Visit rotorcraft forums on the internet often enough and you would be forced to come to the conclusion that while French helicopter engine manufacturer Turbomeca may make decent enough products, its aftersales operation is lacking.
Olivier Andries, chief executive at the Safran-owned company, concedes that there used to be an issue in this department, but puts the problems firmly in the past. However, he feels that despite the progress the company has made, the market’s perception is lagging behind reality.
“This reputation was deserved six or seven years ago and this is the problem with reputation – you are always trailing that despite improvements.
“I’m happy to say that we have made big steps over the last five years in terms of support performance and we have driven up customer satisfaction quite significantly.”
Its internal surveys suggest that in terms of customer satisfaction it now sits at a similar level to that of its rivals, Pratt & Whitney Canada and GE Aviation, says Andries.
Of course, the old adage that there are lies, damned lies and statistics still holds true and a customer satisfaction survey means little in isolation. So, for Andries, a better validation of its performance is the 2013 selection by Bell Helicopter of Turbomeca’s Arrius 2R powerplant for the airframer’s 505 Jet Ranger X.
Remarkably, this is the first time the two rotorcraft stalwarts have worked together and Andries thinks that was again due to its poor performance post-delivery.
“If you happen to interview [chief executive] John Garrison from Bell, he’ll tell you that the main show-stopper for them for decades was the level of our support activity.
The engine manufacturer is concentrating on the 2,000shp-plus segment after acquiring Rolls-Royce's interest in the RTM322 programm
Turbomeca
“They decided on the 505 to partner with us based on the feedback they had got from customers that we had improved our support performance.”
Remedial actions, says Andries, included placing technicians closer to customers and increasing the headcount in Turbomeca’s aftersales department.
“We knew we had to improve turnaround times. That’s why we launched a transformation plan three years ago to do that.”
The average turnaround on an Arrius or Arriel engine is now about 50 days – in Andries’s view a figure in line with market expectations.
For Turbomeca, 2014 was a year of highs and lows, however. On the plus side is the progress it has made with its engine development programmes – both in terms of iterative steps and brand-new powerplants. But in contrast, deliveries saw a double-digit decline reflecting the weaker volumes at the helicopter manufacturers. This was particularly the case with light single- and twin-engined classes – where it sells the Arriel and Arrius engines, whereas deliveries of larger helicopters stayed steady.
On the development side, quite apart from securing approvals for the Arrius 2B2+, Arriel 2E and Arriel 2M – all of which power various Airbus Helicopters types – Turbomeca has progressed a number of other programmes.
Already flying is the Arrius 2R for the single-engined Jet Ranger X, which made its maiden sortie in November having been handed to the helicopter manufacturer around two weeks ahead of schedule. Certification is still on track for the end of the year, says Andries, with service entry expected in early 2016.
“As we speak we are preparing the ramp-up of the engine in 2015,” he says. That ramp-up is crucial, given that full-rate production will be around 200 engines per year.
Assembly of the powerplants will take place at its facility in Grand Prairie, Texas, which has two advantages. Firstly the proximity to Bell’s 505 assembly line in Lafayette, Louisiana, and secondly, made-in-America credentials. “It is a strong message that we send to Bell and its customers that this engine is going to be assembled in the US,” says Andries.
The next engines likely to fly are two new variants of the Ardiden 3 – the 3G for the Kamov Ka-62 and the 3C for the Avicopter AC352, China’s version of the Airbus Helicopters EC175. Maiden sorties for both types were due to have been conducted in 2014, but neither took place. Andries confirms that Turbomeca delivered both powerplants to the respective airframers on time, but dismisses any suggestion that engine issues are to blame for the delay. The new helicopters should now take to the skies around mid-year, he says.
Successful operation on the AC352 could usher in another opportunity for the Ardiden 3C, however. At the moment, Pratt & Whitney Canada has the engine position on the EC175 sewn up with its venerable PT6, while Turbomeca finds itself frozen out of one of the flagship programmes of its biggest customer.
