Executive Summary
Icelandic cargo carrier Bluebird Cargo sought a solution to help manage their Quality and Safety Systems efficiently and effectively, in order to ensure compliance with standards such as EU-OPS and EASA Parts 145 and M.
At Bluebird Cargo, Q-Pulse has streamlined the management of audits, corrective actions, document control and more. The company are also able to manage risk, safety reporting and investigation more effectively.
With Q-Pulse, Bluebird Cargo are now able to integrate the management of Quality and Safety within a single solution, which has increased the efficiency and effectiveness of their systems.
The Background
Part of the Icelandair Group, Bluebird Cargo operates a fleet of 4 Boeing 737-300 and 2 Boeing 737-400 Freighters. The company is primarily involved in the transportation of express freight and courier material on behalf of freight forwarders and companies providing express parcel services.
Bluebird Cargo is based at Iceland’s Keflavik Airport and operates into airports including Cologne, Cork, Rennes, Jersey, Copenhagen, Geneva, and Leipzig. Established in 2000, the company was also the first Icelandic airline to be certified from the start of operations under JAR-OPS 1.
The Challenge
As Director of Quality Assurance, Gunnar Flóvenz is responsible for the airline’s compliance with standards such as EU-OPS, EASA Parts 145 and M, as well as numerous other national and international regulations, ranging from the transportation of dangerous goods to aviation security.
"We have been using Q-Pulse at Bluebird Cargo since 2005," explains Gunnar. "We chose the system to manage the requirements of JAR-OPS 1 and EASA Part-145. Q-Pulse offers powerful, yet user-friendly modules to manage audits, corrective actions, document control, assets, training and more."
In addition, Bluebird Cargo needed to be able to manage safety occurrences, incidents and their investigation, as well as to effectively manage risk.
"The system that we used previously to report, track and respond to occurrences was problematic and rigid. In many cases I had to find manual workaround methods to compensate for the previous system’s inability to provide the customised output I needed.
"At the time, several software solutions we had reviewed appeared to be focused exclusively on occurrence reporting. With many of the solutions we looked at, one of the problems was this lack of flexibility, which, while making them initially simpler to use, causes problems in the long run.
"Another example was when the ICAO and the Icelandic CAA requested changes to the structure and format of our risk matrix. I encountered problems with our previous system since I could not make the changes that the regulators requested."
In order to manage compliance with standards, as well as national and international regulations, Bluebird Cargo found itself in need of a software solution that would enable them to increase the effectiveness of their systems as well as to streamline the management of Quality and Safety.
Gunnar said: "In order to improve our management of Quality and Safety, we felt that it was more beneficial to manage all Quality and Safety information using a single database. In addition, in managing the requirements of the ICAO SMS we felt that Q-Pulse was the most effective system to use in moving forwards."
The Solution
"We upgraded to the Integrated Management System (IMS) version of Q-Pulse in 2008, based on its reputation for effectiveness and a high degree of flexibility. Q-Pulse IMS has enabled us to integrate the management of Quality and Safety within a single software solution," adds Gunnar. "The integration between modules means that the system is very flexible and is fully configurable to the Bluebird Cargo way of working. The pricing offered was also found to be very competitive, especially in light of the functionality offered."
The Benefits
Gunnar said: "Q-Pulse is delightful to work with. Personally I find it to be user friendly, but as with all such systems, there is a lot you have to learn. As for the interface of the average user most of us find the system fairly simple to use.
"In managing so many SMS activities Q-Pulse offers great flexibility, with an unbelievable amount of features. No two SMS systems are identical in design or size, and most countries and airlines have their own way of interpreting and doing things, making flexibility vital.
"The risk matrix in Q-Pulse is completely configurable, whereas the risk matrix in our previous system was fixed and was of a type predominantly used in the UK. Now, where ICAO and the Icelandic CAA request changes to our risk matrix, I can quickly and easily make them in Q-Pulse.
"In addition, in filing MOR occurrence reports in our previous system there was nothing I could do but start writing them out by hand. Now with Q-Pulse I simply arrange the data fields the way the CAA want, and it gives me the exact output they want at the touch of a button – problem solved.
"The technical support offered as part of Q-Pulse is nothing short of excellent, and is undoubtedly one of the best in the market. Any issues that arise are addressed quickly and efficiently by professionals, leaving the customer with the impression that he is well cared for.
Gunnar concludes: "As is probably evident I am very fond of the system! Bluebird Cargo is travelling on the road of continuous improvement and Q-Pulse has proved to be an invaluable companion on that journey."