The new machining equipment is part of an overall growth effort by the company – including the completion of a brand new, 60,000-square-foot facility expansion in late 2019 – to position itself to serve new product line opportunities. The equipment upgrades include a state-of-the-art machining center, new next-gen lathe and mill technologies, and enhanced state-of-the-art grinding capabilities.
“These machines add significant capacity to our repair pipeline. They also allow Able to service new sizes and categories of parts, including full helicopter transmission cases and large-scale commercial fixed-wing components,” said Michael Vercio, general manager of Able Aerospace Services. “The expanded capabilities allow us to complete a larger range of repairs in house and offer improved efficiency to our customers.”
Component repair and overhaul (CR&O)
The capability represents a new generation of sophistication, to which Able has added even more accuracy packages to repair and inspect parts requiring highly tight tolerances. This includes automating Able’s component repair and overhaul (CR&O) process to now support parts weighing up to 4,000 pounds (2,000 kg) and measuring up to 80 inches (2,000 mm) in length. It also accounts for an envelope size big enough to service large category helicopter transmissions and large-scale fixed-wing parts for commercial and military applications.
The expanded Able machining department is now fully operational and processing repairs. It joins a 260,000-square-foot Able headquarters facility that offers more than 10,000 FAA-approved fixed- and rotor-wing repair, overhaul and parts solutions, and a team of more than 450 aerospace experts who successfully process more than 95 percent of all jobs on-site.
About Able Aerospace: Able Aerospace Services is a leading supplier of component MRO, approved replacement parts and completion services. With headquarters and maintenance facilities on the Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport (KIWA) in Mesa, Arizona, Able’s products and services support almost 1,500 commercial and military fixed- and rotor-wing aviation customers in more than 60 countries.
Able combines 32 years of aviation experience with a staff of more than 450 employees to accomplish its mission: To safely reduce aircraft operating costs by providing resourceful component repair, overhaul and approved replacement parts solutions. Able is an approved Bell Helicopter Service Center and certified by numerous airworthiness authorities including the FAA, EASA, ANAC, CAAC, JCAB, DGCA and others.
About Textron Aviation: Textron Aviation Inc. is the leading general aviation authority and home to the Beechcraft, Cessna and Hawker brands, which account for more than half of all general aviation aircraft flying. For more than 90 years, the Textron Aviation brands have represented unrivalled innovation, performance and leadership in the industry, offering an unmatched value proposition rooted in the total ownership experience.
Leveraging unparalleled speed-to-market, Textron Aviation provides the most versatile and comprehensive business and general aviation product portfolio in the world through five principal lines of business: business jets, general aviation and special mission turboprop aircraft, high performance piston aircraft, military trainer and defense aircraft, and a complete global customer service organization.
Textron Aviation has delivered more than 250,000 aircraft in over 143 countries. Its broad range of products include such best-selling aircraft as Citation business jets, King Air and Caravan turboprops, and T-6 military trainer aircraft, all of which are backed by the industry’s most capable global service network.
See also |
Able Aerospace State of Arizona
Helicopters Parts
Able Aerospace Building Expansion in Mesa