Case Studies

03/02/2003 - From Olympus to outsourcing – supporting Rolls-Royce plc

The Piper Group enjoys an enviable relationship with engine manufacturer Rolls-Royce plc.  The partnership has been one of the company’s many success stories and effectively mirrors the evolution of the Piper Group from a traditional technical publication house to a full-service provider of documentation and data-management solutions.

As the relationship has evolved, former Rolls-Royce personnel have often joined the Piper Group, progressing from working on the company’s products to documenting engines as diverse as Concorde’s mighty Olympus 593 and the Gnome helicopter power plant.  Whatever the subject matter, the common denominator has been a consistently close relationship and the delivery of a reliable service – eventually leading to the Piper Group’s recent appointment as prime supplier for the Rolls-Royce Military Engine Group.

Documentation outsourcing

Following the appointment, the Piper Group established a new documentation outsourcing facility – the Rolls-Royce Integrated Resource Facility – based close to the engine manufacturer’s Bristol factory.  From the new facility, the Piper Group manages documentation life cycles for Rolls-Royce legacy engine programs within the bounds of strict service level agreements, and employing a co-located team of Piper Group documentation specialists and their former on-site Rolls-Royce counterparts.

A business-enhancing solution for Rolls-Royce

Under this arrangement, the Piper Group provides office space, workstations, personnel, and project management  – with the primary objective of adding value and providing the highest possible standards of service.  For Rolls-Royce, the venture brings the many benefits that accrue when a professional documentation specialist takes responsibility for all aspects of documentation on a specific project.  A year on, the project provides a business-enhancing solution for Rolls-Royce, demonstrates the Piper Group’s latest commitment to its client, and provides a fascinating model for future documentation relationships.

Legacy data working harder and smarter

The Piper Group’s business solutions team has recently embraced the latest XML-driven technologies to help Rolls-Royce manage its legacy data.  In Project Viper, a major initiative drawing on the Piper Group’s data-management skills, hard copy technical manuals dating back to 1958 have been captured and converted into the latest electronic formats.  Leading edge technology has enabled cross-referencing and graphics validation, viewing in an XML-based browser, and publication to interactive technical publications (IETPs) as well as conventional paper manuals because of the project, the legacy data is working harder and smarter in the world of electronic information.

In just a few years, the relationship between the Piper Group and Rolls-Royce has evolved from traditional technical authoring support to one where the latest technology and outsourcing philosophies add value for a valued client.

For more info on Rolls-Royce plc, visit www.rolls-royce.com