Aviation Week Show News - November 12, 2007 - (Page 17)

COMPLETIONS D U B A I 2 0 07 continued from page 54 agrees AAC’s Bosque, naming mechanical design, systems design, avionics-electronics, stress engineers, and weight-and-balance specialists. “All of these disciplines are in high demand right now,” he says. It’s not an easy problem to solve overnight. “You’re looking at craftsmen and certifications that have taken years to develop,” Bosque says. Also making managers nervous is the supply chain. Some 20 to 30 vendors supply 70-80% of total needs, Bosque says, naming parts such as seats, tables, bulkheads and headliners. Who are the vendors? “It’s a guarded secret,” Bosque replies, and close relationships are protected. “We’re concerned about whether the vendor markets can support things,” says McAlpin, who cites shortages of Nomex honeycomb material and specialty tapes. “You don’t expect six to eight weeks of lead time to get some tape, but even that’s happening.” “Seats are a very long lead time,” he adds. L-3, because it’s recognized by the FAA as a designated alteration station, was recently able to adapt Webber seats that were built for an MD-11 to a 767 for PrivatAir, he told Show News.—“We delivered it six weeks earlier than we quoted,” McAlpin says. He’s quick to caution, however, that he can’t do that every time. Completion companies are warning, in effect, that they can’t take on any more work. “We are striving to grow smartly and undertake programs that fit within our ability to perform as promised,” says another specialist. “It takes us two years to build up a new line—not because we are slow, but because we are careful,” says Heerdt of Lufthansa Technik. “We must [also] follow Lufthansa Technik came up with this artistic concept for a Boeing 787 Lounge Dining area. a careful path to get qualified people.” “It’s our intention to engage this market responsibly,” says McAlpin. “We’re only going to book projects as we feel we have the capacity to perform them. We’re just not going to overbook.” Associated Air Center Associated Air Center was established at Dallas Love Field (DAL) in 1948 and is part of Landmark Aviation and affiliated with Standard Aero, all owned by Dubai Aerospace Enterprise. Although a new corporate entity, DAE already boasts some $1.3 billion in combined annual revenue, specializing in engine maintenance, repair and overhaul, and nose-to-tail services that include airframe, interior refurbishments and paint for business and general aviation, air transport and military aircraft. AAC is in the engineering division of DAE and offers luxury and VIP interiors for transport-size aircraft. DAE Engineering companies comprise a global services network of a dozen primary facilities in the U.S., Canada, Europe, Singapore and Australia, with an additional 14 regionally located service and support locations. Faux tiling is featured in this 747 bathroom by Associated Air Center Fokker Services Fokker Services was named an ACJ completions center earlier this year and at EBACE reported its first customer: the Austria-based Stumpf Group, with its aircraft at Fokker Services’ Woensdrecht facility in southern Holland. An undisclosed Middle Eastern customer has contracted with Fokker for an A318 completion as well. which also shows how the master bedroom could look on the upper deck of the Boeing 747-8. continued on page 56 www.aviationweek.com/shownews November 12, 2007 17 http://www.aviationweek.com/shownews

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