Contact Dr Ip-Shing Fan
- Tel: +44 (0) 1234 750111
- Email: I.S.Fan@cranfield.ac.uk
- ORCID
Areas of expertise
- Aerospace Manufacturing
- Autonomous Systems
- Aviation Management & Operations
- Computing, Simulation & Modelling
- Defence manufacturing
- Industrial Automation
- Industrial Ergonomics and Human Factors
- Manufacturing Systems
- Product and Service Design
- Through-life Engineering Services
- Vehicle Health Management
Background
Dr Fan is currently on the Education and Scholarship pathway.
He was born and studied in Hong Kong, and graduated with First Class Honours in Industrial Engineering. He completed his graduate engineer training at Qualidux Industrial Co Ltd in Hong Kong. He was awarded the Commonwealth Scholarship and completed his PhD in Computer Integrated Manufacturing in Cranfield. After returning to Hong Kong, he worked as CADCAM Manager at Qualidux Industrial Co Ltd, responsible for introducing CAD, CAM, and CNC in plastic injection design and engineering.
In 1990, Fan started to work in The CIM Institute, endowed by IBM in Cranfield, to carry out research, education, and consultancy in new applications of computers in manufacturing. He led many European and UK-funded research programmes to create new tools and methods in knowledge-based engineering design, business performance, quality management, supply chain, and complexity science.
He has a passion for understanding the underlying reasons and developing better approaches to help organisations work more effectively. He looks at the world with a socio-technical lens to explore the complex interactions between people systems and technology systems. The knowledge span includes system engineering, business process analysis, quality and performance management system, organisation design and behaviour, technology-induced change, human psychology and motivation. The application domains include aerospace, engineering, manufacturing, business services, IT, education, health, and local government.
The complex dynamics of people factor in technology implementation prompted him to create a European research consortium for the Framework 5 research project BEST - Better Enterprise System Implementation. The 12 partners, ~4 million project created a body of knowledge that feeds into teaching curriculum and consultancy.
Fan is the Course Director of the MSc in Aviation Digital Technology Management.
Research opportunities
The teaching and consulting expertise in information systems development and implementation is being incorporated into the Cranfield Digital Aviation Research Centre.
Doctoral and Master's projects in digital systems for aircraft maintenance and operations are available.
* Aviation IT systems development and implementaton (CAMO, MRO, ERP)
* MRO Engineers and Managers decision support on simulated scenarios
* Human Factors effect on MRO Engineers and Managers performance
* Wearables/AR for instructions delivery, remote support and sign-off
* Materials and tools tracking and optimisation - RFID, controlled dispensing
* Agile management of MRO maintenance aircraft, jobs, people, inventory, tools
* Materials and tools tracking and optimisation - RFID, controlled dispensing
* AI supported document reconciliation
* Hangar and ramp collision avoidance
* Remote inspection of aircraft upper surface
* NDT inspection and real-time assessment
* 3D printing of aircraft spares
* Digital twin for aircraft predictive health management
Current activities
Dr Ip-Shing Fan is leading the Digital MRO and Hangar laboratories in the Cranfield DARTeC Initiative.
The complex is a realistic representation of the airport ramp and hangar environment to study the interactions between aircraft, engineers, airport and hangar facilities, ground vehicles and drones.
The digital infrastructure supports aircraft digital twin work to maintain the accurate configuration in the information world of airworthiness, as the engineering health status of the aircraft structure and systems to predict and prevent failures.
A number of consortia are being established to work in Paperless Aviation, Aircraft Inspection, Robotic Maintenance and Predictive Health Management.
Fan is the Course Director of the MSc in Aviation Digital Technology Management. He leads the MSc modules in Aviation Digitalisation, Digital Aviation Operations and Maintenance Management, Digital Aviation Supply Chain Management, Enterprise Systems, Business Process Analysis and Engineering, and Project and Programme Management.
Fan is the Chairman of the BCS Beds Bucks Northants Branch.
Clients
He works with a wide range of engineering, IT and non-business organisations, including:
The Boeing Company
BAE Systems
Marshall Aerospace
Airbus
Rolls-Royce
SAP
Fan is experienced in forming industrial companies into consortia and winning public funding.
