Q & A AM
with Christophe Bernardini, CEO of Sabena technics
Tell Aviation Maintenance readers about Sabena technics. What offerings, capabilities and facilities do you have?
Bernardini: Sabena technics is the world’s 11th largest MRO (airlines and independent, excluding engines) and 3rd largest independent MRO, provider of services to civil and military, Sabena technics training, Barfield and equally benefits from a joint venture specialized in hydraulic repair named Hydrep with Messier Bugatti Dowty. Sabena technics’ services are organized into five activities: Airframe services which includes the activity VIP Completion by Sabena technics, Component services, Integrated services, Military services and Training services, based on the basic principle of meeting its customers’ requirements. The group boasts extensive capabilities
across an array of aircraft, from regional aircraft types such as ATR and Embraer through to narrow and widebodies, from the Airbus and Boeing families, as well as C-130, KC135, Canadair waterbombers, etc. Sabena technics’ qualified workforce and its infrastructures (more than 250,000m²) are an integral part of its success. It benefits from 3,000 employees across 17 sites worldwide in Europe, the Americas (Miami, Phoenix, Louisville and Bogota), North Africa and Asia. Its sites are EASA, FAA, ISO 9001, ISO 14001, EN 9110 certified. Sabena technics can accommodate across its hangars up to 30 aircraft at one time. It equally can rely on its own EASA PART 21 G & J Design Office and EASA PART 145, 147 and 66 training qualifications. Sabena technics services more than 100,000 components in-house per year and 550 aircraft under integrated services contracts (PBH) backed by important logistics platforms at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport and Brussels Airport. Sabena technics is a founding member of the Airbus MRO Network, the Airbus MRO Training Network (benefiting from its own ACT facilities), equally an authorized Lockheed Martin Service Center, NATO/NAMSA best source of repair and an associate member of the IATP.
How are the regional sectors of your business performing?
AM
Bernardini: We consider USA and Europe mature markets. In these regions, Sabena technics is consolidating and developing its existing customers in the commercial aviation sector. We are developing the military sector thanks to increased externalisation. Finally, we are gaining new commercial customers by focusing on value- added services such as tailor-made full support contracts which require a large scope of services from component overhaul to line maintenance, as well as cabin refurbishment and VIP completion. South America and Asia are very rapidly
growing markets. We are strongly developing the [South American] region and accompanying
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Support and Development. AFI KLM E&M is also expanding its ties to local MROs, and striking partnerships with airlines who wish to retain some element of maintenance in-house. “We also believe that it is important to develop new offerings, moving away from purely serving the traditional MRO markets,” says Andy Best, ST Technics’ head of Commercial. “A step towards this was the opening of a VIP Completions Center in Zurich in 2011. For the VIP market, the Swiss location creates an advantage as VIP customers are drawn by the reputation this country holds for quality.” AFL KLM E&M and SR Technics
aren’t alone. Across the industry, “MRO businesses are trying to differentiate themselves through offerings that focus on, among other things, turn times, parts pooling agreements, FBO services, interior and modification capabilities, engine services, and/or maintenance tracking programs,” says Bombardier spokesperson Mark Masluch. In doing so, these companies are realizing that the old ways of doing business are no longer sufficient, he observes. “MROs that expect to grow and succeed in the future will need to bring a new value proposition to the market.” In executing this approach, Pratt & Whitney Global Service Partners is faced with a unique dilemma. The increasing reliability of its newest engines is reducing customers’ need for servicing, thus cutting into the company’s revenues. VP Tom Hutton acknowledges this irony: “To drive new business, our strategy is to work more closely with customers in further reducing their costs with our help,” he tells Aviation Maintenance. “The result is a win-win. They continue to
cut their maintenance expenses, while we get a larger share of what they spend.” Turkish Technic also believes in working closely with clients, to motivate them to choose Turkish Technic as their preferred supplier of services. This is why “establishing long term sustainable relationships with customers is our primary focus,” says Tahir Kararti, the company’s Advertising & Public Relations manager. As part of this strategy, Turkish Technic’s marketing and sales team is being trained “to be more customer focused.” Another way of doing more for customers is by providing a ‘one stop shop’ solution, so that all of their needs can be addressed through a single MRO. Although it is difficult to provide such a range of services, many MROs are embracing this approach. For instance, “We are well positioned to provide maintenance solutions to our airline customers that are looking for maintenance CASM [cost per available seat mile] optimization and a more holistic maintenance approach,” says Ashley R. Black, spokesperson for Delta TechOps. “Through our Complete Fleet Services (CFS) offerings, we are able to provide truly nose-to-tail support for our customers; leveraging our economies of scale and operational excellence.” Providing consistently high quality
and reliable services also matters to customers. The good news: They don’t care whether the jobs are being done in one plant or many, as long as the final product is consistent.
Mindful of this fact, AAR has made consistency one of its top priorities. “Over the last year, our focus was on, and will remain on ... embracing and building on our ‘One AAR MRO’ concept
S R Technics
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