By Suzanna Kerridge, 29 April 1999 00:20
NEWS Service provider, Baan, has been ditched by Dutch airline KLM after failing to meet project deadlines for the integration of an aviation maintenance system. The airline hired the company in March 1998 to replace the engineering and maintenance system - which not been upgraded since the 1970s - with an ERP (enterprise resource planning) package. Hugo Baas, communications manager for KLM, said the partnership "didn't work out". "A year ago we hired the company to oversee the implementation programme to group maintenance software in engineering and the maintenance department. We announced at the time that in due course we would evaluate the processes and the project," he said. According to Baas, lengthy discussions with Baan proved pointless. "We have both found that the goals have not been reached within a reasonable time frame. We discussed the options and came to the conclusion that to continue the program would not be advisable." Baas said he has "a few names in mind", to take over the contract, but would not specify details. SAP is predicted to be the most likely contender. In a written statement, Baan denied that it stands to lose DM75m (£25.3m) as a result of the airline's decision. The Dutch company claims the "financial impact of the joint decision to terminate the development agreement is minimal". KLM originally chose Baan to implement the BaanSeries ERP package to manage aviation maintenance. The applications included material services and line maintenance.
In order to post a comment you need to be registered and logged in.
Log in or create your silicon.com account below