{"id":170,"date":"2021-07-15T19:25:47","date_gmt":"2021-07-15T19:25:47","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/?p=170"},"modified":"2022-03-15T13:33:13","modified_gmt":"2022-03-15T13:33:13","slug":"that-was-then-this-is-now","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/that-was-then-this-is-now\/","title":{"rendered":"That Was Then, This is Now"},"content":{"rendered":"
Debunking the myths around MROs and use of PMAs and DERs<\/em><\/strong><\/h5>\n

Over the past several decades, Stanley Kowlessar, general manager of Thrust Tech Accessories, an FAA certified aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul operation in Fort Lauderdale, has heard all the rhetoric \u2013 more often than not, misleading myths \u2013 surrounding these well known industry acronyms and what they mean to airlines and private aircraft operators:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • MROs<\/strong> (maintenance repair organization)<\/li>\n
  • OEMs<\/strong> (original equipment manufacturers)<\/li>\n
  • PMAs<\/strong> (parts manufacturer approvals)<\/li>\n
  • DERS<\/strong> (designated engineering representatives)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    \u201cThese terms go right to the core of our entire industry,\u201d says Kowlessar, who is a tireless advocate for safe, cost-effective solutions for airline customers, private owners, and operators of aircraft who need aviation repair and maintenance services. So, here\u2019s Kowlessar\u2019s professional \u201ctake\u201d on what this world of aviation-related acronyms really means.<\/p>\n

    Why are MROs a Great Solution?<\/strong><\/h6>\n

    Approved by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as a 145 repair station, Thrust Tech Accessories and other reputable MROs must undergo the same stringent regulatory and oversight process by the FAA as do OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) that have moved more recently into the maintenance and repair sector.<\/p>\n

    In reality, Kowlessar points out that many MROs have more years of experience in aircraft repair and maintenance than the OEMs, plus the use of MROs is also growing among both airlines and private aircraft operators.<\/p>\n

    One example? In \u201cThe Battle for the Aviation Aftermarket – How Independent MROs can Level the Playing Field,\u201d an aviation industry report by IFF reveals that the MRO market will keep growing through 2028 with its value set to rise to $114 billion, or a jump of nearly 50 percent jump in 10 years.<\/p>\n

    What’s the Difference Between a PMA & OEM Part?<\/strong><\/h6>\n

    So, when aviation customers turn to an MRO, what parts can they expect? What\u2019s the difference between an OEM and PMA part? Simply described, an OEM is a part created by the original equipment manufacturer. A PMA is a part manufactured under FAA part 21.137 approval by companies such as Thrust Tech Engineering.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThat\u2019s the customer\u2019s assurance that these PMA replacement parts are of high quality and are crafted to the same \u2013 or, at times, even better\u2013 than the original part,\u201d says Kowlessar. As for a choice between OEM and PMA, that\u2019s really customer driven.<\/p>\n

    TTA\u2019s goal is to provide solutions that meet the needs of each customer; it installs more than 60 approved PMA parts and also OEM parts, if those are desired by the customer, and if available. One advantage is that PMA allows TTA to provide services that may otherwise be out of reach due to lack of OEM support on certain product lines. During the recent pandemic era, many new customers turned to TTA because it offered both options and pivoted quickly to meet their needs when they experienced higher OEM prices and delays in availability. It\u2019s a changing marketplace.<\/p>\n

    In the past, Kowlessar acknowledges there was much skepticism about PMAs, particularly outside the U.S., when the concept was in its infancy back in the 1980s, 1990s and even in the early 2000s. Regrettably, some firms also denigrated the use of PMAs, planting seeds of what was commonly known as \u201cFUD\u201d \u2013 fear, uncertainty and doubt \u2013 as they sought to hold onto their own business\u2019 market share. Fortunately, that inaccurate, negative environment is fading.<\/p>\n

    \u201cToday, many major airlines and private aircraft operators are very open to PMAs and have a high degree of satisfaction in their quality, safety, and cost-effectiveness,\u201d Kowlessar reveals. \u201cProof that PMAs are changing the marketplace dynamics is that airlines that are learning more and more about PMAs are actually entering the business themselves, as their operational costs are higher, and maintenance is one of their biggest expenses for airlines.\u201d<\/p>\n

    Proof of that is to consider what American Airlines is doing. In a recent Aviation Week <\/em>webinar, entitled \u201cAirline Maintenance Cost-Saving Strategies,\u201d Craig Harry, American\u2019s managing director of technical operations supply chain, told listeners that \u201cPMA is not a side interest for American. It\u2019s actually a pretty central strategy.\u201d The airline has dedicated resources including a good-sized engineering group to develop and improve PMAs.<\/p>\n

