- Why should I
pay more for a service that the completion center
assures me will be taken care of with no problems?
Although you may have been given reassurances that
your aircraft completion will meet your expectations,
approximately 80% of large aircraft owners employ
a consultant to oversee their aircraft during the
completion phase. The manufacturer will assign
an employee to oversee the aircraft, however they
have difficulty allocating the time and resources
to your project due to the large volume of work.
Each account manager will typically oversee 5 or
more aircraft simultaneously. At ACL, we provide
a team of 3 to 4 experts who are working on your
behalf and who are committed to your project. The
ACL team is working full time for you and is, in
many cases, more knowledgeable, experienced, and
certainly more focused on your aircraft than anyone
else. Employing the ACL team is an insurance policy
that you will get an aircraft that exceeds your
expectations, the assurance that you are getting
what you paid for, and that you have an advocate
looking out for your interests by managing your
asset on a full time basis.
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- What
are ACL’s competitive
advantages?
ACL has many advantages over its competitors.
- ACL’s experience
in successfully managing and delivering forty-two
(42) Global Express aircraft. This represents
over 30% of the in-service Global Express
fleet.
- Each of our team members working on your
aircraft has over 20 years of aviation experience.
We have the best players on our team with the
largest amount of experience in the field they
work in.
- ACL’s full time,
on-site, completion management teams provide
our clients with timely, comprehensive and
concise status reporting, allowing our customers
to make the most informed decisions.
- ACL has developed strong,
professional relationships with Bombardier’s
executive and senior management. ACL quickly
and effectively resolves issues.
- ACL utilizes a disciplined program management
process supported by comprehensive reporting
and tracking tools. The fundamentals of our
process involve:
- Identifying and validating the
tasks and lead times (work scope).
- Applying resources (man-loading).
- Forecasting and tracking the results
(reports, action logs, and visibility) for
customers and OEM Management
- From our experience, the program management
tools and reports ACL has developed provide
our customers with the most concise, accurate
and current information, making the ACL system
the most efficient way to handle these projects
successfully.
- ACL is flexible in our approach to managing
completion projects. We handle projects in
a variety of ways and with different pricing
options.
- ACL has very satisfied and repeat customers.
ACL has successfully met the high expectations
of our customers and has ensured that they
were delivered a very high quality product.
- ACL clearly understands the nuances of the
completion process and has developed an effective
network within the completion center and with
key equipment suppliers.
- We handle difficult and complex issues better
than any of our competitors because we exhibit
a professional approach and judgment.
- Major corporations and multi-aircraft purchases
utilize our service to track and ensure the
product is delivered to their expectations.
- ACL has the experienced multidisciplinary
team applied to each program:
- Aerospace Engineers
- Program Managers
- Completion Directors
- Aircraft Technicians
- Designers
- Our diligence and attention to detail means
ACL-managed aircraft have few open items,
if any, at delivery and experience fewer
entry-into-service issues.
- ACL’s flexibility
and pro-active approach to issue resolution
are highly regarded by customers and the
OEM.
- ACL continues to raise the bar for uncompromising
quality and workmanship and our competitors
are reacting to our leadership position.
- Our track record.
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- I didn’t
need to hire anyone on my last aircraft. Why
should I have to now?
The business of completing aircraft has
changed dramatically over the past decade and it
now requires a dedicated team of experts to navigate
the sophisticated processes involved. An individual
from your company, or a single consultant, cannot
physically handle all the details and activities
that take place during the completion phase. The
OEMs have brought the completion business “in-house” and
away from independent centers, which have traditionally
outperformed the manufacturers in terms of customer
satisfaction. In the past two years, the production
rates have increased dramatically to meet the sales
backlog which currently (October 2005) extends
out to mid-year 2008 for large aircraft (GX, GV,
etc.) at many of the major manufacturers. In addition,
the OEM’s have become much more focused on
reducing costs and improving the efficiency of
their internal manufacturing processes. The primary
focus has been to increase production rates while
reducing the manufacturing costs. Although there
is a great number of areas where this is beneficial,
it also decreases the flexibility available to
the customer. The OEM’s have entered into
partnerships with various sub-contractors to
provide services and components on your aircraft.
