If you’re a Dash 8 operator, aircraft MRO, or lessor, this post is for you.
This is your go-to resource for the current major Dash 8 components we have available now or in the near term.
Bookmark this page as it’ll be updated often.
Do you have surplus aircraft part inventory?
This unnecessary buildup occurs when you order inventory in preparation for near term consumption.
When that consumption never occurs. Voila! Surplus inventory builds up.
Here’s the impact that this causes to your operation.
It’s not the price you pay, how business savvy you are, or how excellent your negotiation skills are. This is the MOST IMPORTANT skill you need when purchasing aircraft parts.
Your surplus aircraft material was sitting. Rotting. Wasting away on your shelves.
Slowly eating away at your operational results. Chomp. Chomp. Chomp.
Cash was being sucked down the surplus drain. And the only thing you could do was…
Price. How important is it to you? How often do you try and get the lowest price? I’m sure you’re thinking to yourself, “It’s incredibly important.” and “Every chance I get.” And that’s fair. It’s also common to ask how much something costs. Or to reduce the cost of something. We often use price and cost interchangeably. That’s a mistake.
Every aircraft part repair station has two turn-around-times (TAT).
How long the component will take to get evaluated and how long the work order will take once approved.
We'll call these pre-work order quote time and post-approval repair time.
Here’s how you to take the guesswork out of your TATs and better predict your next repair turn-around-time.
Are your repair turn-around-times (TAT) a mess?
They’re a headache.
Believe it or not. You’re not alone. The problem remains the same for everyone. Whether you’re a large airline or a small aircraft MRO. You feel the pain.
We recently spoke with The VP of Maintenance at Japan Airlines and he mentioned the same issue. He’s frustrated. Even with the contracts that he has in place, working with the largest OEMs and MROs, repair lead times and quality are a constant frustration.
How does that make you feel? He pays premium prices and still has the same problems as you. See. It could be worse.
You put a ton of effort in shortening your repair turn around times. You, just like me, are crazy.
Everything you do pushes the MRO for an early completion. You yell, scream, beg and maybe even threaten.
When you have this approach is your effort in the right place? Is your time and money being allocated to the right cause?
Yes and no, but before you start throwing CMM books at my head trust me, I get it. Repair TAT is important.
It's crucial yet I urge you to not focus all your attention here.
[Tweet "Focusing all your attention on repair TAT is crazy. #avgeek"]
We recently received thrust reversers. We began inspecting them and soon realized that these beauties had more modifications done to them than a Los Angeles actor.
They were fitted onto a modified aircraft. They're literally the only thrust reverse's of their kind on the planet.
When we were preparing for this project, they took 12 days to get to us off of an aircraft undergoing a routine c-check. We 
scheduled our truck to pick the units up but we got a call that the thrust reversers we’re improperly crated and they had to bump the pick-up. It took 2 additional days to get them into transit.
Once they got to our facility they were inspected and the nozzle was beyond physical repair. We could save these units but the price of repair would become double the standard repair rate. Remember, these are the only two of their kind.
A lot of work will have to be done to bring these two units back to airworthy condition. After the initial quote it took 14 days for approval…and yes while the c-check was still in progress. No loaners, no exchanges, no replacements, we had to repair these units.
We still had 21-30 days after approval to get these units done and when they were approved, it was advised that we get these done fast. Yet, it took 28 days to get the thrust reversers to approve the quote.
And that leads me to my next observations…
From this story you can see where some of the problem occurs. Now, the fault isn't pointed at anybody. Some decisions are hard to make and yes, sometimes it takes multiple approvals to get things done. I get that.
In this situation there's nothing the MRO could do to rush as a large chunk of time was spent in processing and outbound logistics activities.
By focusing some of your time and effort on internal processes you can cut your aircraft component repair time dramatically. In the story I shared, half the time could have been saved.
Start to focus more attention on areas that create the longest drag, meaning where does the component do most of it’s sitting and waiting.
Here are some areas to start on:
There's plenty of areas to focus on but start with one. It'll be less stressful and less bureaucratic to make small changes over time.
Reducing your internal process will help reduce your component TAT and you’ll see a dramatic improvement in your overall rotable cycle times.
There is nothing more frustrating than your aircraft component being delayed. It’s a pull your hair out moment.
Your TAT(turnaround time) is 21 days but 30 days later you still have nothing. You’re more stressed than ever and your blood boils with every passing day.
Supply chain delays are a common stressor. Both time and money are on the line. How do you eradicate this problem? Or can you at all?
It's very difficult to eliminate completely, but with a few steps we can reduce common TAT issues.
Now there is no magic fairy dust and to fix this it takes effort from all supply chain partners.
You're probably thinking, duh, I know I have to follow-up, but this step often gets overlooked.
When an order is placed whether it be a PO or RO, you'll inevitably have to follow up in some form or fashion. Think of this as effective communication, staying engaged and friendly.
Go a step further and create a follow-up schedule leading up to your predetermined ship date. This will help alleviate stress and unnecessary thinking.
With every order you place you must track your on time deliveries.
This will give you a well needed overview of your supply chain health. Are orders being delayed because of supplier lead times or is there something else holding up delivery? This could be your freight forwarder, customs, or various other things.
Tracking your on time deliveries will help you pinpoint issue areas.
You should also have a visual report so it’s easier to see and manage. Your ERP system may have this within it’s platform, or you can just export it to excel.
Babysitting supply chain partners is a common theme. You can avoid this by having dedicated support.
If you work with a company who has various sales people managing your account or you’re working with someone who's unresponsive, your service will suffer.
When you have dedicated account managers you can be sure you'll have a partner that will help you work through any issues you may be having.
It is not your responsibility to have contingencies. You have plenty more things to worry about.
Your supply chain partner should have contingencies in place if any issues arise. Ask them, if something happens, do you have backups in place so I receive what I want, when I want it?
Sometimes scarcity plays a role, but at least you'll know that there's no contingencies in place and you can prepare on your end as well. Being prepared is a much needed asset.
The next and most overlooked step is choosing the right supply chain partner. If price is your only concern then you're going to lack in service.
When service suffers and more issues arise, you spend more money over time. Focus your attention on overall value being created. When you work with supply chain partners who create "wow" experiences you'll be much happier and see your TAT issues decline.
As you can see, reducing your TAT is about having a simple follow up plan backed by issue reporting and supported by a trustworthy supply chain partner.
Do you have TAT issues? Do you need to make your supply chain more efficient? We can help. Fill out the form below and we'll start making you a TAT rockstar.
