HEADLINES

West Virginia Service Center celebrates grand opening of facility expansion.

MHIRJ’s expansion continues with the grand opening of the new hangar in the West Virginia Service Center. With this new addition, MHIRJ’s combined service centers can offer maintenance for up to thirty aircraft simultaneously, making its Regional MRO infrastructure the biggest in the world.

 

With the new larger hangars, MHIRJ makes the leap from the largest regional MRO in the United States to the largest regional MRO in the world, period. For customers, this means they will benefit from an elevated service offering to meet the growing demand for aftermarket services and world-class service.

Back in June 2021, MHIRJ invested 20 million USD to expand its Bridgeport facility with the goal of completing the project in 18 months. Now almost 18 months to the day, the turnaround at the North Central Regional Airport Aerotech Business Park is complete. The facility is operational and ready to meet the increased demand for maintenance services

"Today’s event is a catalyst for MHIRJ’s growth plan, and I am very honored and proud to share this milestone with the MHIRJ team in West Virginia and worldwide,” said Ismail Mokabel, Senior Vice-President, Head of Aftermarket.

DIVERSIFYING AND EXPANDING SERVICES

Previously, the Bridgeport service center focused solely on CRJ Series aircraft, offering comprehensive maintenance, repair, overhaul, and line station services for these regional leaders. Now, in line with MHIRJ’s diversification strategy, the expansion means the maintenance facility can provide service on larger narrow body aircraft while still conducting C-checks, hangar checks, and calendar checks.

The newly expanded service center increases the current facility space by 100,000 square feet, which includes two new MRO hangars that are 41 feet in height, adding 6 additional lines of heavy maintenance that can handle any type of single aisle aircraft.

In commemorating this important milestone, MHIRJ hosted an unveiling ceremony that welcomed federal, state and local dignitaries, customers, members of the Regional Airlines Association (RAA), Mitsubishi Heavy Industries executives, and hundreds of local and international team members.

PRAISE FROM THE LEADERSHIP COMMUNITY

Visiting the West Virginia facility for the first time was Mitsubishi Heavy Industries President and CEO Seiji Izumisawa who spoke of his confidence and trust in his fellow leaders. MHIRJ CEO Hiroaki Yamamoto shared his thoughts on what this expansion means for Bridgeport:

“This is the facility that you deserve and our colleagues deserve, and also that this beautiful and wonderful airport deserves and this community deserves. We are committed to stay here—this is the showing of our commitment and our willingness to work together with the people here.”

Also in attendance were Senators Joe Manchin and Michael Romano, who also spoke highly of the developments.

“This is a milestone for our state. What we do as a state matters. It’s a great opportunity for skilled people that can work and do the job,” Manchin said.

Romano shared the sentiment by saying, “This feels like Christmas. I mean, it’s such a great moment for all of West Virginia.”

ADDING MORE “HEROES ON THE GROUND”

Maintenance technicians are critical to keeping airlines in the sky according to schedule. As the heart of its business, MHIRJ is investing in and nurturing the next generation of its heroes on the ground. The new facility will add approximately some 300 jobs to the 500 maintenance workers currently at the site.

Hiring efforts are already underway with job openings for positions that include Structures Technician, A&P Technician, and Avionics Technician. These new employees will work alongside their colleagues at one of the most modern and technically advanced MROs anywhere.

Many of these new hires will certainly be graduates of Pierpont Community and Technical College. During the event, it was announced that the school will be expanding its Aviation Maintenance Technology program and moving it to the North Central Regional Airport Aerotech Business Park. These changes will enable them to graduate up to 200 students per year.

THE FUTURE LOOKS BRIGHT

With deep roots already established in West Virginia, the expansion marks another milestone in a strong partnership with local and state government and more jobs in the state for years to come. By MHIRJ expanding its facility, services and capabilities, the future looks bright for customers, employees, the local community, and the State of West Virginia.

Securing a steady supply of aircraft parts and components became more of a challenge during and after the pandemic. MHIRJ's Senior Brand Manager, Stephanie Bento, talked to Ismail Mokabel, Head of Aftermarket Services, about the innovative solutions we've put into play to ensure our customers have what they need, when they need it. 

Stephanie Bento: This is MRO Americas. Welcome to Dallas. The largest MRO for regional aviation, MHIRJ is very excited to be here. Supply chain has been a hot topic this year at the MRO Americas, so here to talk to us about that is Ismail Mokabel. Tell us what your team is doing in order to secure a steady supply of aircraft parts and components to operators.

