The O&M Awards honor managers or executives who have improved, or contributed significantly to the improvement of, the efficiency, profitability, reliability and/or safety of their company's MRO operation or of aviation MRO generally. This year's winners are:

BOB REDING AND JOHN CONLEY, AMERICAN AIRLINES

American Airlines' maintenance and engineering, led by Bob Reding, senior vice president of technical operations, and the Transport Works Union, internationally represented by John Conley, a system coordinator at American, have worked together as partners to transform the airline's maintenance and engineering organization from a cost center to a profit center. Through this collaboration and Continuous Improvement Process, the airline has reduced costs, improved efficiencies and significantly optimized operations and productivity over the past three years. Management, front-line employees and unions at American understand cooperation is necessary to achieve progress toward sustained profitability. The maintenance and engineering organization has created a structure where employees can discuss and solve operational issues, promote cooperation, increase employees' understanding of American's opportunities and challenges, and identify and implement revenue-generating ideas. Reding and Conley have helped create and guide American's M&E vision, a "world class MRO that provides value to our people, customers and owners."

NICK HEMINGER, GOODRICH

Nick Heminger, manager of quality assurance at Goodrich Aviation Technical Services in Everett, Wash., works "tirelessly to help us understand the impact of human factors on quality," said Bill Ashworth, president of Goodrich ATS. Heminger helped transition human factors processes from the flightdeck to aircraft heavy maintenance, and in doing so, became an expert in quality methodologies available to the MRO industry. Heminger developed a database that documented ATS' experience with human factors methods used in the hangar, as well as concepts from the Boeing Maintenance Error Decision Aid and lessons learned from customers, according to Ashworth. Over the years, Heminger continued to collect data and improve the quality programs. In January 2005, he developed the Technician Assessment Program (TAP), which assesses how well technicians are following maintenance procedures. After the TAP audit, the results are shared with the technician and supervisor, and the company uses the information as an indicator of "quality of work" and safety. Since implementing TAP, Goodrich has improved its costs associated with quality by 64 percent.