Case Study Sydney Helicopters
Case Study Sydney Helicopters JSSI Engine Repair Solution Saves Sydney Helicopters more than $100K As the largest hourly cost maintenance program provider, JSSI solves maintenance problems for customers every day but their solutions don’t involve turning wrenches on airframes or engines. Going beyond the budget predictability that an hourly cost maintenance program provides, the JSSI team is on a mission every day to solve customer problems. Sourcing the right part, identifying the right facility and location to address maintenance challenges and doing all of this for the very best price, is part of JSSI’s DNA. The following case is an example of how that is done, day-in and day-out at JSSI, and sometimes it results in the trust and loyalty of a new customer, as in the case with Sydney Helicopters. Recently, Sydney Helicopters, based in Sydney, Australia, experienced a turbine engine assembly failure in one of their Airbus helicopters. A crack in the flame tube was not a welcome sight for the Sydney maintenance crew, knowing that there were 1000 hours remaining on this engine before overhaul. The Director at Sydney made the call to the engine manufacturer and soon learned that their only option was a $170,000 exchange replacement assembly plus all the bill backs for the core work. It was not the news they were hoping for but logistically, there are challenges in Sydney, one being the lack of engine test cells available in Australia for this engine manufacturer, so an exchange solution seemed inevitable. About the same time this failure happened, the JSSI business development team had been in discussions with Sydney Helicopters about hourly cost maintenance program solutions for their helicopter engines. When the JSSI team learned about the $170,000 exchange Sydney was faced with, they were determined to find another option that would save Sydney Helicopters a substantial amount of money. JSSI Technical Advisors are certified mechanics and have years of experience working for manufacturers and leading MRO facilities. This sought-after expertise results in a large network of resources and exceptional problem-solving skills for customers when they are most needed.
Left to right: Kyle Sale, Director, Business Development for JSSI; Tracy Witherden, Office Manager for Sydney Helicopters; Ray Weiser, Helicopter Program Specialist for JSSI; Mark Harrold, CEO and Chief Pilot for Sydney Helicopters
Case Study Sydney Helicopters
Ray Weiser, Helicopter Program Specialist for JSSI and seasoned industry veteran, fully understood the challenges that Sydney Helicopters was facing and knew there was a more efficient way to solve this problem than replacing the entire assembly. “It’s common for OEMs to only offer a replacement/ exchange solution to a customer,” commented Weiser. “Being an advocate for our customer is our job, and that starts by finding a better, more cost efficient solution for their maintenance, whenever we can. In this case, I knew there was a better and less expensive way to solve this problem.” Although Sydney did not have any assets enrolled onto a JSSI Program yet, Ray and the team reached out to their resources and came back to Sydney with an option that would save them thousands of dollars. The JSSI team determined that if they could get the engine assembly with the cracked flame tube to a qualified Level III maintenance facility, it could probably be repaired and they could possibly take advantage of any applicable OEM commercial concessions. Level III maintenance facility designation indicates a high level of capabilities including major repair and modification, and the JSSI team was familiar with several shops with just the expertise needed to solve this problem. It took some coaching from JSSI but Sydney was able to obtain special consent from the engine OEM to send the engine out of their home country of Australia to the capable Level III maintenance facility that JSSI had identified. “Typically a Level III facility is going to try and be as cost effective as possible for the customer to try and gain their business down the road,” commented Weiser. “We work with these shops all the time, and we know who can solve the particular problem and provide the best value, anywhere in the world.” JSSI worked closely with the facility contracted to do the repair to explore all the possibilities for commercial concessions from the OEM. These concessions occur if there is a “known concern” with respect to a part or assembly, and if that part becomes accessible, it will be removed from service (to limit liability) and replaced with another part having likely been modified. As a result of this additional due diligence, a fuel control, and injection manifold were installed at no cost, a $45,000 value. In the end, the repair cost was $40,000 and there was an additional $10,000 cost for modifications and service bulletin work. Sydney Helicopters saved $120,000 in expenses with this repair versus the OEM replacement, plus $45,000 in free concessions were identified that would never have been recognized with a replacement. In addition, Sydney never lost the 1000 hours remaining on the engine before overhaul, which equates to thousands of dollars’ worth of flight hours. “As a commercial operation, the bottom line is crucial to our business,” commented Mark Harrold, CEO and Chief Pilot for Sydney Helicopters. “It was impressive how the team at JSSI jumped in to help us find another solution and saved us a substantial amount on this engine repair.” Sydney Helicopters operates five helicopters for corporate/private travel and tour flights in the Sydney Australia region, and now all five of these aircraft are enrolled onto a JSSI Engine Program.
Visit us at jetsupport.com | Experience the Difference with JSSI March 1, 2016
Left to right: Kyle Sale, Director, Business Development for JSSI; Tracy Witherden, Office Manager for Sydney Helicopters; Ray Weiser, Helicopter Program Specialist for JSSI; Mark Harrold, CEO and Chief Pilot for Sydney Helicopters
Case Study Sydney Helicopters
Ray Weiser, Helicopter Program Specialist for JSSI and seasoned industry veteran, fully understood the challenges that Sydney Helicopters was facing and knew there was a more efficient way to solve this problem than replacing the entire assembly. “It’s common for OEMs to only offer a replacement/ exchange solution to a customer,” commented Weiser. “Being an advocate for our customer is our job, and that starts by finding a better, more cost efficient solution for their maintenance, whenever we can. In this case, I knew there was a better and less expensive way to solve this problem.” Although Sydney did not have any assets enrolled onto a JSSI Program yet, Ray and the team reached out to their resources and came back to Sydney with an option that would save them thousands of dollars. The JSSI team determined that if they could get the engine assembly with the cracked flame tube to a qualified Level III maintenance facility, it could probably be repaired and they could possibly take advantage of any applicable OEM commercial concessions. Level III maintenance facility designation indicates a high level of capabilities including major repair and modification, and the JSSI team was familiar with several shops with just the expertise needed to solve this problem. It took some coaching from JSSI but Sydney was able to obtain special consent from the engine OEM to send the engine out of their home country of Australia to the capable Level III maintenance facility that JSSI had identified. “Typically a Level III facility is going to try and be as cost effective as possible for the customer to try and gain their business down the road,” commented Weiser. “We work with these shops all the time, and we know who can solve the particular problem and provide the best value, anywhere in the world.” JSSI worked closely with the facility contracted to do the repair to explore all the possibilities for commercial concessions from the OEM. These concessions occur if there is a “known concern” with respect to a part or assembly, and if that part becomes accessible, it will be removed from service (to limit liability) and replaced with another part having likely been modified. As a result of this additional due diligence, a fuel control, and injection manifold were installed at no cost, a $45,000 value. In the end, the repair cost was $40,000 and there was an additional $10,000 cost for modifications and service bulletin work. Sydney Helicopters saved $120,000 in expenses with this repair versus the OEM replacement, plus $45,000 in free concessions were identified that would never have been recognized with a replacement. In addition, Sydney never lost the 1000 hours remaining on the engine before overhaul, which equates to thousands of dollars’ worth of flight hours. “As a commercial operation, the bottom line is crucial to our business,” commented Mark Harrold, CEO and Chief Pilot for Sydney Helicopters. “It was impressive how the team at JSSI jumped in to help us find another solution and saved us a substantial amount on this engine repair.” Sydney Helicopters operates five helicopters for corporate/private travel and tour flights in the Sydney Australia region, and now all five of these aircraft are enrolled onto a JSSI Engine Program.
Visit us at jetsupport.com | Experience the Difference with JSSI March 1, 2016