These relationships require constant management
and coordination to keep your schedule on track
and ensure the aircraft you receive exceeds your
expectations. It requires a team of experts to
stay on top of this.
It is also critical to understand the supply chain,
as well as their processes and procedures, to ensure
that when the major components and installations
come together in the aircraft, they are consistent
with the fit, form, function, as well as the workmanship
and the quality you expect. ACL has been through
this process, understands the network and supply
chain and typically delivers 10 to 15 aircraft
per year. It is a solid investment decision to
employ a team of experts well versed in a variety
of disciplines on the completion of your aircraft.
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- Why do I need full time support?
A great deal of activity takes place every day
to build an interior in an aircraft. In fact, it
is not uncommon that it takes twice as many man-hours
to build the interior as it does to build the green
aircraft.
On the completion of a wide body aircraft (excluding
the green aircraft) there is an average of 3000
work tasks or activities, the majority of which
are interdependent (this is commonly referred to
as a critical path item). Add to this the number
of tasks which could conceivably be rescheduled
due to late releases from engineering, ordering
parts late, delivery of parts that are late, parts
which are rejected or misplaced, the resources
required to do the work are not available, an item
fails a burn test, designs don’t work as
designed, etc. and you can see how quickly this
can start affecting the schedule.
Having a full time experienced team working for
you that has been through the process, will keep
the project moving forward. Problems don’t
schedule themselves for when you’re there.
Someone needs to be there to mitigate and manage
risks, and when problems arise you need a team
to be on-site to manage and develop work-around
plans as well as be accountable to you.
As the aircraft transitions from one workstation
to the next there are a number of handoffs which
occur. Not having a team on your aircraft at all
times to provide continuity and consistency will
likely lead to errors and omissions, which may
only be picked up later in the program leading
to delays and additional costs. In many cases,
reworked items are not as good as those which are
built correctly the first time. Having our company,
with a team of advocates overseeing your asset
every day, is critical to the success of the project
and exceeding your expectations.
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- Someone from our flight operations
team has already completed 3 aircraft and we were
going to send him. What can you do that he cannot?
You and your department know the business of flight
operations and keeping your aircraft safe and operational.
At ACL we specialize in the completion and entry
into service of large business aircraft. While
someone from your flight department may have worked
on completions in the past, we work on completions
every day, supporting flight operations with snag
free entry into service. We understand the aircraft,
its performance, its deficiencies, the latest Avionics
and complex Cabin Management Systems and above
all, we know the OEMs at every level from Senior
Management to installers on the shop floor.
We are comprised of a comprehensive and multi-disciplined
staff, specialized with skill sets that are completion
specific. Our team consists of program managers,
certified mechanics and technicians, interior designers,
aerospace engineers and completions coordinators
with hands-on experience on every major manufactured
aircraft flying.
First and foremost, we work to supplement your
company’s expertise with a team of product
experts who have knowledge of the OEMs completion
processes, understand the nuances and methodologies
of the completion center and quite simply know
how to get it done to exceed your expectations.
In fact, we work diligently to include the flight
department as part of our team or our focal point
to your organization. We are in constant communication
with your flight department and when you go into
service with the aircraft, your flight department
is well prepared by ACL to begin operating the
aircraft.
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- How many aircraft has Aerospace
Concepts completed?
We specialize in the completion management of large
business aircraft. To date (October 2005), Aerospace
Concepts has successfully managed the interior
completions of 42 Global Express or Global 5000
aircraft, 13 Challenger 604’s and Challenger
300 aircraft. In addition, we have worked on 2
GV’s as well as 3 GIV’s and we are
currently working on a BBJ completion project.