    Harry also emphasized that PMA is about more than just cost savings. It\u2019s also about availability, as some OEM parts are becoming more difficult to source. In other cases, he said that the airline\u2019s PMA may be an improvement over the OEM part\u2019s own reliability.<\/p>\n

    Every airline has the ability to issue engineering orders; That\u2019s when an airline\u2019s engineer can look at any part and make an engineering change to improve a part or correct deficiencies. So, this historic precedent for looking to new ways of doing business in manufacturing aircraft parts and repair processes is already there.<\/p>\n

    MROs such as TTA are also creating high-quality, FAA-approved PMAs to assist their valued customers. \u201cTTA itself also contacts equally viable manufacturers to produce parts in the same way the OEMs do,\u201d says Kowlessar. \u201cThat ensures more high-quality competition for parts manufacturing \u2013 helping customers on the availability and pricing front, without compromising quality. He adds that many of TTA\u2019s PMAs are built to the same standards and may incorporate improvements over the original parts, something aviation regulators and customers appreciate.<\/p>\n

    How Can a DER Help Airlines & Private Aircraft Operators?<\/strong><\/h6>\n

    All type-certificated products, such as a component, require instructions for continued airworthiness. Otherwise known as a component maintenance manual (CMM). In earlier days, Kowlessar observed that these CMM included lots of information on how to restore a part to airworthiness condition \u2013 but over the years, those manuals were streamlined and became far less detailed.<\/p>\n

    \u201cThat\u2019s resulted in some customers repairing less and spending more to replace an entire assembly — even when only a minor repair is needed,\u201d Kowlessar says. So, a DER or \u201cdesignated engineering representative\u201d helps in obtaining approval from the FAA to incorporate additional technical information for a specific process to repair an assembly, which may include fabricated parts.<\/p>\n

    It goes beyond what\u2019s stated in the CMM, and here\u2019s a down-to-earth example. If a consumer needs to take his or her car to an automotive service station and the mechanic says the engine is bad, then the customer will likely ask, \u201cbut what\u2019s bad about it?\u201d<\/p>\n

    But what if the mechanic says: \u201cSorry, we\u2019re not allowed to get into it. We have to send it back to the factory and get another one. There\u2019s no maintenance manual for the engine, just a manual for the car, which says if it fails, just replace the engine.\u201d<\/p>\n

    That\u2019s the dilemma of a lack of technical information in some CMMs. So, the FAA-approved DER repairs allows a specific MRO such as TTA to write its own manual that shows a process for repairing the assembly back to airworthy condition. Simply put, this DER process allows a MROs to go further into the component than the maintenance manual allows.<\/p>\n

    \u201cWe do it because we have the knowledge, experience, and multifaceted expertise as we work on similar components from different manufacturers,\u201d notes Kowlessar. \u201cWe have this cross functionality of different manufacturers, so we can apply best practice of different worlds to \u2018make a better mousetrap.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

    Fortunately, DERs along with PMAs are becoming more widely accepted in MRO industry circles, even at the regulatory level. \u201c TTA has a process that provides for DER approvals within 30 days,\u201d says Kowlessar. Once approved, only that facility that developed the DER repair, is approved for its use.<\/p>\n

    Parting Thoughts from Kowlessar<\/strong><\/p>\n

    \u201cFor those who once considered PMAs and DERs to not be as robust as OEM parts, I am glad those paradigms have shifted,\u201d he says.<\/p>\n

    Stressing \u201cthat was then, this is now,\u201d Kowlessar sees a vastly different world today. It\u2019s one in which PMAs and DERs, both of which require FAA approval, have already proven their value as safe, effective, timely, and cost-effective solutions, a big win-win for flight safety and the flying public customers.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

    Debunking the myths around MROs and use of PMAs and DERs Over the past several decades, Stanley Kowlessar, general manager of Thrust Tech Accessories, an FAA certified aviation maintenance, repair, and overhaul operation in Fort Lauderdale, has heard all the rhetoric \u2013 more often than not, misleading myths \u2013 surrounding these well known industry acronyms and what they mean to airlines and private aircraft operators: MROs (maintenance repair organization) OEMs (original equipment manufacturers) PMAs (parts manufacturer approvals) DERS (designated engineering representatives) \u201cThese terms go right to the core of our entire industry,\u201d says Kowlessar, who is a tireless advocate for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":299,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-170","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","post--single"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=170"}],"version-history":[{"count":9,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":298,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/170\/revisions\/298"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/299"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=170"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=170"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thrusttech.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=170"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}