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.
How often do aircraft part repairs cause your belly to ache and your heart to burst?
Stress.
One minute you have a repair requirement, and the next you have 20 repair orders to ship, follow-up on, and approve.
It's the constant source, process, chase, trace and ultimately, MRO babysit doom and gloom.
You ponder the thought of ignoring it.
Instead, you cautiously pick up the phone.
“Hello."
It’s your boss, the VP of Maintenance and Engineering, and he’s unhappy about the current spending.
He’s beginning to feel the pressure from your CFO.
Repair costs have doubled and they're now taking more time to process, meaning more people must get involved.
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.
You call and no one responds. You email and no one reads it.
You state your urgency, but urgency isn't given.
Whether you're dealing with an aircraft component repair vendor or even the barber down the street, you want to be heard, understood. Am I right? Or have I fallen off somewhere?
With aircraft component repair vendors, there are 5 unwritten laws you must follow. Each of these laws must be followed, you can't pick one and not the other.
If you follow these laws, your life will seem easier, the relationships with your repair vendors will be strong and your bottom line will begin to rise.
So what are we waiting for?
Here are the 5 laws to follow with choosing an aircraft component repair vendor:
The law of communication allows both parties to be on the same page. Communication creates a win/win relationship. Do they communicate effectively?
The law of organization is how the relationship is molded. It's how you and your vendor understand one another. Are they organized?
The law of history gives you great insight on your repair management partners past. Where have they been, where are they going and how do you fit in the picture. Do they have a history?
The law of personality goes deep into the organization. Once you know their personality, you'll know their intentions. Do they have a personality?
The law of flexibility shows if thry're agile or motionless dictated by corporate red tape. Agile is always good.
These laws give you a deep understanding of your aircraft component repair vendor and should be the backbone of your decision making process. They will guide you to make rational, calculated decisions to work with a vendor that understands and cares about your unique operation.
Have you missed the other 3 parts of this aircraft repair management series?
Series 1: Does Aircraft Component Repair Keep You Up At Night? Series 2: 7 Ways Repair Management Can Simplify Your Life Series 3: 12 Point Checklist To Reap The Benefits Of Understanding Your Aircraft Repair Management Partner
We would love to hear from you. Do you follow these laws? Either send us an email or respond in the comment section below.
Do you feel beat up with the frequent stress of your aircraft component repair process?
I'm with you, but the good news is...
You've made it! You're on part 3 of our repair management series. If you've missed part 1 and 2, go take a look:
1: Does Aircraft Component Repair Keep You Up At Night?
2: 7 Ways Repair Management Can Simplify Your Life
Remove the complications for your component repair processes before it even starts and eliminate any probability of vendor carelessness. This is your goal, right?
It's not always easy, but it's imperative for a clean ride through the MRO world.
Always start out with the basics by knowing your vendor well and remove any problems before they even start. You'll spare yourself the trouble of finding out too late that your vendor might not have the capabilities you thought, or the personalities you would like to deal with. And this is all right, it just might not be the right fit for you.
This simple checklist can help you avoid committing to a repair management partner before you know them.
This step is REALLY easy, but it can tell you a lot about a person. If most of their conversation is about them and they sound like a used car dealer, that may be a red flag.
If they have no history, they may not have enough experience to handle your needs.
If they can't talk about their colleagues, they may have internal conflict, which is a bad team environment.
This will ensure that all the material you're sending will be accounted for and stored properly. If you don't have an audit for them to fill out, they should have a pre-made one.
This will build a stronger relationship, and you will get to know them on a much deeper level. Trust isn't a commodity.
If upper level management doesn't have time for a paying customer, you shouldn't have time for them either.
Since distances can be so vast between one another, this will ensure you're working with a clean facility that will ensure your material is taken care of.
This simple document will show you that your vendors double check what's incoming and outgoing, keeping quality consistent.
If they don't have one, enough said.
There doesn't need to be a reason for your call or text. By doing this you'll understand if they respond or answer after hours. This is for peace of mind above all else.
If they welcome you with open arms, they're a relationship based organization.
This checklist is a resource for you to use to understand your aircraft repair management partner and to ensure your relationship will work. If it doesn't, thats fine but you'll be able to know this well before you start spending money. Use this checklist for piece of mind and to build a strong relationship with your partners.