Ismail Mokabel: We had to really approach the problem statement in a three-pronged approach. One is creating an SOS shop, so when we’re in trouble and there is any supply disruption, we can actually make the parts in a very short period of time.

The second strategy we actually deployed is creating an alternate means of supply. We have partnered with the biggest used parts broker to give us availability of use material, and then we’ve actually doubled our capacity to be able to establish a network than can repair these parts and make them available to our customer base.

And then thirdly, we actually created a solution called “part agility,” with which we can make parts that can suffice the need in multiple uses. So, for example, if you have a part that is configured for a left or a right usage on the aircraft, we actually created a part that can suffice both needs and you create one value-added step at the customer base so they can have the flexibility to use the part for multiple usage. We’ve addressed it with about 2,000 part numbers so this gives our customers flexibility and reduces the investment they need in working capital to be able to support their spare parts needs.

Stephanie Bento: What would you say is next in the aftermarket world for MHIRJ?

Ismail Mokabel: We are the biggest regional MRO network in the world. We have a formidable infrastructure of heavy maintenance hangars and component repair capability. The future is bright, we’re very excited about today, we’re excited about tomorrow, and the new investment we’ve just done in Macon sort of defines our leadership position as being the largest MRO network in the US.

As the aviation industry emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, adjusts to ongoing supply chain disruptions, and works to reduce the environmental impact of its operations, it faces unprecedented challenges. In this new aviation world, airlines are being forced to reimagine their business model and operations. To navigate this new reality and anticipate the needs of future travelers, reliable forecasts are more important than ever. In this year's Market Forecast, MHIRJ made a conscious decision to use new techniques and take a fresh look at an ever-changing world using a unique approach. 

GETTING TO THE “WHY”

“Most market forecasts utilize an econometric approach which uses statistical methods to develop theories. However, these forecasts just look at statistics often based on GDP, fares, and population size,” explained Antoine Chereau, Director of Aero Advisory Services at MHIRJ. “While these forecasts focus on the ‘how,’ we look at what is creating the travel dynamic today, ‘the why.’ Our report is based on a passenger demand model following a behavioural approach, from which we generate a fleet and delivery market forecast that covers the next 30 years. We use very few correlations or statistics which can be misleading if not well understood.”

Instead of looking at the macro indicators to describe changes in the market, MHIRJ’s Forecast looks at you and me – the passengers – as the true drivers of market demand. By examining the motivation behind buying a ticket, they provide a market forecast that delivers a higher level of reliability and robustness, because passenger behaviours change very little over the years.

KEY PILLARS IN THEIR APPROACH

Their unique 30-year forecast provides a view of the traffic and fleet developments through 2050, and extends to a new timeline aligned with the Paris Agreement’s goal for global warming to not exceed 1.5°C. The reference year for the forecast is 2019, the last “normal” year of air traffic activity before the COVID-19 pandemic hit in early 2020.

In addition to the behavioural approach, the report is based on three additional key pillars, including a traffic flow analysis that goes beyond the intra-regional levels, down to the country-pair and city-pair levels, and which accounts for departure and arrival times for each route. A unique new route opportunity model allows the forecast to include prospective routes that do not exist today, and an aircraft type-specific retirement model for current and future fleet retirements.

AN OBJECTIVE VIEWPOINT

Market forecasts are a complex exercise that seeks to use rigorous methodologies to explain potential future scenarios. As a company that does not manufacture aircraft, MHIRJ brings an objective viewpoint to the forecast and can follow the data without any conflict with other priorities. They believe that they have utilized the most accurate and realistic assumptions based on many years of data.

By offering a more accurate, realistic, forward-looking view of air traffic and fleet evolutions, their goal is to provide aviation companies with the ability to make informed business decisions and establish strategies that ensure their readiness to take on future demands as well as challenges.

The information included in this blog has been taken from the Commercial Airlines Market Forecast created by MHIRJ’s Aero Advisory Team.

To receive the full Market Forecast, please email aero.advisory.services@mhirj.com

A NEW AGREEMENT BETWEEN MHIRJ AND CANADIAN TECHNOLOGY COMPANY AERO HYGENX MEANS THAT QUICKER, CHEMICAL-FREE CABIN DISINFECTION IS NOW AVAILABLE TO ALL CRJ SERIES OPERATORS.

Since the onset of COVID-19, airlines and aircraft operators around the world have rushed to implement more frequent cleaning procedures for deeper disinfection of the cabin.

Up until now, the bulk of these new cleaning measures required crews to manually apply strong chemical disinfectants, leading to prolonged turnaround times for aircraft. Unfortunately, recent reports show negative side-effects of such cleaning regimes, such as excess hazardous waste and health risks to crew exposed to corrosive and toxic formulas.

