april2022 - 19

MAINTAINING MAINTENANCE EQUIPMENT
BY JOSH SMITH
The shop equipment used to maintain
assets requires regular care to remain
in peak operating condition.
For example, Navi Gupta, president
at Preneet Holdings, points out
APU stands should be inspected
every six months. What's more, a
comprehensive check should be
conducted once a year.
" The stands that have isolators (GTCP
131-9B and GTCP 131-9C) need to
have isolators changed every 5-7 years
depending on condition, " he adds.
Mechanics should keep watch for
indications that an APU stand may
need repair, including signs of rust and
excessive wear and tear.
A repair on an APU stand may require
the equipment to be out of service
for 2-4 days. However, Gupta notes
routine maintenance can usually be
completed with 24-48 hours.
chain for parts, labor shortages and
rising fixed costs.
Different equipment operators use
GSE at varying intervals. So based on
the usage of equipment, maintenance
requirements can also vary.
" Heavily used equipment will require
higher costs of union labor, depending
on the location of the airfield. He says a
bulk of major airports will have higher
direct costs than an outlying airfield
operation that is non-union.
" FBOs tend to be non-union and have
a smaller fleet of ground support equipment
to contend with, " Gendron adds.
" Ground handling operations face the
same challenges that airlines and large
cargo operators face. "
By utilizing new or like-new rebuilt
GSE and maintenance services, ground
service providers can save money and
mitigate downtime.
" The differences for each operation
really depend on the size and age of the
fleet and the amount of labor overhead
needed to keep up with breakdowns and
repairs, " Gendron says, adding airlines
are experiencing the greatest challenge
with the factors of a limited supply
more maintenance attention as opposed
to lower used equipment. However,
performing the required preventative
maintenance at the correct intervals
mitigates major breakdown events and
allows the users to control and plan for
costs, " says Manny.
Staffing Challenges
According to Vanpoucke, labor availability,
including skilled technicians,
has decreased due in part to the
COVID-19 pandemic.
" They were already a scarce resource,
but even more so post-pandemic. A lot
of these people with technical skills are
in high demand in a lot of other sectors, "
says Vanpoucke. " So, it becomes harder
and harder to find these people. Then
you'll obviously have a typical supply/
demand effect where the salaries go up
and the costs go up. "
When determining whether to repair
or replace an APU stand, mechanics
must compare the cost of repair versus
that of a new unit.
" Also the amount of damage and
type of damage, " Gupta adds. " For
example, if rust is present, the stand
can be sand blasted and re-painted. If
a mounting bracket is bent or broken, it
may be advisable to replace the stand.
" A certified APU stand can provide
trouble-free service for several years
without any major issues, maintenance
or repair. Also how the stand is used
and stored will affect the durability of
the stand, " he continues. " For example,
if a stand is used to store the engine
for long periods of time as opposed
to being used to transport APUs
extensively. Also, if stands have isolators
and are stored outside as opposed to
inside or a controlled environment - will
prolong the life of the isolators. "
The labor shortage can lead to difficulties
with in-house GSE maintenance
depending on the scale of the operation.
" When fractional labor is all that
is required, but the coverage of hours
needed is widespread, operations need
to look at how best to maintain labor
efficiencies while not negatively impacting
the health of the fleet or the operation, "
adds Ingle.
While having experienced staff is
always a major plus to have on your
side, Manny notes the current market
conditions for GSE mechanics are
difficult, at best. What's more, the
lack of experience often leads to mistakes
in critical decisions resulting in
higher costs.
" As the industry stabilizes again, we
are confident good career opportunities
for new mechanics will return and
the process of building experience will
improve, " Manny says.
To combat current staffing levels
challenges faced by airlines, ground
service providers and FBOs, Gendron
says Mercury GSE has added recruiting
staff to its human resources operations
to remain fully staffed with quality
April 2022 || AviationPros.com || 19
PRIMEFLIGHT AVIATION SERVICES
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april2022

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