Lufthansa Technik increased its share of AirLiance Materials from 50.2% to 100% after purchasing its partners' shares of the Chicago-based company that provides surplus parts services. United Airlines and Air Canada previously held 49.8% of the joint venture the three companies formed in 1998. The companies did not disclose the acquisition price.

AeroTurbine, a wholly owned subsidiary of International Lease Finance Corp., has entered into an exclusive three-year supply chain agreement with Czech Airlines Technics to support pool access for CFMI CFM56-5B line replaceable units. Czech Airlines and Holidays Czech Airlines will use the parts for their fleets, and other third party customers will have access to these components.

Rolls-Royce Singapore established a regional training center and a research center next to its engine assembly plant at Singapore's Seletar Aerospace Park. This research center is focused on “life management planning,” mostly non-destructive testing of engine parts in service with airline operators. The purpose is to ascertain if the engine parts and materials are performing as intended. Predicting the future wear and tear of engine parts and the related maintenance costs is vital if Rolls-Royce is to profit from its power-by-the-hour maintenance programs.

What are your priorities for 2012? Wisbrun: We want to get Skyteam to the next level of execution. In 2008 it was decided that a central function should be introduced. I took over six months ago, and my key target is now to drive the membership into more collaboration to get more synergies out of it. The focus is more on getting things done than growing the network. We want to be more focused on customer benefits.

TP Aerospace Leasing has signed a seven-year agreement with Atlantic Airways for its full service wheels and brakes cycle flat rate program. The MRO will provide component maintenance, pool access, onsite lease inventory and a logistics program to support Atlantic Airways' fleet expansion.

Lufthansa prepares to become the first carrier to operate both the Airbus A380 and Boeing's 747 in 2012.

Etihad Airways has put forth 125 maintenance and engineering personnel to participate in Air BP Lubricant's online training academy. This is the largest commitment to the training academy by a single airline. Etihad Airways started using Air BP Lubricant's BPTO 2197 lubricant in 2009 and it says it has reduced the number of oil degradation and coking events to zero with the program. The training tool has a suite of eight modules with different questions on topics such as specifications, servicing and storage.

For years, the supply chain was looked upon as a necessary evil. Manufacturing, warehousing and transportation were part of the cost of doing business, not what drove a company forward. That is no longer the case. Every organization in every industry, including the aviation aftermarket, is challenged to do whatever it is they do better, faster and cheaper. Supply chains are no longer just overhead—the best companies view them as a competitive advantage.