By now most people have had the experience of visiting a grocery store and not finding the exact brand of mustard, cereal, or crackers they want. Or maybe you’ve been to a home improvement store where the price tags should be digital they change so often. Supply chain issues are impacting nearly every industry, including aviation.
It’s a global world, a fact that has been made clearer than ever since Covid began more than two years ago. And now, even though many people are more or less living a normal life in the United States, tight restrictions in other parts of the world have continued to put pressure on manufacturers far from the lockdowns. Add to that a tight labor market and record demand, and the system becomes more challenging to navigate.
Aerospace has been impacted in several ways. Although most of Twin Commander Aircraft’s suppliers are based in the United States and countries where lockdowns are no longer the norm, some of the raw materials come from parts of the world subject to these forces. More of an issue for many of the factory’s vendors is the tight labor market. Many employees who sat out Covid restrictions never came back, and the precise manufacturing that Twin Commander specifications require take time to learn and refine.
To address these challenges, the staff at the factory is working hard to solve problems when they arise, and work ahead to anticipate those that may be an issue in the future. Operations Lead Pam Brown said she is doing everything from paying for expedited shipping to engaging new vendors. One of her core strategies is to expand the stock of safety related items while they’re still available, ensuring they are ready to ship when a Twin Commander Authorized Service Center is ready to order them.
The new relationship with the Metro and Merlin line of aircraft has already paid dividends. When a plastic lens manufacturer closed during Covid, Brown was able to tap into the staff knowledge from the Metro/Merlin group and work with one of their vendors to quickly start production.
That process, starting anew with a vendor, can take months, and it’s why the factory can’t quickly switch vendors when one goes out of stock. When the vendor has worked on aerospace projects before and if the company is a known quantity, as was the case with the lens manufacturer, the process can go much faster.
The factory’s close relationship with the Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Center network is also a benefit in times like these. Knowledgeable parts managers from the independent service centers will make a financial commitment to stock parts they know to be commonly replaced items, such as O-ring kits, gaskets, fuel cells, and windshields.
Brown works with nearly 100 different vendors throughout the year, sourcing thousands of parts for dozens of models of Twin Commanders. With decades of experience, integral teamwork with the independent service center network, and a new relationship with a sister aircraft manufacturer, Twin Commander Aircraft is doing everything possible to ensure that the right part is available at the right time and for the right price.