Enjoy!
Do you feel overwhelmed having to manage your aircraft component repair processes? This is understandable as each MRO has its way of communicating information to you, not to mention the freight costs associated with shipping to various facilities. From exaggerated mark-ups on piece parts to inflated labor rates, this can easily become a nightmare.
Just recently our repair manager dealt with an issue that I just didn't understand. One of our avionic units was sent to an aircraft undergoing maintenance to be installed. After installation, there seemed to be an intermittent issue with the avionic so we had it overnighted back to the MRO who originally performed the work. Warranty was granted. 120 days later, after having to supply another unit to fulfill the aircraft maintenance requirement the MRO sent a bill for $400+ for labor. We kindly declined this bill and after many discussions the shop decided to waive this fee. This was sneaky and if we weren't paying attention to the original warranty granted, we would have paid this. Needless to say, this MRO is no longer on our approved vendor list for aircraft component repair.
How can you avoid stressing over such issues?
By dealing with an organization who deals with repairs on a daily basis, there are key benefits they possess that you may not.
Below are 4 reason you should be using a repair management program:
Outsourcing to one vendor that can accommodate your aircraft component repair needs can reduce your overall cost per part. Do you stock piece parts in preparation for component repairs? Do you have replacement units that can be used if your other unit goes BER? What about as removed units that can be used for piece parts for another unit undergoing repair? If the answer is no, then a repair management program may be right for you.
Why not just send all your units to one MRO? This can be answered in 3 words…KEEPING THEM HONEST. MRO facilities typically have ratings for certain repairs and can't perform the vast aircraft component repair services you're looking for. When an MRO get's an influx of repairs they can start to drag their feet and become overwhelmed and disengaged. They will also markup piece parts to make it seem as through your unit is more expensive to repair than it should be…increasing their margins.
By utilizing a repair management program, you have the ability to focus on your core competencies while a reputable company manages your repairs. In doing so they will ensure the MRO is staying honest by remaining actively engaged with them, providing their own piece parts at un-inflated rates and making sure they're not telling you one thing and doing another.
Many airlines deal with the overwhelming costs of shipping items for repairs, primarily throughout the United States. It's not cost effective to ship repairs from overseas to different MRO's all across the continental United States which spans 3,400 miles East to West.
You can reduce shipping cost by consolidating shipments with your repair management program provider. They should also have a network of shipping companies in which they do frequent business with, at discounted rates.
During your aircraft maintenance you can forecast your repair needs depending on what check you're going through. If any unplanned issue arise you can then take advantage of your contingency plans but just utilizing what you have to repair may not be enough.
For example, lets say you need 5 undercarriages overhauled and made compliant with the most recent service bulletin. This will cost you roughly $6,000 per undercarriage if you send this directly to the MRO. Now, if you utilize a repair management program your 5 undercarriages may be 5 of 20 undercarriages your repair management service provider is repairing for their airline clients. This gives them significant bargaining power over the MRO. They may have negotiated a flat rate overhaul based on their volume and save you $1,000 per undercarriage, $5,000 in total.
You may have many components needed for repair in support of your aircraft maintenance, but if you combine this in addition to what the repair management program is doing for other airlines, bargaining power can increase and substantially lower your overall repair costs.
Repair management programs have built decades of relationships with hundreds of MROs and OEMs.
While many MROs won't allow you to provide your own piece parts which can drastically increase the cost due to inflated markups, a successful repair management program has experience providing their own piece parts, numerous airline client's parts, and other vendor parts to reduce the overall cost of the aircraft component repair process.
With a successful repair management program, relationships have been built minimizing your resource consumption by utilizing the available resources through such a program. This will effectively reduce your overall cost and downtime.
The procurement of spares and the oversight of aircraft maintenance and aircraft component repair for the daily operation of an airline is often very complex and time consuming. Most of the time decisions have to be processed to upper level management which takes further time and money. Why not leave these decisions to one company?
Utilizing a repair management program will not only save you money, but also endless headaches. Repair management combined with rotable support can be a good strategy to relinquish you from the stress and miscommunication associated with repair companies.
What deciding factor would make you choose a repair management program? Comment below.
