Holding company “Russian Helicopters” to launch new after-purchase and repair services for operators abroad

The holding company “Russian Helicopters” is creating special departments that will not only monitor the completion of technical work, but also oversee the exchange of information with various operators. Airlines themselves are not opposed to this idea, as they highly value technical and engineering support. Still, more local service centers are needed to carry out major repairs so that helicopters do not have to be sent from South America to Russia.

16-9-2013 — /EuropaWire/ — According to specialists from “Russian Helicopters,” the company must create several specialized departments in order to meet this goal.

One of them will serve as a contact center for after-sales services, taking calls from customers, and managing regional field representatives.

Another will focus on logistics, aircraft maintenance and repair, organizing the training of aviation personnel, and the modernization and updating of the client’s helicopters.

A separate unit of “Russian Helicopters” will be responsible for the development and regulation of after-sales services. It will also oversee the organization of technological audits of service products and centers.

Specialists in the company will also create a separate department to interact directly with operators.

“We must admit the insufficiency of our current level of knowledge about the maintenance status of helicopters that have been produced in the past, and even some of those that are currently available,” said Aleksei Mishenin, the director of service for “Russian Helicopters”. According to him, the company’s specialists are not satisfied with the amount of information exchanged with operators. The lack of data on the current state of the helicopter fleet does not allow for a complete analysis of the situation, nor does it allow for the forecasting and planning of future decisions.

FROM “ON FIRE” TO SYSTEMATIC MAINTENANCE

Planning remains one of the most important components in implementing a new concept of service: the transition from on-demand repairs to routine, systematic maintenance. Specialists believe that this new service strategy will reduce the need for emergency repairs on helicopters. “Our task is to move from a mentality of ‘it’s on fire, but we will deal with it tomorrow’ to a system of regular, systematic maintenance,” said A. Mishenin. He also emphasized that this transition is impossible without greater communication between helicopter suppliers and operators.

It is expected that the new plan will be implemented in several steps. For example, when an operator orders a new helicopter from the Russian supplier, a joint assessment of the fleet will be conducted. Analysis of this assessment will help specialists develop a plan for systematic maintenance based on the desired level of service. In the future, customers will be encouraged to provide information about the usage of equipment and the need for maintenance and replacement parts. This information will be accumulated in a single information center in “Russian Helicopters”. “The more information, and better information, that we have, the better we will be able to make calculations for the amount of spare parts and repair work needed,” said A. Mishenin.

FEWER, BUT CLOSER, IS BETTER

Representatives of foreign operators of Russian helicopters have generally praised the new initiative. “In our case it is necessary to have a service center in Latin America that is certified with all necessary permits,” said Vladomiro Silva, the general director and co-owner of the Brazilian helicopter company AtlasTaxiAereo.

The company uses the Mi-171 airplane. V. Silva emphasized a good level of cooperation with the Russian company, which had helped it to achieve high performance results, even in difficult situations–the company fulfills orders from the Petrobras oil company, with each helicopter flying up to 150 hours per month.

“Russian Helicopters” has provided the Brazilian operators with daily support, but now the company requires the first round of major maintenance repairs.

A CENTER EXISTS, BUT IT HAS NO PERMITS

Colleagues in the Colombian company Vertical de Aviacion hold a similar view. They even have a working service center, but representatives of that company say that one of the major problems in servicing Russian-made helicopters is the language barrier. Therefore, it is important that the customer have native-language support. The company created this service center for itself and wants to offer helicopter operators in Latin America nearby maintenance abilities in Spanish. Currently the company has a fleet of Mi-8 helicopters, and during MAKS-2013 in Moscow the company signed an agreement for five additional Ka-62 helicopters.

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Holding company “Russian Helicopters” to launch new after-purchase and repair services for operators abroad