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- What makes Aerospace Concepts
different from others in the industry?
Some of our key differences are listed below:
- We are a management firm with a team
of experts, not an individual consultant.
- Our web-based program management processes
and our reporting tools.
- The multidisciplinary team at ACL
and the level of experience and expertise of
our team members.
- Our product knowledge and the product
specific experience our employees have.
- ACL experiences the highest percentage
of on-time deliveries.
- ACL aircraft deliveries have few,
if any, open items at delivery.
- Our accountability is to our customer.
ACL is not a “one man show” with
an affiliation to others, which dilutes accountability.
- Our contacts and network with the
supply chain and within the OEM facilities.
- Our proactive approach to issue resolution.
- Our focus is on building and strengthening
relationships for our clients and Bombardier
to ensure a smooth transition into service
followed by solid in-service support.
- Our track record.
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- How is your relationship with the OEM?
ACL respects and values our customers, so naturally
we assist these operators in building a long term
working relationship with the OEM. After the completion
is finished and you put the aircraft into service,
you rely on the OEM for service, parts and training.
ACL builds the trust and works together with the
OEM toward the common goal, your ultimate satisfaction
and a long term relationship with the OEM.
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- Your competition says they provide
the same services for much less. Why?
Simply stated, they don’t. At ACL we view
the services that our competitors provide as an
incomplete package since it takes much more to
ensure your aircraft meets your expectations and
level of quality. The value we bring to our clients
goes well above what the competition offers.
ACL is a management firm and not an individual
consultant. ACL is the only firm with a true team
concept with a highly qualified staff. While others
have some of the same skill sets, many rely on
relationships with independent engineers, designers
and mechanics or cannot physically cover all the
tasks individually. The value of our cohesive team
and approach has consistently yielded many successful
deliveries by not relying on outside assistance
and being accountable to our clients.
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- Can you save me money?
As you know, managing the completion of a $40 million
aircraft is a complex process, with many opportunities
for errors and delays. While many of the solitary
completion consultants are knowledgeable, the sheer
size of these projects makes it impossible for
them to adequately protect your investment through
every step of the process.
ACL typically saves our customers time and resolves
issues to our customer’s satisfaction which
equates into dollars. We have saved significant
dollars when we negotiate the contract, spec the
aircraft and define the completion. By planning
and defining the specifications up-front, we can
eliminate unforeseen items that lead to costly
change orders. Maintaining your schedule means
getting your aircraft on time and snag free, as
your assets need to be operating and not being
reworked or delayed at delivery. Our proactive
approach to resolving issues, when they arise,
helps to ensure your aircraft will be without snags
at delivery.
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- How does the ACL Program Management
System improve the completion of my aircraft?
- Our program management
is a unique system. ACL handles each project
as a mega project.
- There are 3 key aspects of a project.
These are:
- Definition of tasks and scope of
work.
- Applying resources and highly qualified
people.
- Tracking results through our reports.
- In addition, at ACL, we utilize
a website report management tool to enable
our clients 24 hour access to review project
status, reports and activity on your aircraft.
- ACL has a proactive philosophy
to managing each project, which means that
we clear all issues and discrepancies as they
arise.
- Our reports are tangible evidence
of our work, our deliverables and instead of
being reactive to the completion center, we
are proactive due to our team approach and
relationship to Bombardier on all levels.
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- We’ve
already completed the specification.
Although the completion specification has been
signed or completed, there is a great deal of work
and activity which remains to be done. Typically
3 or 4 meetings are needed to properly define the
drawings. There is also the inspection of the woodwork,
the seats and tracking the service bulletins on
the green aircraft. Even though the spec may be
signed, there is still a lot of work to do to ensure
a successful project.
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- We have our own designer.
ACL is flexible to work with your designer or the
designer supplied by the OEM. We also provide design
services for some of our customers. The designer
is one of the team members required whereas the
key to a successful project is the team and the
ACL program management system.
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