It was a cloudy Monday morning, when a group of twenty gathered in the foyer of SR Technics Sdn Bhd in Shah Alam, after a relaxing long weekend. Mr Alain Augsburger (Chairman of the SMBA) kicked off the day by welcoming everyone and introducing Christian Meyer, the Managing Director of SR Technics Malaysia. Mr Meyer took it from there and introduced the General Manager of Operations, Mr Ananda, and Mr Azmin, the Head of Maintenance, who would later each lead a group of attendees around the facility.
Participants were briefed on safety regulations and the company’s culture of safety by Mr Ananda. This was followed by a short two-minute promotional video showing their operations from receiving parts, to testing, and re-assembly. The draft video was to be released during the annual Aviation Week exhibition in Singapore the following week.
Mr Meyer started the company introduction by outlining the services of SR technics Group globally. The Swiss company provides a spectrum of repair and overhaul services and are able to provide integrated solutions combining MRO (Maintenance, Repair & Overhaul) services. In the recent years, the company has been adapting their global Component Services (CS) set-up to allow greater efficiency and cost savings in line with their current and future customers. The establishment of SR Technics Malaysia in 2014 allowed them to service a wider area more effectively, especially since 40% of their contract fleet is in Asia Pacific (APAC). The Malaysian Center of Excellence currently operates as the regional center for Components Services for APAC and comprises of three different CoE (Center of Excellence) – Electronics/Electrical, Hydraulics, and Pneumatics – with the capability to service 750PNs. SR Technics Malaysia is responsible for 11 customers with 465 aircraft under contract in APAC alone.
During the presentation, Mr Meyer addressed several questions from the floor, one of which asked him to expound on why Malaysia was chosen to be their base in APAC. Out of four candidate locations, Malaysia was the most suited to serve the region. Mainly due to shipments being able to be cleared within several hours, as the flow of parts is very important in this industry owing to the cost of grounding a plane. He explained that initially there were concerns from customers regarding the quality of their services, but they assured them that SRT Malaysia would use the same technologies and procedure as in Switzerland. Firstly, technicians undergo 3-month intensive training in Zurich upon joining to instill the values and skills needed. In addition to this, technical experts from Switzerland are frequently invited to come and train the local technicians. Because of these measures taken, the Malaysian center is able to produce the same, if not better, service as the HQ in Zurich.
For the facility tour the group was split into two, which commenced after everyone had put on safety shoes and goggles. The group led by Mr Azmin started at logistics where they receive parts in need of repair or maintenance from all over the world. Attendees had the chance to see the inner workings of the facility at the three CoE and the warehouse, and understand more of the process of receiving, performing tests, cleaning and servicing parts which typically took 12 days. It was evident from the facility that SR Technics pride themselves in their quality and reliability of parts. Short-runners – a key industry quality measures – are less than half of industry average.
The tour ended around an hour later, both groups made their way back to the foyer to return their safety equipment, followed by a group photo. Mr Paul Morach, CEO of Stoppani, said the event was “very, very interesting” and he was thoroughly impressed as he “didn’t think it was possible to train such a high standard of compliance in Malaysia” and continued to elaborate his point on the stringent regulation required in the aviation industry. Mr Cedric Bourquenez from VCET Asia echoed Mr Morach’s other point on the high level of awareness amongst staff on safety and standard expected. Mr Bourquenez highlighted that the work environment has been structured such that it constantly reminds staff of the importance of safety and service. He was impressed, as a fellow employer, on the “level of discipline displayed”. Observers can attest to the company’s endeavor for excellence and determination to deliver, which was apparent throughout the presentation and tour. The event came to a close as the attendees adjourned for lunch at the nearby Thai restaurant for delicious food and conversation.
