Technology, preparation and quality are major supply chain challenges

Intertrade, which facilitated the establishment of the airliner surplus parts supplier business four decades ago, has added engine parts to its portfolio, completing its evolution from a one-product specialist to a full-service used-components supplier.

Deal sees ILFC sell 15% AeroTurbine stake to Lufthansa Technik.

Like many MRO industry verticals, the mechanical component market has its share of top-tier suppliers entering the aftermarket, either through organic growth or acquisition. Major roles in new aircraft programs give manufacturers such as Moog inside tracks to lucrative aftermarket opportunities. But, as companies like Avtron Aerospace and Heico prove, there is still plenty of room for innovative independent suppliers. 1. Focused On Motion Supplier: Moog

Eliminating unplanned aircraft downtime would be a good thing, right? Imagine how operating assets that do not prematurely fail would optimize your operations. The productivity gains and cost savings would be immense. Perhaps you think I am taking a utopian view of operations, but if your company and employees are not striving for innovation at the highest level, will you ever get there?

Europe The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), concerned about the number of reports of defective fasteners, is developing a certification memorandum that will advise product developers to take steps to ensure the quality of so-called standards nuts and bolts (see photo).

Cloud computing is considered to be the next major trend in electronic-documents management, but still to be decided is how much data will be controlled by airlines, and how much by original equipment manufacturers. Best practices devised to keep engines on-wing longer is one of the issues, says Paul Mingler, GE Aviation's chief consulting engineer of product safety.

The proliferation of mobile devices and software that enables increasingly more complex data distribution and handling could lead to the most significant evolution in maintenance documents management since the transition from paper to electronic formats.