In recent years, the airline industry has undergone dramatic changes. Low-Cost Carriers have emerged not only in Europe and North America but are also making their way in Asia, especially in India and China. This has also put additional pressure on legacy airlines to further reduce cost wherever possible. Moreover, new aircraft such as Airbus A380, Boeing B787 and Airbus A350 have entered or will be entering into service in the next few years.

As a consequence, a new business paradigm for spare parts management is emerging in the industry: Rather than selling spare parts to airlines, an OEM (Original Equipment Manufacturer) or its designated service provider will provide spare parts to airline clients with guaranteed service levels "just in time" whenever needed.

D-SIMLAB’s flagship product for the aviation industry is D-SIMSPAIR, an advanced simulation-based spare parts planning and optimisation system. D-SIMSPAIR enables the ongoing paradigm shift in the aviation industry and can be applied across the entire lifecycle of a spare parts logistics network:

• Before ramp-up of new aircraft entering into service to design the logistics network support structure and for contract negotiations with airline customers to manage margins in an optimal manner
• During ramp-up to minimise costs at a time when spare parts are still provided under warranty
• In a matured network to minimise redundancies and eliminate inefficiencies at all times