#MROAM Top 10

How would you sum up the MRO Americas #MROAM? There are too many things to discuss in this short space, but do you agree with these?

1. MRO military: budgets and funding are huge concerns, the biggest actually.  

2. Airlines: costs, costs and revenue. I didn't speak with an airline exec who didn't mention cost containment and getting better value for their expenditures. While this isn't a new subject, it leads us to...

3. MROs and suppliers: they're trying to drive efficiencies through better logistics, bundled support and repair development. They're also expecting consolidation, as are the airlines, as evidenced by the comments yesterday from US Airways EVP and COO Robert Isom.

4. This leads us to American Airlines and Air Canada, which we've talked about in this space this week. This a big deal--20-30 lines of airframe work might appear on the market in the next six months. Needless to say, Tier 1 MROs think this is one of the biggest potential opportunities in years. But who has available space to handle this?

5. This is driving other airlines to ensure their airframe maintenance slots at MROs. What does this mean for lessors seeking slots?

6. Speaking of lessors, expect them to have a bigger influence in the aftermarket as their fleets grow and they seek efficiencies in aircraft transfers.

7. OEMs: airframe, component and engine manufacturers want to support their products longer in the aftermarket so improve their products, infuse technology into them when appropriate and to make more money. You can understand their desire to hold onto proprietary data, but...

8. MROs and suppliers must prepare for new technology and capabilities because business as usual in a decade won't be an option.

9. Are independent service providers facing a bleak future? No way (assuming they're complying with #8).

10. Future of MRO: oh-so-dynamic, global and competitive.

Tags: om99, mro12