SAN RAMON, Calif., – April 9, 2002 – Relevant Business Systems, developers of ERP software, today announced that its IPB (Illustrated Parts Breakdown) database system has been selected by Lockheed Martin Aeronautics Company as the standard across all Lockheed facilities, including Ft. Worth, TX, Marietta, GA, and Palmdale, CA. Relevant’s IPB module was originally developed based on requirements provided by Palmdale’s Skunkworks facility, where Relevant software has been in use since 1992. The Lockheed Martin Skunkworks facility is world-renowned for its rapid prototyping capabilities as demonstrated in such projects as the F117 Stealth Fighter, the U-2 and most recently, the F-35 JSF (Joint Strike Fighter).

“The IPB system is essentially a ‘live’, computerized, interactive tool used to develop an ‘owner's manual’ to assist in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) of large end items such as aircraft,” explains Bruce Anderson, ERP specialist, and original implementor of the Relevant system at Lockheed. “The system maintains all data required for the composition and production of IPB manuals and has the capability to be linked to ‘illustrative data’ or drawings and documents, all of which can be updated in real time.”

The IPB “manuals” include Front Matter (Table of Contents, List of Illustrations, List of Applicable Service Bulletins, etc.), Maintenance Parts Lists (MPL text), containing illustrations, part numbers, descriptions, quantities, notes, codes, and a Part Number and Reference Designation Index. The IPB “illustrated parts list” assists maintenance and supply personnel in requisitioning, storing, issuing, and identifying parts. Parts are listed in “disassembly” sequence, such that the mechanic working on an installation or assembly shall remove the lowest part first.

Relevant’s Windows-based IPB module was designed to meet the distinct format and style specifications of military aircraft, yet can also be easily modified to produce manuals in the ATA 200 format of commercial aircraft. It is capable of storing and maintaining multiple publications for various aircraft models and IPB component manuals at one time.

The system also features a one-screen approach to input part number data, “an important feature,” according to Lockheed user, Lee Hunter, “as it significantly reduces input time when compared with many main-frame IPB systems.”