Looking for a part for your jet? Thales has an easy solution

It was only a missing screw but it was keeping the military aircraft grounded.

The command unit frantically tried to line up a replacement part, aware that they were losing precious time on a sensitive mission. But wading through the masses of suppliers and products took too long. The mission was postponed.

Fortunately, this scenario will soon be a thing of the past thanks to Thales’s recent launch of IVEN, the first dedicated digital marketplace designed to connect aerospace and defence companies with suppliers of parts and spare parts. IVEN acts as a third party to guarantee end-to-end transaction security and data confidentiality.

Today aerospace and defence companies face the challenges of an expanding supplier ecosystem that results in slow, costly, and complicated purchasing processes. Yet the demands of industrial production and equipment support often call for a fast response, where quality and traceability are vital for ensuring that parts are compliant.

A new era in defence and aerospace parts procurement

“IVEN simplifies purchasing and ensures complete transparency from sourcing to delivery with full traceability and an optimal level of security,” says Florence Gourgeon, Service Leader, Secure Communications and Information Systems, Thales. 

Customers have complete visibility in real time on the prices proposed by hundreds of suppliers – all on one platform – and can make their choices with just a click, request a bid on line, look at special offers, and browse private catalogues. “This will result in a huge gain in time and competitiveness,” says Florence Gourgeon.

IVEN covers the sale and purchase of hundreds of thousands of spare parts for the aerospace and defence industry, including fasteners, electrical, electronic and mechanical components, and manufactured materials.

For buyers, IVEN captures, indexes and compares the best offer on the market to provide immediate access to relevant decision criteria, such as price, availability and compliance with specific industry requirements. As a result, industry professionals benefit from greater transparency and agility in their purchasing process.

For sellers, IVEN is the perfect way to access new markets and secure their transactions with qualified clients. In a matter of weeks, they get a powerful new sales channel, with nothing to pay up front like for an e-commerce site development.

Thales is already on-boarding suppliers with a goal of 100 on line by the end of 2020. Commercial access for customers will be open from beginning 2020. By the end of 2020, IVEN targets more than 100,000 references on line.

“With IVEN, the future of the supply chain is now, offering full digitalisation of the spare parts supply,” adds Florence Gourgeon.  And that will benefit everyone involved, making transactions on the spare parts marketplace easier, more transparent, and less time consuming.