- Productization
Delta
A sophisticated analysis tool automates complex data modeling to streamline budgeting and optimize purchase decisions.
The Challenge
Delta TechOps, the division tasked with managing a large inventory of new and overhauled parts for Delta Airlines, had internally developed a prototype of a tool that would automate cost optimization calculations. However, Delta's engineers and analysts found it largely unusable, so they were still relying on manual calculations.
These cost estimate calculations were intensely complicated and time-consuming due to the scale of Delta's maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) operations and the complexity of jet engine maintenance. With tens of thousands of parts per engine, cost estimation models took data analysts weeks to produce and limited their ability to compare alternative scenarios.
Our Solution
7Factor created a new application using Vue for the frontend and the Laravel framework for the backend which integrated into the existing TechOps infrastructure. Using an existing API to get functionality in place, the new Cost Analysis Tool (CAT) automated previously labor-intensive, intricate analysis, allowing engineers to complete what had become a month-long annual process in just a day.
CAT empowers engineers to analyze multiple solutions, answer complex questions, and arrive at precise conclusions, all while saving Delta money and keeping passengers and crew safe. CAT also broke open the previous bottleneck of data analysis so that anyone on the engineering, finance or maintenance team could use it to analyze projections or variances.
$1.5B
Annual spend on maintenance materials
10,000
TechOps technicians, engineers & other staff
25,000
Parts for one turbofan jet engine
~696
Hours saved per calculation with CAT
What Sets Us Apart
At 7Factor, we don’t just automate—we shape intuitive experiences that tackle our clients’ challenges and help their business grow. We also take the time to troubleshoot thoughtfully and keep timelines moving forward without sacrificing a high-quality product. For the first few months of the project, the 7Factor team had to develop in the dark without access to actual data and internal code. Not wanting to fall behind schedule, the team adapted and started development using a dummy dataset created for them by Delta TechOps Lead Data Scientist Rachel Smith.
Along the way, the team also asked as many questions as possible to nail down the user experience, as well as the exact type of calculations that were being done. “They asked really unique questions,” said Smith. “I like to do that too: entertain the full context of what I’m doing. What’s the big picture? The goal? The message? Why are we doing this? Conversations that don’t directly have to do with the task at hand, but that helped them understand what they were building out.”
Months later, when the 7Factor team gained access to the TechOps infrastructure, that same context helped them quickly adapt the tool to the actual code and data. Thanks to the team’s focused dedication, CAT has been a great success at TechOps, dramatically streamlining processes, automating key records, and democratizing data to support the airline’s world-renowned, full-service aviation MRO division.
