When it comes to technical purchasing, airlines across the spectrum are increasingly insisting upon greater flexibility in the fine print of maintenance support contracts. “Today, the customer has gotten more sophisticated when negotiating maintenance contracts,” says Brian Ovington, principal marketing manager of aviation services for GE Aviation. “There is a lot more creativity in terms of the payment structures and the length of the agreements with respect to aircraft entry and exit of the program, and other terms.”
1. Ratchet Wrench Manufacturer: Armstrong Industrial Hand Tools Applications: The Flex Head Ratcheting Torque Wrench allows for a 10-deg. ratcheting angle, making it usable in more confined areas. Specifications: The ratcheting torque wrench is made of hardened steel with chrome plating. A locking collar prevents the scale settings from changing during work.
Lucerne, Switzerland From Test Flights To Fees Concerns In an industry as dynamic and as driven by technological innovation as aviation, it is only natural to witness an evolution of the regulatory framework. Europe, of course, is not immune and, even if most of the recent regulatory efforts have been in the field of flight operations, the maintenance and engineering component of the aviation business also has had to adapt to a set of regulatory changes.
Alejandro Fischer Director for planning and fleet diagnosis, LAN Airlines Birthplace: Santiago, Chile Education: Industrial civil engineering, Universidad Catolica de Chile Career: Contracts and guarantees senior manager at LAN (2006-08); supplies and logistics senior manager (2008-10); development director (2010-May 2012).
Do you ever wonder whether you have too many electronic devices? In my case, keeping my mix of work and personal Blackberrys, iPhones, iPads and laptops charged and continually available seems redundant sometimes. I very much appreciate how Apple has simplified electronic media and data usage—allowing me to easily update it, sync it between multiple devices simultaneously, and back it up in a cloud with a simple click. Given all of the log-ins and passwords we have to remember, using one in a secure environment to complete multiple tasks quickly is simply a joy.
1. Learning the Ropes Supplier: Aviation Training Academy Applications: Aviation Training Academy's new Self-Fueling Online Training Course results in a Self-Fueling Operations Certification designed for fixed-base operators, corporate flight departments, municipalities, fueling agents and line service technicians.
For North American widebody airframe MROs, the market dynamics are changing, as vendors' focus shifts to the midsize Boeing 767 and Airbus A330 families and away from the 747, whose maintenance has evolved into a niche business.
There are two types of strategies when it comes to safety. The first can be implemented by a verbal or written command, such as a change to a reporting procedure or a new training program. The second requires a change in human behavior—a far more difficult undertaking. Human factors initiatives tend to fall squarely into this second bucket.
1. Building the Base Supplier: Teradata Applications: Teradata offers both blanket data warehousing and pre-built logical data models designed for the airline industry. Think of it as the difference between buying a physical warehouse and buying the warehouse with pre-cut, industry-specific shelves in it, says Peeter Kivestu, Teradata's director of travel industry and marketing solutions.
The projected three-year market for heavy maintenance visits (HMV) and C checks on Airbus A330-series widebodies is among the smaller of those tracked for major airframes, but it remains attractive at just more than $1 billion, split nearly evenly between -200 and -300 models and concentrated among a handful of carriers.
You can't manage what you can't measure. That dictum is repeated so often, that you may tune it out. But performance metrics and key performance indicators (KPI) are a critical component to a lean MRO or Six Sigma initiative.
In the coming years, aircraft maintenance data will likely shift to cloud storage, which is simply a much more economical way of storing, sharing, managing and using data.
4. Innovative Inventory Distributor: Aero Inventory Applications: AeroInv.com offers new features such as single and multiple parts searches, and creation and printing of quotations. Its central distribution hub is at Singapore's Changi Airport.
Welcome to the first Aviation Week & Space Technology MRO Edition! Each monthly edition is for readers like you who are involved in the airline aftermarket. Overhaul & Maintenance readers will find the same editorial elements, except in a different order—plus you get this week's regular AW&ST. We embedded two data-rich media extras in the iPad version of the magazine, which is available to you free through Zinio (www.zinio.com/apps). AW&ST subscribers who register their subscriptions can view the extras at AviationWeek.com/awst.
1. All the Rave Manufacturer: IMS Applications: IMS has 10 airline customers flying with the Rave IFE system. Specifications: Each seatback display unit in the seat-centric IFE system contains its own content with on-demand audio and video. Air Niugini recently added Rave, with first installations to start early next year. www.imsco-us.com Link 600
2. Chasing Parts Distributor: Chase Aerospace Applications: Chase Aerospace offers a specialized APU market on its website, offering many types of Honeywell, Hamilton Sundstrand and Pratt & Whitney APUs. Specifications: APU types include Honeywell GTCP85/331/131/36, Hamilton Sundstrand APS2000/3200/5000/500 and Pratt & Whitney PW901A. www.chaseaerospace.com
What started as routine maintenance for Transaero Airlines turned into an MRO acquisition. The Russian airline had chosen Shannon Repair Services (SRS) to refurbish its aircraft to make them Wifi-enabled, but subsequently decided to invest in the MRO and take it over. The move is giving Transaero access to another in-house maintenance base.
1. Quantum Leap Distributor: Component Control Applications: Quantum Control software offers modules for inventory management, purchase orders, requests and management, receiving, vendor quotes and more.
With a record year in the offing for 2012, the three-year worldwide market for overhauls of International Aero Engines V2500 medium turbofans is expected to top $6 billion, half of which will come from carriers in the U.S., China and the U.K.
In the quest to reduce errors and improve safety, managers too often focus on the wrong questions. They ask things like, “How can we reduce our incident rate?” and “How can I get workers to pick up debris on the shop floor?” What they should be asking is something like: What is keeping technicians from doing what they already know is right?
