Marshall Aerospace chief executive Martin Broadhurst knows the only way his maintenance and modification business can continue to beat off low-cost competition from Asia is to deliver better value. The $238 million-turnover outfit - part of the family-owned car dealerships to specialist vehicle conversion group Marshall of Cambridge - concentrates on the high value-added end of the market, specialising in special mission, life-extension and other major modifications on Lockheed Martin C-130s for the UK and other European air forces as well as cabin modifications for airlines. Its business is split 65% in favour of defence over civil work. "We are focused on areas where we bring design rather than manufacturing skills," says Broadhurst, and the company is "ahead of the game" when it comes to lean production. Marshall, which has a sprawling site at its own airport in Cambridge, does some heavy maintenance, but Broadhurst describes this as a "tough market, which does bring volume when we need it". It is a market its near-neighbour, FLS, quit recently when it axed its facility at Stansted airport. "In the UK, don't forget we are broadly competitive in MRO with anywhere in the world when it comes to quality," he says. "But remember, too, that the Far East will get better at it."
Source: Flight International
