Swiss MRO specialist to split Airbus and Boeing work after FLS takeover
SR Technics has revealed a plan to concentrate less on heavy maintenance as it restructures its European operations following the acquisition of FLS Aerospace.
The Swiss maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) provider finally completed its takeover of Danish-owned FLS last month, and is implementing a division of tasks. SR Technics group chief executive Hans Ulrich Beyeler says the Zurich facility will become the Airbus technical centre, with Boeing work being carried out at FLS's facilities at London Stansted airport.
FLS's main base in Dublin will concentrate on heavy maintenance, although Beyeler admits restructuring and a shift of focus away from "blue-collar work" will lead to job losses among 600 Irish staff. "We will be downsizing heavy maintenance in Europe to better meet the capacity of a segment where checks are largely combined with modification work," he says. C and D checks are moving increasingly to parts of the world with lower labour costs, and SR Technics sees its role in managing heavy checks through outsourced providers for its line maintenance clients, he adds.
Through the merger, SR Technics has become the largest MRO provider not linked to an airline, with combined revenues of $1.14 billion last year (Flight International, 8-15 June). Beyeler says its expansion plans are focused on "white collar" work, especially maintenance and parts management.
Beyeler says he "does not rule out" further acquisitions, possibly in Asia, but adds that the integration of FLS is the group's first priority. The two FLS sites will not take the SR Technics brand until their quality level matches that of Zurich, he adds.
JUSTIN WASTNAGE / STANSTED
Source: Flight International
