Long before StandardAero became the largest independent maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) provider in the world, it was a standalone engine repair shop in Winnipeg, Manitoba, near the eastern edge of the Canadian Prairies.
At the time, it was a small company with big dreams and a customer-centric approach. And while an ambitious growth strategy has resulted in adding 50+ global service locations and 7,000 total employees, the same focus on customer needs is still baked into every business decision the company makes — from the front office down to frontline staff.
“Helicopter operators are highly knowledgeable and for the most part, know how to best manage their particular fleet,” said Elvis Moniz, vice president of business development for StandardAero. “In recognizing this, we’ve learned to really listen to our customers — to fully understand their particular challenges — and then bring our skills and extensive portfolio of knowledge and OEM [original equipment manufacturer] relationships to devise options that best suit an operator’s particular situation. This unique connection and mutual respect for each other’s strengths is one reason we believe our approach has worked so effectively.”
Though StandardAero is now a large international company with a massive global reach, the company actually operates as if it were several small businesses working together. Each business unit has its own staff of industry experts, with specialized knowledge and skill sets.
As a result, staff in the helicopter division speak the language of helicopter operators, and relate to helicopter operators on their own terms. The same is true of staff in StandardAero’s military division, its business aviation division, and its airline division.
“We set the company up in this way because we wanted to be closer to the customers,” said Brian Hughes, vice president of marketing and sales for StandardAero. “We go market by market. People like to deal with people who know their product inside out, have the product they need, and are available to them when they need it — at any time. We’ve got the size and the breadth of offerings to be able to do that … and we’ve also got the years of knowledge behind us to give them the answers they need.”
A key strategy for StandardAero’s helicopter division has been to establish dedicated centers of excellence (COEs) in key locations. This includes a consolidated helicopter COE in Winnipeg and two COEs for helicopter and turboprop component repairs in Florida.
StandardAero’s accessories COE in Hialeah, Florida, was recently certified by Honeywell Aerospace to perform OEM-approved repairs on a broad range of line replaceable units (LRUs) and accessories. The agreement includes repairs for Rolls-Royce M250 and Pratt & Whitney PT6T helicopter fuel controls and governors.
Similarly, the StandardAero accessories COE in Fort Myers, Florida, has been approved by Triumph Group to perform MRO on Rolls-Royce M250 hydromechanical units and fuel pumps.
“Volume or size allows you certain efficiencies,” said Peter Wheatley, vice president and general manager of StandardAero’s helicopter business unit. “We get to have efficiencies when it comes to turning engines or LRUs through our shop, from a center of excellence approach. And that translates into better, faster, and more cost-effective service.”
In addition to MRO, StandardAero consistently works with OEMs to certify new products for a variety of helicopter platforms, with the goal of improving safety for operators. Most recent supplemental type certificate (STC) developments include a crash-resistant fuel tank for Airbus AS350 and EC130 helicopters, and the StableLight autopilot retrofit.
StableLight, developed by StandardAero and Thales, is the first four-axis autopilot for the H125/AS350 platform — an intuitive flight control system that significantly improves safety, reduces pilot workload, and increases mission efficiency through full transport category levels of stability and performance.
“The safety of our employees and customers is paramount,” Moniz said. “So bringing these new safety enhancing solutions to the market is a natural fit for StandardAero.”
Another example of StandardAero’s customer-centric approach is its acquisition of Signature Aviation’s engine repair and overhaul (ERO) business in July 2021.
Signature ERO includes four entities: Dallas Airmotive, H+S Aviation, International Governor Services, and International Turbine Service. Together, these units have 1,100 employees in 14 locations in the United States and Europe, all of which will continue operating as part of the StandardAero family.
“Acquiring ERO enhances our ability to be one of the most efficient and client-focused aerospace MRO companies in the world,” said Russell Ford, chairman and CEO of StandardAero, in a statement.
As the company continues to grow, customer well-being remains at the heart of every acquisition, leadership decision and frontline strategy.
StandardAero’s size and breadth provides all the benefits of a one-stop shop, but also the agility of a small business with a product-specific expertise approach.
“We’re going to be committed to keeping people out in the field, not all tucked away behind the curtain and in the shops,” Hughes said. “They will continue to be out visiting customers, hearing their needs. Whatever critical times we’re in as a business, as an economy, as a person, or as a customer, we’re here to serve our customers better.”
