Embraer has announced a further five new service centres, bringing the total number of facilities dedicated solely to its business aircraft to 38. Luis Carlos Affonso, senior vice-president executive aviation, said at the show today. “We have a vision to become the leading services and support provider.”
The company has selected Prague-based ABS Jets in Europe, Hawker Pacific in Singapore and a further three in the USA. The new MRO stations will account for an investment of $100 million. The airframer intends to have 45 service centres running by mid-2008. Seven will be entirely Embraer owned and 38 will be run in conjunction with third parties. The majority will be in the USA and Europe, but others are planned for China, the Middle East, Singapore and South Africa.
The manufacturer has invested an additional $50 million in its production facilities, aiming to benefit from potentially enormous aftermarket revenues from dedicated business aircraft service centres. Those revenues could be further boosted if customers buy Embraer’s Executive Care and Power by the Hour.
Along with expanding its aftercare, Embraer has introduced new production methods to cater for high rate production, using lean manufacturing processes to create its new business jets.
Production growth is set to be 15-20 Phenoms in 2008, burgeoning to 120-150 for both models in 2009. This is the fastest ramp-up ever for the OEM. Eventually it aims to produce 100 Phenoms a year. Orders have come from 24 countries, including India and South Africa. This has surprised the company. “We thought the 100 would be a US aircraft,” says Affonso.
“However, it is also very successful in Brazil, Latin America and in Europe – even in the Middle East.”
Source: Flight Daily News
