Case Studies
Honeywell — Grimes
Rolls-Royce
Smiths Aerospace Low-Cost Manual Updates
TQS
Case Study — Smiths Aerospace Low-Cost Manual Updates
Smiths Aerospace Electronic Systems - Dayton (formerly Leland Electrosystems) manufactures a wide variety of mechanical and electrical components installed on many different aircraft and ground support equipment. Their product lines include:
- Mechanical rotary inverters that convert DC to AC power
- Static (electronic) inverters that convert DC to AC power
- Electrical generators (AC and DC outputs)
- Electrical starters
- Variable Speed Constant Frequency (VSCF) generators
- Generator Control Units (GCU)
- Bus Switch Units (BSU)
Around 2001, Smiths Aerospace (the corporate parent) tasked Smiths Electronic Systems - Dayton (Smiths ES - D) with preparing a list of manuals that required updating. Based on this, Smiths ES - D reviewed all requests for product support for the period of 1990 and later and compiled an overall list. The resulting list was analyzed, based on frequency and nature of requests, and a final list of manuals requiring updating was generated.
One key problem was electronic files–there were none. Many of the products were developed back in the 1960s and 1970s when paper was king and the typewriter was the main implement for generating manuals. As a result, Smiths ES - D had to determine how to get their paper files into electronic format for publication. Another problem was the style, format, and even company name on many of the manuals were different. In the 1990s, Smiths ES - D had purchased several product lines from General Electric. The manuals that came with the product lines were either out of date or lacking in general safety guidelines. Smiths ES - D had to determine how to update and standardize the manuals without breaking the bank.
Smiths ES - D approached O'Neil & Associates and asked for help. A team of O'Neil publication experts analyzed his dilemma and came up with a workable, low-cost solution. It was decided that the best, most-efficient way to approach the problem was to scan the original documents and place the pages into a FrameMaker file as TIF (raster) images. We were then able to use the capabilities built into FrameMaker to electronically place revised information over the incorrect or out-of-date information. For extensive revisions, entire pages could be generated to either augment or replace the information in the manual.
As a result of this approach, a variety of information can easily be added to or updated in the manuals. This includes:
- Updating parts lists to comply with Engineering Change Notices.
- Updating consumable material manufacturer's contact information.
- Adding warnings and cautions to existing procedures that may be lacking in safety information.
- Incorporating Service Bulletins and Service Letters.
- Revising procedures to incorporate new configurations.
In addition, we have added new front matter for all manuals, presenting a standard look and feel for the document. This includes:
- A Highlights page to show what changed in the revision and note where it occurred.
- A revised title page to help "brand" the component as a Smiths ES - D product and provide standardized contacts for product support.
- A Safety Advisory page to help limit potential liabilities and provide standard safety practices.
- A Record of Revisions page to show the revision status of the manual.
- A List of Effective Pages to ensure all pages present in the file could be checked for effectivity.
- A Table of Contents and, where applicable, a List of Figures and List of Tables to help end users navigate the document.
Another benefit to this methodology is the ability to standardize the headers to show Smiths ES - D as the responsible manufacturer and to give a consistent look to the headers, footers, and print area of each page.
The last step of the process is to take the electronic document and generate a PDF file for publication. Smiths ES - D requires three PDF files, one optimized for printing, another optimized for screen viewing (such as on the Web), and a file containing only change pages and their backing pages. We do this by using the capabilities of Adobe Acrobat to select either a high resolution (for printing) or a lower resolution (for online viewing) when distilling the documents. We also add bookmarks to aid online navigation. The bookmarks are set up for a two-level indenture, allowing both major topics and primary headings to be navigated to easily.
After completion of an update, the files are delivered to Smiths Aerospace (the corporate parent) for distribution. Since the files are in PDF format, file size is not such an issue as it would be in some other files. Additionally, since the files are maintained in a quasi-electronic format, they can be easily updated on an annual basis.