Guy Norris/SEATTLE
Boeing Airplane Services (BAS) plans to develop a global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) network by the end of the year as part of the start-up unit's aggressive expansion campaign to penetrate new markets.
"We hope to get something implemented by the third quarter of this year," says Jerry Smith, new director of BAS maintenance services, who adds that "we will probably start in North America and go from there early in 2001". The move aims to capture a slice of the global MRO market, which is estimated at being worth between $35 billion and $40 billion a year.
BAS is focusing on establishing a strategic network through acquisitions, joint ventures, partnerships and "corporate set-ups" that will enable Boeing to "bring more value to the maintenance of aircraft", says Smith. The concept is based on reducing the time taken for the average MRO period by "a process improvement".
The company believes that by bringing in Boeing support, spare parts and technical data, it can "work the critical paths and shorten the tails" for repair activity on "things like corrosion" he adds.
By leveraging areas like spares inventories and technical data, Smith says they aim to cut up to a week off a 30-35 day average D check, or reduce a 12-13 day C check to 10 days. Europe's leading independent third party maintenance company FLS Aerospace announced a similar plan earlier this month (Flight International, 16-22 May).
The savings would be passed on to operators, which get aircraft back into service more quickly, and to MRO partners which are able to increase capacity, he adds. The overall cost of MRO work could be reduced, says the company, as an average D check takes 30,000 to 40,000 man hours, while C checks occupy around 10,000 man hours.
Boeing's search for network partners includes engineering and modification companies already signed to its after-market support service. The search has been expanded to include as many as 15 non-modification companies. "There is plenty of maintenance activity out there and, if we can add value to the process, the growth of the market is not really important," Smith says.
· BAS plans to sign a definitive agreement with BFGoodrich Aerospace Aviation Services by 31 May on a novel landing gear exchange programme revealed in February. The Landing Gear Overhaul Alliance will enable operators of Boeing aircraft with BFGoodrich gear to exchange unserviceable or time-expired landing gears for overhauled or restored equipment from a pool controlled by the two companies. BAS is examining similar "rotable" initiatives for other pieces of equipment.
Source: Flight International
