Page 28 - AAA JANUARY- FEBRUARY 2013 Online Magazine

FEATURE SINGAPORE AVIATION

Kok Kiang, EDB Executive Director, been through National Service; that’s a
Transport Engineering and Asia Pacific. great thing for us because it instils that
“Many aerospace companies with discipline and compliance that works very
existing operations in Singapore are also well,” adds Davie.
seeking to enhance productivity, deepen As well as MRO, Singapore is also the
capabilities and expand their operations location for several regional distribution
to ride on Asia’s growth,” he adds. centres, or RDCs, including global
Pointing to Pratt & Whitney’s engine aerospace names such as Airbus, Boeing,
component MRO facility and Bombardier’s Embraer and GE Aviation. Boeing runs
hangar and services facilities at Seletar, its Integrated Materials Management’s
he highlights the world-class productivity centre to maintain and manage airlines’
on those sites, as well as at SIAEC and spare parts inventory, and Embraer chose
GE Aviation. “These companies have Singapore to locate its regional logistics
consistently been implementing new and spares hub for more than US$9
productivity initiatives in-house to improve million worth of spares and parts.
turnaround times and maintain their Hawker Pacific Asia has been
competitive lead in the industry,” he notes. operating at Seletar airport since 1976.
Another success has been notched up This year, the company will be opening
Tony Jones, COO, Asia of by Singapore Aero Engine Services Private its customer service and sales centre,
Hawker Pacific Limited (SAESL), which services, repairs and expanding its regional headquarters
and overhauls Rolls-Royce Trent aero in Singapore. “Over the last decade,
engines. SAESL is well aware it competes facilities have improved dramatically, in
on the open market, and uses internal line with the significant growth in business
smart procedures – and the right people – aviation,” notes Tony Jones, COO, Asia,
to ensure it gets customers’ power plants Hawker Pacific. “We identified early on
back in the air in the shortest time. the business potential in Singapore and
“This focus on productivity is not only throughout Asia. As a result, we too have
to lower costs but also to meet customer been a first-mover in many markets,
[time] requirements because they are including Singapore,” he adds.
very focused on their operations,” says
Chris Davie, CEO, SAESL. On the ground
The quicker SAESL can get the Singapore, with the expert assistance
engines back to customers, and working of the EDB, is also wooing the financial
in the aircraft, the fewer engines the sector of the aviation world. Leasing
airline needs to support operations. This companies now make up the bulk of
focus on MRO productivity has paid off and new aircraft purchasers, and offer a
now, the time SAESL takes to overhaul unique chance for start-ups to enter the
an engine is 25% less than in 2006. airline business using carefully crafted
“A lot of the guys who work here have policies that give local airlines the best

LOCAL ExPERTISE
“The skill-intensive, highly productive nature of the
industry appeals to Singaporeans – nine out of 10
jobs are skilled, and eight out of 10 jobs go to locals.
The growing presence of aerospace companies in
Singapore provides more jobs and better job prospects
for Singaporeans,” says Lim kok kiang, Executive
Director of Transport engineering at the Economic
Development Board. With Singapore’s value-add
per worker estimated at more than S$150,000, the
aerospace industry is well ahead of other industries
in the manufacturing sector. Meanwhile, average
remuneration per worker is about S$68,500, over 50%
more than the manufacturing average.

28 ASIAN AIRLINES & AIRPORTS JANUARY / FERBUARY 2013 WWW.ASIANAIRLINES-AIRPORTS.COM