YOU HAVE AN AIRCRAFT PART, AND YOU NEED IT REPAIRED, YET DESPITE THE URGENCY, YOU DREAD HAVING TO SEND IT TO YOUR MRO.
AIRCRAFT PART REPAIR STATIONS ARE KNOWN FOR HAVING UNPREDICTABLE WORK ORDER COSTS, UNRELIABLE LEAD TIMES, AND GETTING A REPLY FROM THEIR CUSTOMER SERVICE IS FASTER WITH A HORSE AND CARRIAGE.
It doesn't make it easier; you have hundreds of MRO options to choose from.
When choosing a part 145 repair station, it's not just about the quality of their repairs, even though that's important, it's also about their business practices.
Here are a few non-technical tips you should look for when working hiring a repair station partner.
Your aircraft part repair station should be open and honest.
Transparency is everything.
What's the labor rate?
What are the piece parts being used?
Why did your unit fail?
How are they going to help you?
These seem like basic questions, but this information is often left out to hide the truth.
An example of this in practice was on a jackscrew repair we had. The component was in terrible shape.
Our repairs steam spent hours piece parting this component, trying to drive down the repair cost.
The initial repair was around $19,500, but we were able to lower the cost to $13,500 by providing our piece parts.
From the beginning, we mentioned to our client that this unit was in terrible condition, and it was taking more time than usual.
To make things more complicated, the ball screw that was previously installed on the unit was wrong.
Our client was lucky the wrong ball screw didn't cause them severe issues during operation.
For the ball screw piece part, we struggled to find a viable solution.
The OEM was the only one who had the component available…for $35,000.
That was unrealistic for our client.
The final solution was doing a flat rate exchange and removing another jackscrew.
The ideal conclusion would have been a standard repair, but this isn't always the case, and we were able to give solutions through the repair journey.
The moral of the story is, your MRO must be transparent. They should always look for ways to help you.
"How to Quickly Lower Repair Turn-Around-Times, Reduce Costs & Save Hours of Time Each Week --- Guaranteed."
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Being flexible isn't just for yoga.
Flexibility is a hidden treasure. You'll rarely find it but when you do …it's golden.
Most repair stations are inflexible. They move slowly. Following company procedures is excellent, but not being able to make decisions or solve problems is a curse.
An example of this is through our Asset Repair Care program. We'll go over and beyond to drive down repair costs through proper piece part acquisitions.
To do this, additional time may be needed to source and cannibalize other units to draw out the piece parts, but we give multiple options.
Sometimes it's a balance between shorter lead times and a higher repair cost and vice versa, but options are always right.
So is flexibility.
The more flexible the MRO, the better decisions they'll make for you.
Lead times are a pain.
Lead times are a tough subject. It's highly variable.
If an MRO has a standard lead time of 14 days for an actuator, but the actuator sent in for repair looks like it fell from the sky, it'll create lead time issues.
Lead time and cycle time commitments all boil down to communication.
The better the communication between the client and aircraft part repair station, the more reasonable lead times will be.
If a lousy condition unit is sent in for repair, be honest. Give your MRO a detailed reason for removal with outgoing component pictures.
If lead times for a particular part are taking longer than usual, the MRO should be transparent enough to let you know.
Your aircraft part repair station should update you often.
If an issue has occurred or the unit is taking more work, they should let you know sooner rather than later.
Be transparent like glass.
A genuine material partner will be as transparent with you.
They'll be open about issues and what they're doing to resolve it. Just telling you your unit went BER creates no value for you or your operation.
They must be transparent about everything necessary to get you a repaired unit at a fair repair price and with a reasonable lead time.
If they can't meet either of those, they'll be open on why it can't be done and the options available to overcome the current issue.
Great customer service.
Everyone thinks they have "great" customer service, yet, it's scarce.
When working with an MRO, chose partners that give you excellent customer service.
You'd be amazed at how much time and cost it saves you in the long run.
Ask yourself these questions:
How do they communicate with you?
Are they fast to reply?
Do you get updates without asking?
Are they available on the weekend?
The last one I threw in there. 99% won't do this, but there's one.
They help you reduce costs and find contingencies.
Another critical factor is how they are helping you reduce the cost of your repair.
Are they charging you list price for the piece parts?
They should find ways to reduce your repair cost while maintaining repair quality and the long-term serviceability of the unit.
They also should be well versed in helping you find contingencies. If your unit goes BER, do they give you an option to replace it, or charge you an annoying evaluation fee?
You can see many themes in these points, and your right; they all matter that much.
Work with an MRO partner who possesses all of the above points.
Most aircraft part repair stations know how to repair an aircraft part, but most of them don't know anything about how to deliver superior results to your operation.
"How to Quickly Lower Repair Turn-Around-Times, Reduce Costs & Save Hours of Time Each Week --- Guaranteed."
Read this exclusive aircraft component repair white paper that answers it all.Download Your Free Copy Today [Click Here]