Aircraft engine maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) is becoming a logistical problem for commercial aviation.
A recent Aviation Week article here highlighted how MROs are facing a flood of increased demand which has significantly increased turnaround times (TAT) for all types of engines. Wait times for a slot have risen by 2-3 months and sometimes longer. This means that more aircraft are AOG and are not creating revenue.
The demand increase comes from a complex set of issues: the pandemic created a deferred maintenance backlog; the newer CFM/GTF engines have unexpectedly hit problems, new planes have not been delivered as promised so airlines are extending the lives of their aging narrowbody engines which in turn has reduced the supply of used parts from decommissioned planes. Factor in lingering supply chain issues and labor shortages and you have a perfect storm.
What is the Solution?
The article points out several ways they believe this blockage will be resolved:
- Technology to help improve productivity, specifically artificial intelligence (AI) and automation.
- More investment in parts repair and used serviceable material (USM)
- Increase capacity by improving shop efficiency and productivity
Even though the article is focused on the problems with engine MROs, it is clearly putting pressure on the whole MRO supply chain making it harder for any non-engine MRO aircraft maintenance to be scheduled.
This puts pressure on airlines as longer turnaround times, and longer AOG periods, lead to lost revenue and lower profitability. This is driving a demand for greater speed and efficiency within MRO operations.
The technology and investment solutions listed above (bullets 1 and 2) are more structural in nature and will take time to work through however for bullet #3 there are immediate changes that MROs can take to improve shop efficiency & productivity.
Improving MRO Efficiency and Productivity
Maintenance activities in general for commercial airlines or General aviation are time-sensitive, seemingly always measured against the designation of “Aircraft on Ground” (AOG) and the anxiety that goes with it. If they aren’t in the air, they are not earning revenue! Given the current tightening of MRO TATs -for engines and regular maintenance- it is even more of a priority.
Switch One Component to Boost Efficiency & Save Time
Replace the old slow nylon grommet & adhesive with Spring-Fast® snap-on grommet edging.
The nervous system of modern aircraft is the EWIS the electrical wiring interconnect system. This wiring has to be protected at critical points. Indeed grommets are required by federal regulation where insufficient clearances exist between wiring and the air-frame, and to prevent damage to the harnesses as they are routed and “pulled through” the airframe. If wiring were to be pulled through a lightening hole and suffer chafing it could lead to sparking, arcing, and even fire. MROs inspect the wiring during scheduled maintenance.
The legacy way to protect the EWIS is to use an old technology from the 50s which involves gluing a nylon grommet, sometimes called a caterpillar grommet onto the edge of the opening. This is old, inefficient technology and creates delays for the MRO as the adhesives have to cure before wire harnesses can be hung or pulled through. Cure time slows the process down even further.
Worse still inspections can often necessitate a rework due to poor fitment and bonding, dis-bonding, and excessive gaps caused by: insufficient fixturing, not enough adhesive, or even incorrect mixing of a 2-part epoxy.
Switching to SPRING-FAST Grommet Edging will solve these process and handling problems.
SPRING-FAST Core Benefits
- Best-in-class performance without glue
- Fast simple installation using just finger pressure improves efficiency by a factor of 9.5X
- Install cost savings will be at least 49%
Key Features
- Snaps into place with finger pressure. Proven performance across multiple aerospace platforms.
- Mil Spec high-performance grommet- polymer coated ultra-thin CRES substrate.
- Caterpillar-style – opposing finger-like castles create a compression force for retention without glue.
- Passed 20/20/20 G static load tests – even with 4 castles removed for wire bundle clip clearance.
- Minimal FOD footprint- fewer shop consumables like gloves, cloths, adhesive, tape, solvent, and masks.
- Easy to work: remove/replace without loss of edge retention. Perfect for tight access locations.
For full details see our aerospace case study here https://www.devicetech.com/aerospace/spring-fast-business-case/
Bottom line:
The pressure is on for MRO “repair slots”.
Nylon and adhesive grommets take significantly longer to install so there is a significant time and cost benefit from using Spring-Fast grommet snap on technology.
Using Spring-Fast the aircraft can be finished today, instead of tomorrow.
Spring-Fast is minimizing AOG one edge at a time.
Read more about Spring-Fast Mil Spec grommets here
Order Free samples here
