Taiwanese maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) firm Evergreen Aviation Technologies (EGAT) is looking to expand its business by moving into the manufacture of engine parts and longer-term it plans to establish a MRO business overseas.
EGAT chairman David Wang says the firm is looking to "diversify its business model" by making engine parts.
He declines to say what engines EGAT plans to make parts for but General Electric has a minority equity stake in EGAT.
The MRO already makes one-off parts, with the approval of original equipment manufacturers, but this latest move is different because it plans to mass produce engine parts.
Wang also says they are moving into the manufacture of parts because EGAT realised from working on the Boeing 747-400 Large Cargo Freighter (LCF) programme that it has the expertise.
EGAT has converted three 747-400s into LCFs for Boeing and is now working on the fourth which is due to be delivered towards year-end. The LCF, otherwise known as the Dreamlifter, is used by to transport Boeing 787 subassemblies.
Wang says EGAT made some parts for the LCF because the parts had to be customised to fit the old 747 airframes that EGAT was working with.
While EGAT is moving into parts manufacturing, it also wants to expand its MRO business by establishing a second heavy maintenance base.
Wang says this is a longer-term objective and it has yet to find a partner or decide on a location.
It is considering several international locations including China, he says.
Source: Air Transport Intelligence news
