www.mromanagement.com − March 201156 MRO Management

Ground support equipment

J ean Claude Volot formed Dedienne Aerospace in Toulouse in 1946; since then it has been manufacturing

production line and maintenance tooling, as well as a range of ground servicing equipment – such as tank filling pumps for APus and IDGs; towbars for 80% of aircraft types as well as helicopters; trolleys, stands and racks, and tripod and axle jacks for a range of applications.

While the company was successful in obtaining an Airbus licence in 1983,

followed in 1989 by work from boeing and CFM International (CFMI), it remained a fairly modest concern, says Cédric barbe, CEO. This changed in 2003, when it won a contract from Airbus to develop tooling for the A380 Final Assembly Line, including tripod jacks and various tooling for

removal and installation equipment for landing gear doors, ram air turbines,

flaps and engine positioning. This required considerable research and development, not just because of the size of the tooling, but also because it had to handle new technology like composite components.

The jacking system for such a large aircraft also required special techniques so the company developed a computer control system called

From the ground upGround support equipment may not be the most exciting area of aviation, but it has allowed Dedienne Aerospace to develop a thriving international business that counts Airbus among its clients

All new products are designed to be flexible – this jack can be used for the A320 and the 737 (photo: Dedienne Aerospace)

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www.mromanagement.com − March 201158 MRO Management

Ground support equipment

FEIC (Flux d’Echanges d’Information Continue), which ensures through constant feedback that the aircraft is being lifted at the same rate by each jack and remains horizontal.

The A380 contract was also an opportunity to reassess how the company was operating and where it should be going, says barbe. The decision was made to move from a ‘craftsman’ approach, where each product was unique and assembled by skilled personnel, to a more industrial enterprise. One of the fi rst steps was the replacement of 15 CNC machines, and these are now upgraded every three years in a rolling programme.

In 2007, it was also decided that future products should be designed-to-cost and multi-functional. This was recognition that many large airlines and MROs have to look after a range of aircraft types, and having equipment unique to each type was a signifi cant cost burden, especially with the need for regular inspection, calibration, repair/overhaul, recertifi cation and load testing. In addition, ease of use was also integrated into the design – an Airbus A320 system can now be installed in two hours. The fi rst step was jacks that were suitable for A320 Family and boeing 737 aircraft, taking into account the higher ground clearance of the Airbus types. This reduced costs by 20% but also made the equipment more reliable and easier to transport and install.

At the same time, a tools inventory for most aircraft started to be built up, to be held ready for immediate shipment to meet AOG or other urgent requirements. He points out that lifting jacks may be required for aircraft recovery after an incident as well as for routine maintenance, so the ability to provide a fast response is critical. This stock has now reached more than 3,500 items worth over €4 million ($5.5 million) and is distributed between the company’s three bases in France, the uS and China.

In the following year, Dedienne acquired the engine stand business of Sabena technics. This prompted a closer look at the design and initiated the development of a range of improved workshop equipment. Licences have already been granted by Pratt & Whitney and CFMI (Snecma). Design-to-cost produced savings of 18% and the design was adapted so that one workshop engine stand could handle both the CFM56 and IAE V2500. Collapsible support arms were also introduced, which lie fl at for transport, allowing 16 to be stacked in an ISO 40ft container.

The results have seen sales soar from €7 million in 2007to €15 million this year, with a forecast of €30 million by 2015.

The latest project is to develop a range of engine transport stands, up to and including the GP7200 for the A380. barbe says the main challenge is not the size of the engine and getting it to fi t through the doors of freighters, but ensuring the integrity of the stand. This will place even greater emphasis on CATIA andNX and fi nite element analysis at the design stage.

As tooling is not a core activity for many MRO facilities, Dedienne had developed Total Care Agreements with Air France Industries, Egyptair, HAECO and STAECO among others, taking total responsibility for all aspects of supply and overhaul.

NetworkThe company is now building a global network of production centres, customer support centres, and repair centres. barbe says the idea is to divide the world into three zones, each of which will have a production plant and a repair facility. In addition, there will be a number of customer support centres.

In Toulouse, where the company is headquartered, construction has just started on a new €5 million factory that is scheduled to

open in August 2011. This will have 4,000m² of workshops and 1,000m² of offi ce space, plus a test facility. A new 1,000m² facility with manufac-turing and repair facilities and testing up to 150 tons recently opened in Zhuhai in China, close to the MTu Maintenance engine repair facility and to Hong Kong. Customer support will be based in south-east Asia. Although North and South America have been covered for 10 years, the company has recently moved to a new facility in Miami, while a customer support centre is planned for the São Paulo region in brazil. Other customer support centres are foreseen in the Middle East and India (Mumbai or Delhi). All facilities will be linked through a Sage SAFE X3 enterprise resources planning system. Amir Mekhaeil, Sales Manager, Middle East & India says the support teams will be fl exible and multicultural, in order to develop a strong relationship with customers.

As some of the equipment is heavy, having a repair and overhaul facility within a reasonable distance helps the customers to reduce their transport costs. It also means that duplicate equipment has to be purchased to avoid delays to aircraft in the hangar if something is away. Equally, a fast turnaround time is important, as even a small, cheap tool could cause an AOG if it is not serviceable when it is needed. This has been the case with Egyptair Maintenance & Engineering (see MRO Management, Winter 2007), which has become a major customer with the purchase of a testing column and is close to becoming a test, repair and overhaul partner in the Middle East and Africa, says Mekhaeil.

EgyptAir Maintenance & Engineering has its test rig for jacks and may become a repair partner (photo: EgyptAir)

A new development is engine transport stands. This CATIA design image shows a stand that can be used for the CFM56 and V2500 (photo: Dedienne Aerospace)

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