Further to environmental and health concerns posed by the frequent use of chemical disinfectants onboard, the compounds commonly found in them carry the added risk of interior corrosion, embrittlement, increased flammability, and even electrical short circuit.

“Depending on the system or part affected, any of these conditions could create either an immediate or latent airworthiness issue,” warns a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin published by the FAA in November 2022.

The RAY line of UV-C disinfecting solutions provides aircraft operators with an alternative to manual chemical disinfection, and it is now available directly through MHIRJ’s maintenance teams.

Designed for the transportation industry, RAY is a compact and lightweight autonomous robot that uses motionsensing technology to autonomously navigate interior spaces, disinfecting air and surfaces safely and without the use of harmful chemicals, thanks to UV-C light. RAY’s ‘little brother’ SparX is a smaller, stationary unit that uses the same germkilling UV-C light to safely disinfect smaller spaces, such as tight cockpits and lavatories.

RAY provides a consistent, sustainable and chemical-free method to disinfect aircraft cabins between flights. (Source: Aero HygenX)

RAY has the ability to fully disinfect a CRJ aircraft in as little as seven minutes and prevents the crew from exposure to chemical disinfectants. RAY uses a proprietary algorithm to self-adjust for various aircraft types and cabin configurations and comes equipped with HygenX Stream, a customizable software that records and transmits usage data wirelessly to the cloud providing valuable system health monitoring and status updates to the operator.

RAY was designed specifically for the aircraft environment and has been laboratory tested to prove its efficacy against a multitude of illness-causing pathogens (including SARS-COV2). It eliminates any possibility of chemical pooling or ingress when used in sensitive areas such as the cockpit, and is scientifically proven to cause less material degradation to plastics and fabrics over time when compared to chemical cleaners used for the same task.

“Aero HygenX is a dynamic start-up with global vision and advanced technology that’s designed to improve health and safety as our industry gets back on track. At MHIRJ, we applaud solutions that aim at keeping our operators and their passengers safe while offering green cleaning alternatives,” said Robert Duffield, Head of Aftermarket Customer and Product Support at MHIRJ. “We’re very happy that we can offer both RAY and SparX to our customers and anticipate a lot of interest in the products.”

MHIRJ, the world’s largest regional MRO network and aerospace technology leader, is landing in Macon, Georgia. With facilities in West Virginia, Arizona, and a new service center in Georgia, MHIRJ continues to solidify its commitment to providing enhanced service for its customers.

WHY MACON?

Located at the Middle Georgia Regional Airport, the new facility will allow MHIRJ to offer two additional lines of maintenance, with the potential to grow that number to four, which would bring the total to 40 lines of maintenance within the MHIRJ network. “We have experienced phenomenal growth in our business and are in the middle of a strategic expansion plan of our MRO infrastructure in the United States,” said Ismail Mokabel, Senior Vice President and Head of Aftermarket at MHIRJ. “The new Macon facility is MHIRJ’s first investment in the state of Georgia and will allow us to expand our business and bring our operations closer to some of our key customers.”

PROXIMITY TO THE WORLD’S BUSIEST AIRPORT

The new MHIRJ facility will be a little over an hour’s drive, or a 38-minute flight, from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta Airport, the busiest airport in the world. Ranked second in the U.S. as a connecting hub, Hartsfield-Jackson is a key connection for both regional airline operators and major international airlines. This sprawling airport sees more than 100 million passengers a year and nearly 300,000 every day. With its recent 20-year improvement program, the airport is poised to modernize its domestic terminal, expand its cargo operations, and solidify its position as a beacon of economic strength and customer service.

HIRING UP TO 200 EMPLOYEES

More than 800 aerospace companies currently call Georgia home. Macon County alone is home to some 80 aerospace leaders including GE Aviation, Aerojet Rocketdyne, BAE Systems, and Lockheed Martin. The MHIRJ Macon expansion is expected to open for business in the second quarter of this year. The expansion will add approximately 200 jobs in the local community, for which MHIRJ will kickstart the hiring efforts immediately. The key priority now is hiring talented technicians and support staff to join the MHIRJ team.

AN INVESTMENT WITH DIVIDENDS

For MHIRJ, the new facility is an investment that pays back in customer service excellence, enhanced capabilities, and regional growth. For the local community, the Macon Service Center will add to the region’s prestige as an aerospace leader, provide good-paying jobs for local workers, and boost regional economic development. Simply put, coming to Macon is a move that will continue to build momentum and opportunities for all.

