Saab Delivers Manuals to the Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation

Saab has successfully set up and produced maintenance manuals for Mitsubishi Aircraft Corporation’s new airliner, the Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ). This is the largest technical information contract Saab has received related to a non-Saab product.

In 2009, Mitsubishi Aircraft assigned Saab to write technical documentation for the MRJ. Development of technical information demands great technical knowledge and understanding. Saab was selected for the role as one of the world leading companies in this field.

Since then, maintenance manuals containing tens of thousands of pages, all written in simplified, technical English, have been produced. They will serve as basis for the in-service support of the aircraft and are currently being transferred to Mitsubishi Aircraft in preparation of the flight testing and certification phase of the MRJ deveplopment. The transfer from Saab was finalised in January 2018.

The project has also been covering design and production of the technical information system that holds the manuals. The design and development is performed in Japan, whilst the setup and production for technical information is located at Saab’s premises in Sweden. The system meets the ASD-S1000D standard, an international specification for production of technical publications.

“Challenging and much rewarding aspects to this project has been differences in both languages and culture, as well as collaborating across two different time zones. This would not have been possible without the will from all parties to achieve the objectives defined at the beginning of the project”, says Joakim Thörnkvist, head of Technical Information department at Saab.

Transferring knowledge and relevant information, in this case 3D design data, from the customer to the technical information specialists is often a complex task. So is setting up a solution regarding processes, methods and tools, with many different parties involved, including sub-contractors.