Research and
development
For us, innovation is key—standing still is not an option. With strong partnerships across academia and industry, we constantly explore new avenues and bring these advancements into the products and solutions we offer our clients.
RAPADO research project
The RAPADO project, supported by the German Aerospace Center (DLR) and funded by the German Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Digital Infrastructure, is a pioneering initiative that aims to transform the documentation and certification processes in the aviation sector. In partnership with the Free University of Berlin, RAPADO is leveraging Distributed Ledger Technology (DLT) to ensure the secure and seamless documentation and certification of aircraft surplus materials. Currently, the aviation industry commonly reuses, repairs, and trades aircraft components. However, the process remains largely paper-based, leading to inefficiencies such as lost documentation, which can make parts unusable or even compromise safety. RAPADO seeks to address these issues by developing a fully digital and tamper-proof system for managing aircraft parts certification. This new approach will not only reduce the need for new parts production, making the process more sustainable, but also significantly improve safety through complete and immutable documentation.The project aims to create an industry standard, using open-source technologies and working closely with the International Air Transport Association (IATA) to promote widespread adoption across Maintenance, Repair, and Overhaul (MRO) providers. By introducing digital identities for aircraft components and using blockchain to track certification and history, RAPADO is set to revolutionize the MRO industry—ensuring greater efficiency and security while contributing to a more sustainable aviation sector.
Project status
2024
The RAPADO project has made significant progress over the past three years, building on the momentum of earlier achievements. During the most recent reporting period (April 2023 to March 2024), further important advances were realized. Below is a summary of the key milestones reached and challenges encountered throughout the project to date:
Key achievements
01.
Completion of conceptual design
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02.
Development of
digital identity management
03.
Platform and user interface progress
04.
Data privacy and blockchain security
05.
Integration with IATA MRO SmartHub
Completion of conceptual design
The initial design phase is complete, and the solutions are being implemented. Over one million documents from five aircraft were digitized during large-scale testing, with special attention to data privacy and security.
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Development of digital identity management
The digital identity management system has been finalized, and existing solutions for digital signatures were deemed sufficient, reducing the need for custom-built features.
Platform and user interface progress
The platform’s user interface is almost complete, though further optimization is needed to improve response times for large datasets.
Data privacy and blockchain security
Collaboration with the Free University of Berlin continues to focus on decentralized data privacy and security issues, ensuring the platform’s compliance with industry standards.
Integration with IATA MRO SmartHub
The RAPADO system is being successfully integrated with IATA’s MRO SmartHub, enabling the creation and retrieval of digital certificates, which is essential for broad industry adoption.
Emerging challenges
1
Need for maintenance requirement validation
The aviation industry has expressed a growing need for automated validation of maintenance records within the RAPADO system. Initially not part of the project, this feature is now considered essential for market acceptance, especially given the shortage of qualified personnel to manually review documents.
2
Post-COVID industry impact
The pandemic has caused a significant loss of expertise in the aviation industry, making it harder to verify used parts’ documentation. RAPADO is working to address this challenge by enabling the secure use of certified used parts.
3
Digitization of paper documentation
To meet industry needs, RAPADO is developing solutions for scanning and integrating paper documents into the digital system, which will help smaller enterprises participate without significant IT investments.
Outlook and future steps
The RAPADO project has already developed a working prototype, and the project timeline has been extended until mid-2025 to incorporate additional industry-driven requirements. This extension will allow the integration of key features, such as automated maintenance validation, into the platform. The project aims to significantly enhance the aviation sector by reducing costs, improving safety, and promoting the use of certified used parts, contributing to a more sustainable industry. With strong partnerships and positive feedback from key market players and the IATA, the RAPADO platform is expected to set new standards in aircraft surplus material management, ensuring greater efficiency and security throughout the supply chain.