SINGAPORE—Eaton Aerospace is building out its component repair network in Asia-Pacific, with a joint venture in Malaysia expected to reach full capability next year and its established operation in China preparing to move to a larger facility.
Speaking to Aviation Week at MRO Asia-Pacific, Mike Nemeti, Eaton Aerospace’s commercial aftermarket director, said the company is placing more repair capacity near customers that have historically sent components to the U.S. or Europe for repairs.
“A lot of our growth is really happening in this region,” Nemeti said. “We’re putting those capabilities close to customers.” He added that this would reduce the distance components must travel and allow airlines to deal with repair teams in their own time zones.
In Malaysia, Eaton Aerospace has operated a joint venture with SIA Engineering Company since 2024. Eaton Aero Services, located in Shah Alam, focuses on Eaton-manufactured engine fuel, airframe fuel and hydraulic components.
Nemeti said these parts are frequently sent outside of the Asia-Pacific region for repair. Still, the company is following an approach established at its longstanding joint venture with Shanghai Aircraft Manufacturing Co. (SAMC), a subsidiary of Chinese aircraft manufacturer Comac in Shanghai.
“We’re modeling what we did in Shanghai and are doing the same thing in Malaysia,” Nemeti said, explaining that the Chinese operation started with a limited range of work and added capabilities as customer demand developed.
Having started operations in 2011, the Chinese joint venture will eventually move into a larger facility as demand for services continues to grow. Last year, it launched construction of a new facility in the Shanghai Lingang Special Area, expanding its manufacturing, repair and service capabilities.
In the meantime, the company is focusing on completing certifications, expanding capabilities, and bringing more customers to its Malaysia location. This week, Eaton confirmed FAA Part 145 Repair Station certification in Malaysia, enabling it to carry out MRO services approved by the U.S. regulator and issue FAA airworthiness release certificates.
The company also announced at MRO Asia its plan to develop aftermarket engineering capability in Singapore through a project supported by the Singapore Economic Development Board. The project will span aerospace product innovation, retrofit, modification and upgrade programs, engineering solutions and MRO process innovation.
Drawing on experience from Eaton’s regional shops could help in-house engineers develop additional repair processes or material options, said Ian Lam, managing director, Aerospace Group, Asia-Pacific at Eaton. “We believe that this layer of work, engineering work, can also help us alleviate the supply chain challenges,” Lam said.
Lam said the company is building a workforce to support the added in-region capacity. In Malaysia, the company is actively recruiting technicians through schools and technical colleges while pairing junior staff with experienced technicians for structured training.
Alongside repairs, Eaton is pursuing retrofits, modifications and upgrades prompted by airline reliability concerns. Nemeti cited the company’s replacement air separation module for some Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 aircraft platforms as an example of a product developed in response to operator demand. According to Eaton, the fuel tank inerting solution is designed to enhance aircraft safety by generating nitrogen-enriched air that reduces oxygen concentration in fuel tanks, helping prevent combustible conditions from forming during flight.
In the longer term, Nemeti believes Eaton’s regional investments will be measured by how quickly new capacity returns components to service. “When they have to ship it across the Atlantic [or] Pacific, there’s a lot of turn time,” he said. Locating repairs in Asia, he added, should make components available to customers more quickly. But while parts supply remains a constraint, Nemeti said many replacement parts will continue to come from Eaton manufacturing facilities in the Americas and Europe.
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