Publications
Articles In Journals
- Plastropoulos A, Fan I-S, Avdelidis NP, Angus J, Maggiore J, .... (2024). The ‘hangar of the future’ for sustainable aviation. The Aeronautical Journal, 128(1329)
- Lafiosca P, Fan I-S & Avdelidis NP. (2023). Aircraft skin inspections: towards a new model for dent evaluation. Insight - Non-Destructive Testing and Condition Monitoring, 65(7)
- Binobaid S, Almeziny M, Fan I-S, Almeziny S & Almeziny A. (2023). Reducing time and potential errors in CPR medications using a CPR calculator in paediatric wards. International Journal of Clinical Medical Research, 1(1)
- Lafiosca P, Fan I-S & Avdelidis NP. (2022). Automated aircraft dent inspection via a modified Fourier transform profilometry algorithm. Sensors, 22(2)
- Dhoot MK & Fan I-S. (2022). Design and development of a mobile robotic system for aircraft wing fuel tank inspection. SAE International Journal of Advances and Current Practices in Mobility, 4(4)
- Lafiosca P & Fan I-S. (2020). Review of non-contact methods for automated aircraft inspections. Insight - Non-Destructive Testing and Condition Monitoring, 62(12)
- Alsafi T & Fan I-S. (2020). Investigation of Cloud Computing Barriers: A Case Study in Saudi Arabian SMEs. Journal of Information Systems Engineering and Management, 5(4)
- Binobaid S, Almeziny M & Fan I-S. (2016). Using an integrated information system to reduce interruptions and the number of non-relevant contacts in the inpatient pharmacy at tertiary hospital. Saudi Pharmaceutical Journal, 25(5)
- Alwi NHM, Fan IS & Azni AH. (2015). Conceptual study towards information security model for e-learning stakeholders. ARPN Journal of Engineering and Applied Sciences, 10(16)
- Abdallah S & Fan IS. (2012). Framework for e-government assessment in developing countries: case study from Sudan. Electronic Government, an International Journal, 9(2)
- Grubic T & Fan I-S. (2010). Supply chain ontology: Review, analysis and synthesis. Computers in Industry, 61(8)
- Bastl M, Grubic T, Templar S, Harrison A & Fan I-S. (2010). Inter-organisational costing approaches: the inhibiting factors. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 21(1)
- Grubic T, Bastl M, Fan I-S, Harrison A & Templar S. (2010). Towards the integrative supply chain model. International Journal of Logistics Research and Applications, 13(1)
- Bastl MM, Grubic MT, Templar MS, Harrison DA & Fan I-S. (2010). Inter-organisational costing approaches – the inhibiting factors. The International Journal of Logistics Management, 21(1)
- Alwi NHM & Fan IS. (2010). Threats analysis for e-learning. International Journal of Technology Enhanced Learning, 2(4)
- Fan I-S & Bermell-Garcia P. (2008). International Standard Development for Knowledge Based Engineering Services for Product Lifecycle Management. Concurrent Engineering, 16(4)
- Garcia PB & Fan IS. (2008). Practitioner requirements for integrated Knowledge-Based Engineering in Product Lifecycle Management. International Journal of Product Lifecycle Management, 3(1)
- Najmi M, Rigas J & Fan I. (2005). A framework to review performance measurement systems. Business Process Management Journal, 11(2)
- García-Fornieles JM, Fan I-S, Perez A, Wainwright C & Sehdev K. (2003). A Work Breakdown Structure that Integrates Different Views in Aircraft Modification Projects. Concurrent Engineering, 11(1)
- Fan I-S & Filos E. (2001). Concurrent Engineering Projects Supported by the European Commission's ESPRIT Programme and Future Trends. Concurrent Engineering, 9(2)
- Fan I, Russell S & Lunn R. (2000). Supplier knowledge exchange in aerospace product engineering. Aircraft Engineering and Aerospace Technology, 72(1)
- Fan I-S, Ward NJ, Cooper SC, Sehdev K & Williams G. (2000). Development of a generic capability model for extended enterprise design for manufacture. International Journal of Manufacturing Technology and Management, 2(1/2/3/4/5/6/7)
- Ip-Shing Fan . (2000). The power of PDM. Manufacturing Engineer, 79(6)
- Gregory MJ & Fan IS. (2000). Designing with suppliers. Manufacturing Engineer, 79(3)
- Cooper SC, Fan IS, Sehdev K, Ward NJ & Williams GM. (1998). Process modelling the design of complex products in global enterprises. International Journal of Computer Applications in Technology, 11(6)
- Fan I-S. (1997). Concurrent Engineering: What's Working Where Edited by C.J. Backhouse and N.J. Brookes Gower Publishing, Gower House, Croft Road, Aldershot GU11 3HR. 1996. 248pp. Illustrated. £42.50.. The Aeronautical Journal, 101(1008)
- Fan I-S & Gassmann R. (1997). The effects of allocation of functions on the long-term performance of manufacturing cells?A case study. Human Factors and Ergonomics in Manufacturing, 7(2)
- Fan I-S & Liu C-K. (1997). Constraint ratio in product assembly planning. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 13(6)
- Fan I-S. (1995). A review of: “Computer Integrated Manufacturing—A Total Company Competitive Strategy (2nd edn)”. Edited by A. WEATHERALL (Butterworth-Heinemann, 1992). ISBN 075-060-8110. [Pp. 323]. £47·50. Market: postgraduates and practitioners.. International Journal of Computer Integrated Manufacturing, 8(4)
- Sehdev K, Fan I, Cooper S & Williams G. (1995). Design for manufacture in the aerospace extended enterprise. World Class Design to Manufacture, 2(2)
- Fan IS & Gassmann R. (1995). Study of the practicalities of human centred implementation in a British manufacturing company. Computer Integrated Manufacturing Systems, 8(2)
- Sackett PJ & Fan IS. (1989). The control of a flexible manufacturing system by short-term goal identification. The International Journal of Advanced Manufacturing Technology, 4(2)
- Fan IS & Sackett PJ. (1988). A PROLOG simulator for interactive flexible manufacturing systems control. SIMULATION, 50(6)
- Mohd Alwi NH & Fan I-S. E-Learning and Information Security Management. International Journal for Digital Society, 1(2)
- Garcia Figueiredo-Pinto D, Fan I-S & Teixeira Mendes Abrahão F. Operational Availability Optimization Model Based on the Integration of Predictive and Scheduled Maintenance. PHM Society European Conference, 6(1)
- Shukla B, Fan I-S & Jennions I. Opportunities for Explainable Artificial Intelligence in Aerospace Predictive Maintenance. PHM Society European Conference, 5(1)
- Heaton A, Fan I-S, Lawson C & McFeat J. Integrated Vehicle Health Management and Unmanned Aviation. PHM Society European Conference, 1(1)
