Inventory is the hot potato of the supply chain. No one wants to hold it. That is especially true in the MRO industry, where airlines and maintenance organizations alike are right-sizing their businesses in light of the recession.
Archeion Holdings amended STCs to install an Avionica satlink Iridium satcom communication management system on various Boeing 727, 737, 757 and 767 series aircraft, STCs ST03689AT, ST03529AT, ST03386AT and ST03508AT
Pratt & Whitney Canada added Kansas Aviation as a repair and overhaul supplier for constant speed units, prop governors and oil-to-fuel heaters for a variety of engine types, including the PT6T, PT6A, JT15D, PW100, PW150, PW200, PW300 and PW500.
Ameco Beijing in October launched an electronic parts procurement interface to the AeroXchange purchasing portal, which it says should speed its parts purchasing process.
BAE Systems Info & Electronic Systems amended STC to install the BAE Systems Jeteye Performance Analysis Collection system on Boeing 767-200 series aircraft, STC ST02468CH
LONDON—Could it be that ongoing economic pressures on civil air transport are causing some operators and maintainers to cut corners during maintenance? Some aircraft engineers in Europe think so and are voicing concerns that some airlines and MROs simply ignore unsafe practices. Moreover, instead of investigating reports of safety violations, some say the companies concerned threaten the reporters of these violations with sanctions including job loss if they mention such occurrences to aviation regulators.
Lufthansa Technik will overhaul the CFM56-5B engines that power Austrian Airlines’ 21 Airbus A320 family aircraft over the next eight years under a new contract that covers MRO, engineering services, logistics and spare engine support. Lufthansa Technik also overhauls Austrian’s CFM56-7B and PW4000 engines.
As cutting-edge technology renders powerplants exponentially more reliable—able to shun shop visits in a fashion earlier engines never could—cooperative agreements among OEMs and MROs are taking off. That is the irony of it.
The sound of an aircraft’s engine or the airflow over fuselage compartments can be disruptive to the passenger experience. One method to mitigate noises outside the passenger cabin is to integrate a barrier material between the source of the disruption and the aircraft interior. But not all barrier materials are created equal: along with needing sufficient mechanical strength to follow the curved contours of a cabin, barriers also must pass strict toxicity, flammability and flame propagation tests. Rogers Corp.
ADI opened its doors in April 2010 at Sawyer International Airport in Gwinn, Mich. ADI’s dismantlers can take apart, remanufacture and recertify many of an aircraft’s parts for the secondary market, boosting the return on investment for aging aircraft. In addition to work at its own fixed-base facility—which includes two 30,000-sq.-ft. hangars, a 35,000-sq.-ft. warehouse and an engine test cell—ADI will travel to conduct remote teardowns anywhere in the U.S. and Canada. www.aircraftdeconstructors.com
Do you get a sense that the term “partnership” in the aviation aftermarket is subtly morphing into something new? I do. The overused term is rather generic, but I have heard enough examples recently that make me think new ways of working together are forthcoming.
ST Aerospace inked a seven-year component maintenance contract with China Airlines worth $16.2 million (about S$21 million). The contract consists of component maintenance-by-the-hour (MBH) support services for China Airlines’ 10 Boeing 737-800 aircraft, starting immediately. The contract includes repair management and pool access to ST Aerospace’s worldwide inventory and is the fourth MBH program contract awarded to ST Aerospace this year.
Archeion Holdings amended STC to install a mini quick access recorder model MKI, MKII, or MKIII on multiple air transport and business aircraft models, STC ST02472AT
Iberia Maintenance’s new hangar in Barcelona, which opened last month, is expected to create 200 high-skilled jobs when it reaches full capacity. Its current staff of 60 was in training in October, and the facility expected two aircraft to arrive in November for simultaneous inspections.
Timco amended and issued STCs to install cell modems, other cabin systems and new interiors in Boeing 767-300 series aircraft; to install structural provisions for the Panasonic global communications suite on Boeing 737-700 series aircraft; and to install a Rockwell Collins SRT-2100 satcom system on Boeing 767-400ER series aircraft, STCs ST03604AT-D, ST03810AT-D, ST03808AT-D, ST03068AT-D, ST03552AT-D, ST03493AT-D, ST03492AT-D and ST03468AT-D
Ramco Systems will provide Suite 5 M&E and MRO maintenance planning software to the National Aviation Co. of India, which operates Air India, Indian Airlines, Air India Expres and Alliance, under a September contract.
NIJL Aircraft Docking will provide Turkish Technik with eight narrowbody aircraft docking systems over the next two years, for installation at its new Habom project at Istanbul Sabiha Gokcen airport. The first four docks are scheduled to begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2011; the remaining four will be delivered through 2012.
Lufthansa Technik and Panasonic Avionics plan to set up a joint venture for inflight entertainment and cabin management systems for narrowbody and widebody VIP aircraft. In particular the two partners aim to combine the technologies behind Panasonic’s X series IFE system, eXConnect and eXPhone global communications systems and Lufthansa Technik’s “nice” IFE and CMS system to develop new systems with advanced features.
Scheduling has long been an issue in aviation maintenance. Current project management software such as Microsoft Project is adequate, but these programs can make thousands of microscopic errors that can add up to a lot of ups and downs in manpower and overtime requirements, says Matthew Ginsberg, CEO of On Time Systems Inc.
Ameco Beijing started line maintenance services for Air France Airbus A340 aircraft at Guangzhou Baiyun Airport on Oct. 16. Air France is Ameco's fifth line maintenance customer at the Guangzhou station.
