Q. I understand you joined Farsound Aviation from Pattonair. Can you tell us why you made the move?

A. Yes, I became Executive Chairman of Farsound Aviation in July 2014 after 10 years in various senior roles at Pattonair. Farsound is working in an area of the industry that I know very well, it is a dynamic, rapidly growing company and I like the way the owners of the business choose to operate.

Q.HowwouldyoudefinewhatFarsoundAviationdoes?

A. Farsound is very focused on the aero engine MRO sector, putting the right stock on our customers’ sites, ready to use next to the production line. So we’re talking about direct line feed solutions, kitting solutions, consignment stock in carousels and vending machines. We’re also talking about working hand-in-hand with our customers and putting our own local people right there on the shopfloor. It’s our job to manage the uncertainties inherent in the MRO business, so we supply the right inventory at up to the point where the customer actually needs to use it.

Q. So what would you say really distinguishes Farsound Aviation from its competitors?

A. We recognise that managing the supply chain in a

very unpredictable and volatile MRO market is difficulttodo.Sowespendalotoftimeandeffort getting the forecasting right, gathering data from the customers and suppliers and using various model- ling methods to make intelligent interpretations. That’s why we’re achieving 99.5%, and higher, availabilityofproductontheshopfloor inanMRO environment.

We’re very successful at it because that’s what we do! We’re not a jack-of-all-trades. We can have the rightpartsontheshopfloorbeforethecustomer even knows they need them. So the big difference between Farsound and its competitors is reliable and consistent product availability because of our expertise in the sector.

Q. How is Farsound Aviation dealing with the challenges facing the industry?

A. As I said before, by focusing on what we’re good at. Our profit growth this yearwill be about 35%and we’ve achieved that by enhancing our reputation with our existing customers and winning more business from them. Of course we are also winning business from new customers, but most of our growth this year has come from adding new part ranges to our portfolio with existing customers because they’ve been so pleased with our level of service and reliability.

Q. You’ve made a number of important appointments recently. What can you say about the strategy behind that?

A. I’mafirmbeliever in ‘boots on theground’, so as part of our strategy for rapid growth we’ve been recruiting people who will be based where our exist- ing and potential customers are. We now have people in Singapore, USA in the Texas area, and we’ve also just recruited someone in the UAE to

cover Dubai and Abu Dhabi. In addition, we’re also looking at putting someone in China to focus on Beijing and Shanghai, and another person in the US to lead some work we will potentially be doing with GE.

Q. Can you tell us a bit more about your customer base?

A. Our biggest customers are in the Far East and the US, including HAESL based in Hong Kong and TAESL based in Texas. However, our customer base is global and includes TS&S in Abu Dhabi and TEXL in China. We are looking to expand rapidly in the Middle East and Asia, primarily because they’re the two fastest-growing aerospace MRO markets.

Q. What do you feel you can bring to the Farsound team personally?

A. I’ve got 37 years aerospace experience, having started out as an aerospace apprentice when I was 16. I’ve been working with aircraft ever since in a wide range of roles, including Site Director and GM of a 40 helicopter MRO facility. So I have an acute under- standing of the customer’s perspective and I know what makes an aircraft MRO business tick.

For the past 15 years I’ve been on the other side of the

FARSOUND AVIATION 1

How Understanding the Customer’s Needs Underpins Farsound Aviation’s Success

An interview with Kevin Sargent – Chairman, Farsound Aviation

www.farsoundaviation.com @_Farsound

fence, supplying those customers, so I can bring to Farsound a very good understanding of what the customer’s needs are – which goes a long way to explainingwhyI’magreatbelieverin‘bootsonthe ground’andface-to-face interaction. It’sverydiffi- cult to manage something from 6000 miles away when there’s an 8 hour time difference.

Q. You referred to what makes an MRO business tick. Can you expand on that?

A. The MRO industry is all about managing product availability in an unpredictable environment. You don’t generally know what you’re dealing with until you’ve stripped the engine or the aircraft down – only then can you see what’s wrong with it – and then obviously you need the bits to put it back together again. So it’s completely different to an OE build line where you know exactly what parts you’re going to need and when. In an MRO environment, you sometimes don’t even know what engines are coming in until the last minute. So, you’ve got to be able to predict, react and adapt all at the same time

in the MRO sector.

That’s what Farsound Aviation prides itself in – it’s ability to predict what’s going to happen and then react very quickly to any changes to the plans or programmes the customers have.

FARSOUND AVIATION 2www.farsoundaviation.com @_Farsound