In the 1990s, Ronseal, a British manufacturer of wood care and finishing products, introduced an ingenious ad campaign. Each of the company’s tins featured a product name indicating exactly what its purpose was. Weatherproof wood paint, interior gloss varnish or total wood preserver. The advertising slogan? “It does what it says on the tin.”
The phrase aimed to highlight the simplicity and reliability of the products. It tapped into the zeitgeist of consumers wanting straightforward products that didn’t over-promise and reliably delivered tangible results. The term resonated with a market tired of exaggerated, over-complicated marketing claims and unfulfilled promises. The Ronseal campaign stands as a testament to the power of simplicity, transparency and focusing on what customers want. It reinforces the notion that delivering on promises is a fundamental principle of creating long-lasting relationships with customers who trust you to deliver.
Here at SD, we applaud this approach. We’re creating products that are simple to acquire, uncomplicated to use, and perform even better than our customers expect. Our aim is to protect our customer’s investment by enabling the simple acquisition of cost-effective hardware and tailored connectivity packages to meet each client’s specific mission.
Jean-Francois Martin, Director of Avionics at SkyService, the Canada-headquartered MRO which generated the Transport Canada approval for the Plane Simple Ku-band, Supplemental Type Certificate for the Bombardier Global and Challenger airframes, says, “As we see it, one of the main advantages of the Plane Simple offering, is the service plan, in addition to saving money on the installation our customers are saving money on service plans too. In some cases, customers are paying 40% less for large aircraft connectivity.” In addition, the systems are future-proofed for an era where the connectivity landscape is frequently morphing.
With MRO requirements in mind, we’ve kept the installation onto the plane simple! This is something that we’re increasingly being told is a real value-add. The terminal is designed to comprise of just two-line replaceable units, the SD Modem Unit and the antenna. Linked together by cabling designed to support each of the SD Plane Simple antenna variants, customers have the option to select upgrade pathways with minimal cabling installation costs and reduced downtime.
The first of the series, the Plane Simple Ku-band tail-mounted antenna, is one of the smallest currently available in aviation. It is lightweight, and the modular approach makes for easy handling. It has a simple mounting feature that does not require expensive, purpose-made tools to fix or adjust the terminal. Martin says, “We just used standard tools for installation. There were no special requirements, basic avionics tooling was all we needed to complete the install, unlike some of the other systems on the market.”
As operators ourselves, we’ve made sure that intuitive step-by-step instructions guide technicians through each installation stage. We’ve incorporated technology that further simplifies the installation process by enabling automatic alignment with satellites, so eliminating the need for expensive manual adjustments as satellite constellations transform. The plug-and-play nature of the system, along with the detailed installation manual and our award-winning customer support, ensures that even users with limited technical expertise can successfully deploy the antenna. “It took us only three weeks to install our first Plane Simple Ku-band terminal,” says Martin, “that’s almost half the time taken to install other antenna systems. It is so straightforward that as soon as you’ve done one, you’ll be even quicker on the second one.”
Yet if support is needed, we’re there, in person. There’s no automation we take the time to visit our customer’s installation facility. “When we undertake an install, Satcom Direct comes onsite to support us if needed,” confirms Martin, “They do the activation and calibration in person and have even trained our own people or customer crew on various points while here.”
We’ve made sure innovative design and user-friendly features make installing Plane Simple antennas straightforward for our MRO partners. As Martin says, “Overall, the installation and potential upgrades of the Plane Simple Ku system aim to provide a reliable and efficient high-speed internet solution for aircraft, with considerations for ease of use, future technology advancements, and cost savings during ground operations.”
We’ve absolutely made sure that it does what it says on the tin and will continue to keep the process Plane Simple as we connect customers beyond expectations. To find out more about the ease of installation contact, [email protected].