Contributed by: Daniel Parente, Manager, Customer Response Center and Mobile Repair Team

At MHIRJ, supporting more than 1,300 aircraft that carry over 100 million passengers annually is not a responsibility we take lightly.

To help ensure that airlines operating CRJ aircraft keep flying reliably and safely, MHIRJ has built a worldwide ecosystem of support with our Customer Response Center (CRC) at its core. The point of entry of all technical and parts-related issues regarding the CRJ Fleet, the CRC stands ready 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, to provide comprehensive, live support. A customer support “command center,” the CRC is comprised of two main groups – the Technical Help Desk and Material Services. The Technical Help Desk is the first line of action for any technical request, handling some 400 emails/calls per day and 15,000 technical cases per year.

OEM SPECIALISTS

Comprised of seasoned aviation professionals averaging 25 years of experience, CRC personnel come from a variety of backgrounds. This includes mechanic and avionics professionals who have worked on the CRJ Series production line, to people with backgrounds in Heavy Checks, MRO and general aviation. These experts specialize in urgent AOG (Aircraft on Ground) situations as well as routine queries and provide immediate support that extends from troubleshooting aircraft to diagnosing and remedying technical issues, dispatching on-the-ground engineering assistance or shipping a much-needed component. These specialists are also backed by representatives from MHIRJ warranty, operations, engineering support and material logistics to ensure a truly comprehensive approach to solving AOGs

EXPERTS WORKING IN COLLABORATION

Once a call enters the CRC, our agent relies on the MHIRJ network of in-house experts to provide the assistance required and at the level of urgency requested. Due to the nature of the requests, the most significant interaction will reside with In-Service Engineering, which mainly consists of ATA Specialists in Systems and Structural Design and Stress Engineers. MHIRJ In-Service Engineering is part of the DAO 20-Q-01 under Transport Canada, which allows issuing of engineering repairs under the delegation of Transport Canada.

Using advanced 3D designs, the In-Service team will develop the most efficient repair including stress, static analysis and DTA, using proprietary design from production drawings and stress certification reports, assuring the optimal solution for the customer’s needs.

MHIRJ’s global ecosystem of support network leverages 30 years of OEM CRJ expertise, data and knowledge, to help customers optimize their operations and keep flying.

IT TAKES A TEAM

In addition to this staff of experts, the MHIRJ customer response ecosystem includes dedicated Field Service Representatives, Materials Services and Mobile Response Teams who work hand-in-hand with the CRC to resolve AOG issues. For example, when the CRC receives a call for repair assistance, it will contact MHIRJ Material Services to see if a replacement part is available for the engineering team to complete the job. Or, an MHIRJ Field Service Representative, who is either onsite or has access to the customer, will be called on to facilitate the communication and expedite the return to service of an aircraft. For field support to be effective, each team needs to be close to the customer. MHIRJ has created teams of field support specialists near our customers. Each team includes a Field Service Representative who is ready and qualified to assist in managing any technical issues with the aircraft.

LINKED TO GLOBAL MATERIALS SUPPORT

Fast, reliable and cost-effective delivery of aircraft parts is essential to a fleet’s performance and long-term success For that reason, the MHIRJ support ecosystem includes a global network of 12 strategically located parts facilities. The parts team also works around the clock every day of the year through the CRC, using sophisticated inventory management to ensure availability, rapid shipping and traceable deliveries

MOBILE RESPONSE TEAM

When the unexpected happens, the Mobile Response Team is ready and equipped to provide immediate solutions. Supported by a Parts Services Team, they ensure that all repairs are executed correctly and immediately. The CRC Technical Help Desk interacts directly with Mobile Response Team Project Managers to coordinate and dispatch an onsite team to support the structural repair of the aircraft wherever assistance is needed. Through this collaboration, highly trained teams that are tailored to a customer’s repair needs are deployed anywhere in the world. All MHIRJ Mobile Repair Project Managers have accumulated years of experience in various CRJ Structural Modification programs, giving customers total confidence that their aircraft will be repaired to the highest OEM standards.

A NETWORK TO KEEP AIRLINES FLYING LIKE CLOCKWORK

Taking to the skies requires a strong team on the ground. MHIRJ’s global support network leverages 30 years of OEM CRJ expertise, data and knowledge, to help customers optimize their operations and keep flying. Through our network of interconnected disciplines, customers benefit from a total team effort to support their schedules, resolve technical issues and deliver the vital products they require.

Find out more about MHIRJ’s Customer Support network here: CUSTOMER SUPPORT NETWORK