When you’re running a complex MRO operation, you’re sitting on a goldmine of data—procurement, repairs, TAT, scrap, supplier performance, pricing, capacity, you name it.
But for most MRO executives, that data is scattered, hard to trust, and even harder to turn into clear, actionable decisions.
This is exactly where Safran’s Wheels & Brakes operations in the US were stuck—and where our Solution Finder came in.
In this use case, we’ll walk through how Aero NextGen connected Safran to the right solution providers to:
- Build business insights analytics for Procurement and Operations
- Deploy an AI conversational layer so leaders can literally “talk to their data”
- Audit transactional-level data to uncover root causes
- Identify strategic initiatives to grow Wheels & Brakes operations across the US
And most importantly: how you, as an MRO leader, can follow a similar path without wasting 12–18 months evaluating the wrong tools.
The Challenge: Data Everywhere, Insight Nowhere
Safran’s Wheels & Brakes business is a high-volume, high-stakes environment. Every decision around procurement, capacity, and operations has a direct impact on:
- Turnaround time (TAT)
- On-time delivery
- Margin per work order
- Inventory and working capital
- Customer satisfaction and contract renewals
Like most mature MRO organizations, Safran already had systems in place—ERPs, point solutions, spreadsheets, legacy reports.
The problem wasn’t a lack of data. It was that:
- Procurement and operations data lived in different systems
- Transaction-level visibility was limited or slow to access
- Root cause analysis required manual effort from analysts
- Leadership teams couldn’t easily simulate “what if” scenarios
- Strategic decisions were often based on partial views, not a single source of truth
Safran needed more than another dashboard. They needed:
- A robust analytics layer across Procurement and Operations
- The ability to drill down to transactional-level detail
- An AI-powered interface that made complex analysis accessible to non-technical users
That’s where Aero NextGen’s Solution Finder came into play.
Step 1: Using Solution Finder to Match Safran With the Right Providers
Instead of starting from a blank slate and running a long RFP process, Safran engaged Aero NextGen to accelerate the search.
Through our Solution Finder platform, we:
- Mapped Safran’s requirements
- Focus on Wheels & Brakes operations across the US
- Deep analytics for Procurement and Operations (not generic BI)
- Ability to ingest and normalize data from multiple systems
- Strong support for aviation/MRO-specific KPIs and workflows
- AI/ML capabilities for recommendations and conversational analytics
- Shortlisted specialized providers
From our vetted network, we identified solution providers with:
- Proven experience in aviation/MRO analytics
- Ability to handle high-volume transactional data
- Existing AI conversational layers or the capability to build them
- Strong track record with complex, regulated environments
- Facilitated structured evaluations
We coordinated demos, technical deep dives, and proof-of-concept discussions so Safran’s teams could validate:
- Data integration feasibility
- Performance at scale
- Security and compliance
- Usability for operations, procurement, and leadership teams
Instead of spending months searching the market, Safran quickly narrowed down to the providers best aligned with their operational reality.
Step 2: Building Business Insights Analytics for Procurement & Operations
Once the right partners were selected, the focus shifted to building a robust analytics foundation.
Procurement Analytics
The solution providers worked with Safran to build a procurement insights layer that could answer questions like:
- Which suppliers are driving the most delays and cost overruns?
- Where are we overpaying relative to historical or benchmark pricing?
- How do lead times and quality vary by supplier, part family, or region?
- Where can we consolidate spend or renegotiate based on actual performance?
This required:
- Ingesting purchase orders, receipts, and quality data
- Normalizing supplier, part, and contract structures
- Creating standardized KPIs and scorecards for supplier performance
Operations Analytics
On the operations side, the analytics layer focused on:
- Turnaround time by shop, work center, and product line
- Bottlenecks in the Wheels & Brakes process flow
- Scrap and rework trends by part, program, or customer
- Capacity utilization and labor productivity
- Margin analysis at a transactional and program level
The result: a unified view that connected procurement and operations decisions to real financial and operational outcomes.
Step 3: Adding an AI Conversational Layer – “Talking to the Data”
The next step was where things became truly transformative.
Safran’s leaders didn’t just want dashboards. They wanted to be able to ask questions in plain language and get reliable, data-backed answers.
The selected providers deployed an AI conversational layer on top of the analytics stack, enabling users to:
- Ask questions like:
- “Where did we lose the most margin last quarter in Wheels & Brakes?”
- “Which suppliers caused the most delays on US programs in the last 6 months?”
- “Show me TAT trends by customer and highlight outliers.”
- Drill down to transactional-level data directly from the conversation
- Generate recommended strategic initiatives based on patterns in the data
Instead of waiting days or weeks for custom reports, executives and managers could:
- Explore data in real time
- Validate or challenge assumptions quickly
- Align procurement and operations decisions with actual performance
This “speak to your data” capability turned analytics from a static reporting tool into a daily decision-making companion.
Step 4: From Insight to Action – Strategic Initiatives for Growth
With analytics and AI in place, Safran’s Wheels & Brakes teams were able to identify and execute strategic initiatives, such as:
- Supplier optimization
- Rebalancing volumes toward higher-performing suppliers
- Targeted renegotiations where data showed consistent overpricing or underperformance
- Process improvements in operations
- Addressing specific bottlenecks in the US shops
- Reducing rework and scrap in high-impact product lines
- Aligning staffing and capacity with actual demand patterns
- Margin and growth initiatives
- Focusing on the most profitable customer and program segments
- Identifying where improved TAT and reliability could unlock new business
The combination of deep analytics + AI conversational access meant that strategic decisions were grounded in real, granular data—not just high-level summaries.
Why This Matters for MRO COOs and Aviation Executives
If you’re leading an MRO business today, you’re likely facing similar challenges:
- Fragmented data across multiple systems
- Limited visibility into true cost drivers and bottlenecks
- Slow, manual analysis cycles
- Difficulty connecting procurement, operations, and financial outcomes
Safran’s journey shows what’s possible when you:
- Start with a clear operational problem (not just “we need AI”)
- Leverage a curated network of specialized providers
- Build a strong analytics foundation before layering AI
- Make data accessible through conversational interfaces
- Tie everything back to concrete strategic initiatives and growth
You don’t need to build this from scratch. You need to find the right partners—fast.
How Aero NextGen’s Solution Finder Helps You Get There Faster
Aero NextGen’s Solution Finder was built exactly for this type of challenge.
Instead of:
- Spending months researching tools
- Sitting through generic demos
- Trying to decode which vendor actually understands MRO
You can use our Solution Finder survey to:
- Share your current systems, pain points, and priorities
- Specify whether you need analytics, AI, ERP, workflow tools, or a combination
- Get matched with vetted solution providers who already understand aviation and MRO
From there, we help you:
- Shortlist the right partners
- Structure evaluations and pilots
- Avoid common pitfalls that delay or derail digital projects
Safran is one of the many aviation leaders that have leveraged our network to move faster, de-risk decisions, and unlock real operational and financial impact.
Ready to Find Your Own Safran-Style Solution?
If you’re an MRO COO, aviation executive, or business owner who:
- Knows you’re sitting on underused data
- Wants clear visibility across procurement and operations
- Is curious about AI but needs real, measurable outcomes
You don’t need a 100-page RFP to get started.
Take the Solution Finder survey and get matched with the right providers for your MRO operation.
You’ll receive a tailored shortlist based on your size, systems, and goals—so you can focus on strategy and execution, not vendor noise.
