Soaring to New Horizons : Ramping Up Presence and Support in Africa
By Pratt & Whitney Customer Service
With 3,000 engines in service in Africa, P&WC is expanding its global customer support and service network with four new offices strategically positioned to support the continent's burgeoning aviation industry.
Growing the Global Network
The African population is expanding and many of its nations—including three of the world's fastest-growing economies — are booming. This means transportation needs are increasing too. And with its vast size and underdeveloped highway infrastructure, Africa is well-suited to air travel.
This year, P&WC is increasing its technical presence and expanding to address the needs of operators on the ground by opening four Mobile Repair Team (MRT) bases, strategically located in France, Qatar, South Africa and Kenya.
In collaboration with the nine P&WC owned and designated overhaul facilities (DOFs) in Africa, Europe, the Middle East, the new offices will work together to support the 3,000 P&WC engines in service P&WC serving in Africa.
Bombardier Q400 aircraft powered by a PW150A engine located in Uganda.
“South Africa and Kenya are the two African countries with the largest fleets, so we decided to open offices there”, explains Ismael Rhissa Zakary, Director, Aftermarket Services, P&WC Customer Service Centre Europe. “We’re also actively adding to our growing portfolio of solutions and services tailored to the needs of our customers; designed to keep their aircraft flying while reducing their maintenance costs.”
The France-based office, which will service North Africa along with Europe, is located in Toulouse, near several major European customers such as Dassault Aviation, ATR, Daher-Socata and Airbus Helicopters. These customers are all within driving distance for P&WC's Mobile Repair Team (MRT) Technician, EMEA Region, Maxime Marsaud.
“We’re on the front line of action. Flexibility and the ability to react quickly are essential,” remarks Maxime.
The P&WC's Mobile Repair Team, based in Toulouse, France, supports Airbus Helicopters H175.
"It’s about creating more access points to our customers to deliver seamless service, understanding their particular environments so we can be as proactive as possible – and if the unexpected arises, being able to respond rapidly. We’re customizing our approach to operators. To do that, we need to be local", adds Ismael.
Delivering More Flexible Support
The PT6A and the PW100 are the most frequently flown P&WC engines in Africa. The MRTs at the new offices will provide maintenance support for these, as well as for other P&WC engines. They will service a wide range of clientele, from private customers with a single plane to government-run fleets.
The P&WC's Mobile Repair Team, located in Africa, supports Cessna 208B Grand Caravan powered by a PT6A.
“Our objective is to be able to provide borescope inspections and troubleshooting for every engine,” notes Ismael. “We have many new tools and technologies at our disposal, such as Onsight, a mobile collaboration tool that lets our MRTs supporting customers in the field connect directly with our engineers via a secure, live audio-video link. It even includes the ability to connect the borescope to Onsight on a smartphone or tablet via a collaboration hub.
Other services offered will include on-wing repair, on-wing hot section inspection (HSI) and basic line maintenance services such as compressor and turbine washes. Services will vary depending on the engine type. The presence of MRTs in the region will give operators of P&WC engines more options and greater flexibility.
The new offices will work together, coordinating communications so that they are ready to respond immediately and to provide targeted support wherever needed.
Helping Educate Operators
As the African aviation market is rapidly growing, there is a need to support operators with training and educational activities.
The new offices are already allowing P&WC to do just that. Recently, the team helped the United Nations World Food Programme run an aviation safety seminar with operators from Kenya who fly aircraft for the humanitarian organization.
Once the Kenya office opens later this year, the team will reach out to customers in the surrounding area with a series of roadshows.
“They will give updates on engines, present best practices and listen to customers about the challenges they face and what we can do to help them,” says Ismael.
"The purpose of the team is to get closer to our customers and understand all the nuances of their operational realities. It also gives us an opportunity to share best practices and solutions on how they can reduce costs and maximize their aircraft availability."
- MAXIME MARSAUD, MOBILE REPAIR TEAM, EMEA REGION
P&WC is also working on other initiatives to enhance services to customers in Africa and nearby areas. These include tailored maintenance programs, such as P&WCSMART solutions, which focus on looking for ways to reduce costs and move operators to more fully planned maintenance environments. Other offerings, such as FAST™ Solution and Oil Analysis Technology, use advanced prognostics and analytics to streamline maintenance. These solutions include important considerations such as improving access to rental engines and other assets.
As Africa is not the only hot spot in aviation, P&WC is also expanding in other markets. Discover how P&WC experts are bringing local support to aircraft owners and operators in South America.
