The results are in, and the helicopter industry has spoken. The global supply chain continues to be the dominant theme impacting original equipment manufacturer (OEM) product support in the helicopter industry — but some manufacturers appear to be managing the challenge better than others.
This is according to the results of Vertical Magazine’s ninth annual Helicopter & Engine Manufacturers Survey, released in the magazine’s recently published August/September edition.
Hélicoptères Guimbal, Bell and Robinson Helicopter Company all scored highly among the airframers, while respondents also gave good scores to engine manufacturers Safran, GE Aerospace and Pratt & Whitney Canada.
“It’s been a mixed year for many in the industry, with flight hours rebounding strongly on one side, but a restricted supply chain putting pressure on manufacturers and operators on the other,” said Vertical Magazine publisher Mike Reyno.
More than 1,300 helicopter industry professionals took part in the survey this year, with respondents reporting issues with parts availability at all of the major OEMs.
We asked each OEM to address our respondents’ most frequent complaints, and you can read their responses here.
“We’re delighted so many people have taken the time to complete the survey once again, providing the OEMs with the most complete picture in the industry of the strength of their product support,” said Reyno. “Thanks go to all those who responded to the survey, and to the OEMs who use that feedback to make genuine improvements to their products and services.”
The survey was conducted by PMG Intelligence — a market research and data analysis consulting company based in Waterloo, Ontario — on behalf of Vertical Magazine.
To qualify for ranking in our survey, an airframe OEM required a minimum of 50 evaluations, while an engine OEM required a minimum of 45 evaluations.
