Coinciding with AVIATION WEEK’s MRO Asia Conference in Shanghai this week, the following four articles explore two themes in the business of Asian maintenance, repair and overhaul. One is expansion, especially in China: Executives interviewed for these reports all describe at least doubling of capacity or output, and SR Technics, which has previously kept its Asia-Pacific region operations small, is looking for a big Asian base. The second theme involves the intertwined issues of staff turnover, wages and productivity.

Singapore Technologies Aerospace is looking to bring more foreign work into China as it and partner China Eastern Airlines more than double the capacity of their Shanghai airframe maintenance joint venture, Starco. The pair have conceptual plans for further expansion of Starco, and the Singapore company, known as ST Aerospace, is itself keen for more opportunities in China.

SR Technics, feeling the lure of Asia, is reviewing a wide range of potential businesses and locations as it seeks to get closer to customers in the booming region. Although the Swiss company reckons it is competing well from its Zurich base, the attraction of having a bigger presence in Asia has prompted it to look into doing more work locally, going well beyond the limited operations it now has in the region.