Technical Data as a Service (TDaaS)

Building and supporting a product requires data interoperability among a manufacturer and its suppliers and partners. That isn’t always happening, leading to quality and timeliness issues. Also, digital threads require ease of data interoperability and collaboration so corrections can be made promptly, reducing overall cost and resolution time while improving customer service.

By combining innovative building blocks, TDaaS provided a leading-edge enterprise grade solution that:

• Delivers a world-class TDP experience for manufacturers in a secure and personalized way;
• Provides a single accurate source of information;
• Enforces standards via an industry-leading integration framework and reduces system silos;
• Expands visibility and reach;
• And adds capabilities leveraging a platform that’s built to scale.

TDaaS benefits the manufacturing industry by delivering increased productivity and efficiency; improved quality assurance; streamlined design and development cycles covering the complete ecosystem; increased collaboration internally among business units and externally with suppliers and partners; and reduced risk and cost overruns.

The project team delivered a prototype TDaaS solution that includes TDP Integration Hub, an applications and data integration platform and framework featuring application programming interfaces (API) and powered by IBM's webMethods. It also includes TDP Interactive Portal, a user interface (UI) portal to facilitate data visualization, workflows, and business processing that is powered by viax.io. The solution established building blocks for suppliers to effectively collaborate with manufacturers.

The prototype was built around two Boeing use cases: Supplier Collaboration for Initial Onboarding and Supplier Collaboration for Production of the Part.

The solution demonstrated:

• Improved supplier interaction in the sourcing and manufacturing of an assembly, such as sharing of TDP information between the supplier and the manufacturer during the outsourcing selection process.
• Dynamic sharing of production measurements with the supplier to allow for just-in-time machining of parts for final installation into an aircraft.
• Enrichment of TDPs with production measurements, the supporting supplier machining quality information, and installation notes from the OEM. This includes direct matching to Boeing tail numbers for easy identification and tracking.

Demonstration of the Prototype TDaaS Solution