastructure and immediately delivers a map of the queues. Geolocation comes next, to eliminate manual data entry for everything that can be deduced from a position, automate stage-change tracking by geofence, and measure actual downtime on the test bench.

Touch time is the time actually worked on the equipment. TAT is the total lead time. The gap between the two is waiting — and that is where most of the opportunity lies. Measuring them separately is the first step of any TAT-reduction project.

Making wait time visible. Real-time geolocation provides actual dwell time by zone and by test bench, automatic WIP inventory, movement spaghetti diagrams, congestion heatmaps — and enables comparison of the declared status in the ERPERPEnterprise Resource PlanningIntegrated management software (SAP, Sage X3, Oracle…). It handles orders, stock, bills of materials, and work orders, but schedules by the week, not by the hour.See in the glossary → with the physical reality of the shop floor.

To carry the right information on the object, continuously and without paper. It displays the reference, batch, priority and next step; it updates remotely when scheduling recalculates the sequence; it flags urgent jobs, such as an AOGAOGAircraft On GroundAircraft grounded due to a missing part or repair. An absolute emergency: every AOG request takes priority over everything else on the shop floor.See in the glossary → in MRO; it is geolocated in real timeReal timeData updated continuously from the shop floor, with no re-entry or consolidation delay.See in the glossary →, so the object can be found at once; it carries a QR link to the documentation. It replaces the paper job traveller, removes the risk of an outdated version and secures digital sign-off.

No. Your ERP remains the system of record for work orders, routings and bills of materials: it was designed for management, not for detailed scheduling. ROBIN connects to it through standard connectors (SAP, Sage and others) and takes over what it cannot do: dynamic finite-capacity scheduling and real-time shop-floor data (tracking, geolocation, actual progress).

The same goes for an existing MRO system: ROBIN pulls its work orders, routings and standard hours, and adds the layer it lacks. Your ERP investment is preserved.