But shortly before the turn of the year, Airbus Helicopters indicated that it could be willing to consider the Ardiden as a possible future alternative for the EC175 if it performs well on the helicopter’s Chinese twin.
The Arrius 2B2+ is one option on the latest variant of the light-twin EC135
Airbus Helicopters
Those comments, which came from programme chief Marc Allongue, seem to have caught Turbomeca on the hop. “We were pleasantly surprised,” admits Andries. Although there are no active discussions at present, integrating the powerplant onto the airframe would be “a simple job” and he remains hopeful that Airbus Helicopters will see the potential benefits.
“I can say this because it is now proven, but the Ardiden 3 could bring a double-digit [specific fuel consumption] improvement over the existing [PT6] engine.
“We have thousands of hours of tests behind us, the performance is proven. [But] at the end of the day it is up to the OEM to take a decision if and when.”
On the subject of the Arrano, the manufacturer’s all-new engine to power the Airbus Helicopters X4, however, Andries is more reticent. The rotorcraft itself will be officially launched on 3 March at the Heli-Expo show in Orlando with the engine choice a straight fight between the 1,100shp (820kW) Arrano and the similarly rated P&WC PW210, with the latter to be the lead.
First runs of the Arrano were conducted in 2014 and development is on track for 2017 certification, says Andries, to be achieved using 10 prototype assets.
The Arrano will feature the latest engine technology, much of which has been derived from Turbomeca’s Tech 800 research programme. In addition, it will be the first turboshaft in the firm’s arsenal to utilise additive layer manufacturing for the production of a number of its components. The so-called 3D printing technique – in this instance it is actually selective laser melting – will be used to fabricate fuel injector nozzles and combustor swirlers.
“We have decided to enter into serial production of these parts as we consider now that we have fully matured this technique for this specific application and we have developed and nurtured this technology within Turbomeca over the last four years,” says Andries.
Its first use of the 3D additive manufacturing concentrates on what he describes as “small complex parts”. In all, the new process vastly reduces the number of separate production operations required to make each component. “Because we had to perform 12 separate operations we had a certain level of non-conforming. Now that’s reduced to zero,” he says, noting that the business case “is very clear for us”.
And with the whole process speeded up “what is even more significant is the schedule reduction”.
Meanwhile, following its 2013 acquisition of Rolls-Royce’s interest in the joint RTM322 programme, Turbomeca is continuing to focus on high-power engines in the 2,000shp-plus segment. It has largely absorbed the functions and competencies previously held by R-R, says Andries, giving it additional programme know-how.
Work on its Tech 3000 demonstrator is continuing and testing of different elements will get under way this year and continue into 2016. The ultimate aim is to deliver a 3,000shp-class powerplant for a future rotorcraft. Although there remain no new helicopter programmes where an engine selection has yet to be made, Turbomeca is eyeing the requirement for platforms of 10t and above to be able to fly further and carry more as oil and gas exploration moves ever further offshore.
Indeed, most observers view Turbomeca’s move as a logical step towards providing the engines on any eventual replacement for the Airbus Helicopters EC225 – which uses its Makila powerplants – although clearly Andries declines to talk about any potential customer discussions.
“With the combination of capabilities and competences we gain on the RTM322 on one side and the Tech 3000 on the other, we think we should be ready for any high-power engine development for entry into service by 2016. We are preparing ourselves should any new opportunity arise,” he says.
And the key to securing that position is to have the bulk of engine development already behind it. “When an aircraft OEM decides to launch a new platform, they look to rely on an engine manufacturer that has already proven the technology,” he says.
“They don’t want to take a risk on a white-paper engine on top of [developing] a new platform.”
That strategy paid dividends on the Arrano, which leans heavily on research conducted on the Tech 800 demonstrator, and Andries is convinced it will work again.
Of course, time will tell whether it ends up on an Airbus Helicopters product, but given the depth of the relationship, you wouldn’t bet against it.
Source: FlightGlobal.com
