MVI gets aircraft to take off and land safely: MVI PROPLANT Nord has been ensuring safe engine overhaul and repair for almost 10 years. An established aviation team at MVI implements complex solutions, particularly in special tooling in the MRO environment (maintenance, repair and overhaul). Christoph Dirscherl, Head of the Aviation specialist team, and Jan Marc Heinemann, Project Manager Aviation, from the Technical Development business unit, provide an insight into the work of engine maintenance.
Ensuring flight safety is the top priority in aviation. With such expensive machines, systems and equipment, maintenance, repairs and servicing are an important part of keeping aircraft in operation for a long time. According to auditing firm KPMG, “MRO represents the largest ongoing cost block in flight operations and requires organizational and technical optimization”. This is exactly what MVI PROPLANT Nord has been doing for years in this very complex project environment. Christoph Dirscherl explains: “What operating resources are in the automotive sector, special tools are in the aviation sector. These toolings are mainly manufactured according to OEM specifications. We also try to design and build the special tools to be adaptable in order to ensure multiple usability for different engine types. In this way, we optimize the usability of the tools by designing them for multiple processes.”
IMPLEMENTED PROPERTY DEVELOPMENTS OF THE MVI PROPLANT AVIATION TEAM
From containers, lifting equipment and transport trolleys to hydraulic devices for different engine types, the MVI colleagues have implemented numerous ‘operating resources’. “We now have experience with over 1000 different special tools,” says project manager and mechanical engineer Jan Marc Heinemann. The graphic shows an excerpt of the various special tools that MVI PROPLANT Nord has built for different engine manufacturers.
The aviation team has particularly extensive experience in the production and further development of tools for the Pratt & Whitney GTF engine family. “This Gear Turbo Fan engine (GTF for short) is the latest generation and currently the most advanced propulsion technology in aircraft construction. The GTFs are used in medium-haul aircraft such as the A320neo,” he adds.
SERVICES & APPROACH
In addition to manufacturing tooling, MVI PROPLANT Nord also offers technical and process-related consulting services for various MRO stores throughout Europe. The MRO environment includes the areas of DAT (Disassembly, Assembly & Test) and the repair of engine components. “We have our own approach, in which we analyze the existing tools and processes on site and then try to find an individual solution for the customer that includes further optimizations in addition to the adaptability of the tooling,” explains Christoph Dirscherl. It’s about saving costs or time. For example, how to save storage space for large tools or generally minimize material waste. Process improvements, e.g. supported by automation, usually have a positive effect on the time factor. However, occupational safety and ergonomics for employees, e.g. by minimizing the risk of injury, also always play a role.
TEAM & PARTNER NETWORK
Due to these various requirements, the MVI team in Wolfsburg works together with the entire Technical Development business unit on an interdisciplinary basis. It currently consists of a dozen permanent employees who take care of aviation orders and, depending on requirements, flexibly bring in additional colleagues from the design, automation or technology management departments. MVI PROPLANT Nord has also built up a partner network of certified mechanical engineers with whom it implements the numerous special tools together. “This enables us to offer a wide range of services in the aviation sector, especially for MRO inquiries. Through greenfield orders in Serbia, Poland and Germany, among others, we have also acquired expertise for other engine types GE90, V2500, CF6-80 and the manufacturer Rolls-Royce in addition to the GTF family mentioned above. International aviation orders have long been part of our strategic focus,” summarizes Christoph Dirscherl, head of the specialist team. In summary, consulting, planning and the construction of special tools, including optimizations, offer a large field of development potential for MVI PROPLANT Nord, so that the aviation sector will continue to be expanded in the future.