Improving the repairability of aircraft structures, engines, and equipment is key for extending the service life while avoiding expensive replacements. Because of this, many original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) and maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) service providers decide to keep their engineering efforts in-house. But this is costly and takes up valuable time and engineering resources.
Those who have already leveraged outsourcing know this can be a far more affordable, scalable, and sustainable option. However, not all outsourcing is made equal. To reap the biggest benefits, you need an outsourcing partner with the right credentials and deep expertise in the aerospace domain and repair engineering complimented by mechanical design, reliability engineering and MRO operations.
The process of transitioning key elements of engineering work to an external party can be daunting. However, outsourcing can deliver more affordable and even better-quality solutions if you work with a reputable service provider.
Your aftermarket service provider needs specialized repair knowledge that complements your in-house capability. They must be deeply familiar with upstream and downstream activities, including developing repair scoping, business case assessment, repair solution development, methods validation, industrialization, etc.
Quest Global, for instance, has over two decades of experience in repair and MRO engineering, giving us an in-depth understanding of aftermarket services, including repair engineering and Advanced & Digital manufacturing, which is essential for MRO operations.
Refurbishing is far cheaper than full replacement, but it’s not always possible due to supply chain constraints. Some time ago, one of our current clients and a major player in the aerospace industry released a new aircraft engine. When the engine was on the journey to mature as a product, there was a surge in a load of repair activities, but the in-house capacity had a major challenge in handling the load and providing the much-needed support to the airlines and MROs.
Engineering service providers specialized in aerospace aftermarket service must have replicable processes and a wealth of experience in handling different Product or Component types. At Quest Global, we take total ownership of the process and look to improve the time to develop repair solutions and their industrialization at MRO shops and optimize the overall operations.
The aerospace industry has long struggled with a crunch in its engineering capacities. Finding and training the right engineering talent remains a challenge. Outsourcing your repair engineering can release a lot of internal resources, which could be more strategically deployed in developing new solutions and services.
As an outsourcing partner, we have a global pool of world-class talent available through our local delivery centers. This removes any time zone delays and provides a quicker core team deployment to start collaboration. There is no substitute for face-to-face interaction, and this global pool of talent allows for a deep, nuanced understanding of day-to-day operations.
Choosing an outsourcing partner should be for the long haul. First, assess your repair needs and look for a partner that is qualified to perform all aspects of the job. If your work is classified, you’d need to find a partner authorized to access that information.
Next, start with a small pilot project to assess compatibility. If you’ve found the right partner, you’d soon see the compounding benefits of your joint work: reduced costs, increased efficiencies, and far better engineering outcomes.
We are Quest Global. We’re in the business of engineering, but what we’re really building is a brighter future. It’s not just what we do, but why we do it that makes us different. We believe engineering has the unique opportunity to solve the problems of today that stand in the way of tomorrow. For more than 25 years, we have strived to be the most trusted partner for the world’s hardest engineering problems. As a global organization headquartered in Singapore, we live and work in 17 countries, with 67 global delivery centers and offices, driven by 17,500+ extraordinary employees who make the impossible possible every day.
Quest Global delivers world-class end-to-end engineering solutions by leveraging our deep industry knowledge and digital expertise. By bringing together technologies and industries, alongside the contributions of diverse individuals and their areas of expertise, we are able to solve problems better, faster. This multi-dimensional approach enables us to solve the most critical and large-scale challenges across the aerospace & defence, automotive, energy, hi-tech, healthcare, medical devices, rail and semiconductor industries.