AIR CARG O WEEK


WEEKLY NEWS


DECENTRALISING MRO BY Anastasiya SIMSEK 05


AS global MRO networks strain under geopolitical pressure, fractured supply chains, and soaring demand for freighter conversions, a new model is emerging—one built on regional autonomy, strategic diversification, and operational resilience. The traditional hub-and-spoke system, long centred on Asia-Pacific clusters, is being challenged by operators taking a decentralised, opportunity-driven approach to maintenance growth. The global MRO market is fragmenting and regionalising fast. For Hussein


Lookmanjee, CEO and Chairman of DTX Group, that’s not a problem—it’s the plan. Following a full exit from Drayton Aerospace’s China operations, DTX has re-emerged as an assertively independent operator, setting its sights on underserved markets and cargo-specific opportunities. Lookmanjee outlines a strategy rooted in decentralised growth, cultural intelligence, and supply chain resilience. “Our independence means total strategic clarity,” he told Air Cargo


Week. “We’re no longer balancing conflicting regional priorities—we can now focus entirely on building an agile, internationally competitive aviation business. This allows us to move faster on greenfield opportunities, deploy capital where it creates the most value, and make bold decisions without compromise. It’s a clean runway, and we’re using it to scale globally with purpose.” The strategic reset, he added, is also cultural. “It also eliminates


culturally influenced decision making from business decision making by allowing each group to align their respective strategies with their own personal/professional priorities.”


Cargo conversions, PMA strategy, and geographic hedges DTX’s immediate priorities are practical and freight-led. “Cargo Conversion


is an area that we are focused on,” Lookmanjee said. “Over the past 2 decades, Cargo Conversion capacity has been heavily Asia-focused with several facilities in China. Our facility in Porto Alegre was the unique organisation doing cargo conversions, and we see the need to expand our capacity in this area to give the market more options; to allow for some level of risk mgmt. / diversification by giving cargo companies an alternative in South America.” The group is already working on multiple fronts. “We are currently


working with Embraer on exploring the possibility of setting / supporting EJet Cargo Conversions and we are also looking at setting up a 737NG Cargo Conversion line in Porto Alegre.” Expansion is also about de-risking, not just growth. “Diversifying


geographically was a decision to mitigate risks for our customers as well as to mitigate risks for ourselves,” he said. “Our growth strategy has always been built around product specialisation. We will continue to drive our Landing Gear MRO footprint and are looking to establish a new green field landing gear facility in India or South East Asia. We are exploring opportunities to expand our engine foot and base maintenance footprint to provide more options and more capacity for the market.” With increased scope, DTX also aims to buffer volatility. “By increasing


our market size – we can also afford to hold more ‘safety stock’ to support all our locations to help absorb supply chain disruptions. Lastly we will be entering the PMA space. We are working on an acquisition to establish a presence in the PMA industry to provide an additional solution to support our shops and our customers.”


Technology role Technology plays a role, but only when it serves clear operational goals. “There’s a lot of hype around AI, automation, and drones—and while we’ve adopted those tools where they make sense, I don’t believe they’re a silver bullet,” said Lookmanjee. “For us, technology is a means to improve efficiency. We’re using AI and automation selectively, but our real competitive edge comes from our emerging market strategy: operating where others don’t, building capability at lower cost, and passing that value to our customers. That’s where we’re seeing the most tangible impact.” This principle of integration over expansion also guides DTX’s approach


to parts. “I believe with our network in emerging markets we are able to both source some USM that might not have been so easily accessible to the market as well as identify direct sale opportunities giving our customers with a shorter lead time to address their material shortages as well as providing us with a higher margin transaction.” Operational


leverage comes from combining capabilities across


verticals. “By being able to leverage the company’s MRO branch we are able to have global warehousing solutions at little to no incremental costs and combine our external inventory needs with our internal inventory needs,” Lookmanjee said. “In terms of Traceability – again leveraging our technical knowledge from our MRO branch we are able to access resources and technical knowledge far beyond the skills of most part distributors so that we can not only provide better traceability but we can go beyond that and offer interchangeability and modification opportunities for our customers.”


www.aircargoweek.com


Sustainability is addressed with equal pragmatism. “As a team we’re focused on making sustainability


real—not


business is rooted in circularity: teardown and PMA (where we will be announcing an investment in shortly) reduces waste and extend lifecycle value. In our facilities, we’re prioritising low-emission power sources, waste segregation, and digital systems that eliminate paper. We believe that sustainability needs to become a core long term KPI, driven by everyone in our organisation.” This isn’t theory. “We were one of the first MRO organisations in China to


install solar panels on our roof; providing power for our own consumption and selling excess electricity into the grid. We established a full water recycling system to allow us to recirculate water back into our DeIonised Water system for our electro plating facility. We are actively looking at now implementing those solutions in our Brazil and UAE maintenance facilities. We don’t just see it as an environmentally conscious decision but also we have seen its positive contribution to the bottomline.” On workforce strategy, DTX bucks the trend of labour scarcity. “We


have not seen the same labor market shortages in the regions we currently operate in. Aerospace is still seen as a stable, respectable and promising career path and are able to expand and maintain our workforce relatively well.” Long-term investment underpins that stability. “We have also launched


our own internship training academy in Brazil where we partner with local technical colleges and offer direct-to-job pathways with structured mentorship. Our strategy is to grow talent, and where possible try to ensure our technicians are multi-certified across aircraft types and regulatory authorities. We are exploring the possibility of establishing a 147 training school in Brazil as we forecast increasing our manpower 3x in the coming two years.” Cultural


intelligence shapes internal benchmarks too. “We have


learned from trial and error that different work cultures in the world require culturally sensitive KPIs and incentives. Designing this correctly is somewhat of a strategic advantage as again we are a service-oriented business and manpower motivation is the difference between profitability and loss.” Looking forward, the playbook is clear and ambitious. “We are actively


evaluating setting up EJet Cargo Conversion capabilities and anticipate expanding into 737s as well. Ultimately, we hope to finally get into 777 cargo conversions and are looking at expanding our widebody base maintenance capacity.”


28 JULY 2025 ACW theoretical. Our parts


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14