As an original equipment manufacturer (OEM), Chicago, Illinois headquartered aviation equipment provider JBT sells parts, convenience kits and product upgrade kits to those who own, operate and repair JBT equipment worldwide, says Josh Parkin, global aftermarket manager.
“Aviation is a very schedule-based market and JBT is determined to drive customer success through fast response times,” he affirms. “Based on our industry experience and customer feedback, we find the following most important to our customers: part availability (the time it takes from an order being placed to the part arriving at a customer’s location); part quality (when parts arrive they need to be the right parts and be dependable for the strenuous demands of ramp support); and knowledgeable sales/support staff (sales and service staff need to understand the equipment and parts to be able to provide quick and accurate advice in order to restore a piece of equipment to service on time and cost effectively).”
Parkin believes that OEMs have “a special responsibility” to their customers, their relationship extending well beyond the initial equipment sale to include a lifetime of support, from part support to service repairs to equipment refurbishment. By offering global support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, 365 days a year, JBT aims to go beyond just selling a part to make sure that customers have the tools at hand to ensure they get what they really need. He feels that this is “a unique service that only the OEM can provide. The value that this offers helps reduce our customer’s total cost of ownership (TCO) and helps keep our customers’ fl eets performing effectively for many years to come.”
GHH Fahrzeuge’s biggest customer, TCR, is a lessor and maintenance provider that leases the German GSE manufacturer’s aircraft movers to airline operators like KLM, as well as provides maintenance services. However, GHH general manager Mortimer Glinz informs: “We also have customers like airberlin who own our machines and operate them directly. I believe that GHH customers are long-term users of their equipment. They prefer the low operating cost and the long lifetime over the low-budget equipment with high operating cost of other manufacturers.