QF Engine plant closing
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QF Engine plant closing
Looks like the LTQ consortium is no more.........
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/qa...0726-22t71.htm
Not so long ago, QF did their engines in-house, and the product was magnificent, with the time on wing of such an impressive length, that the Engine manufacturer came to visit, to inspect the procedures and techniques used to get such an outstanding product................
Of course that all changed - the bean counters outsourced the engine shop, and on-wing time went from 5+ years to just on a year for the LTQ product.
All that QF expertise was lost, and the move actually ended up costing money instead of saving it.
And now, God knows where the engines will be done, and what sort of product will be foisted upon the long suffering Pilots and Engineers.................
Thats another one for your list Steve!
http://www.theage.com.au/victoria/qa...0726-22t71.htm
Not so long ago, QF did their engines in-house, and the product was magnificent, with the time on wing of such an impressive length, that the Engine manufacturer came to visit, to inspect the procedures and techniques used to get such an outstanding product................
Of course that all changed - the bean counters outsourced the engine shop, and on-wing time went from 5+ years to just on a year for the LTQ product.
All that QF expertise was lost, and the move actually ended up costing money instead of saving it.
And now, God knows where the engines will be done, and what sort of product will be foisted upon the long suffering Pilots and Engineers.................
Thats another one for your list Steve!
The company, a joint venture of Lufthansa Technik and Qantas Airways Limited since 2008, blamed a decline in engine overhaul demand for the closure
Qantas - 51 B737-800s
Qantas - 18 A330s
Qantas - 6 747-400ERs
Jetstar - 11 (of Qantas's) A330s
236 CFM56s
78 CF6-80C2's/E's
All current fleet not due to be retired.
And there's not enough work to keep the place going.
OK...
Last edited by 600ft-lb; 26th Jul 2012 at 04:50.
short flights long nights
When all our skills base has be shut down and moved to China, some pollie will stick his/her head up and say "Bloody hell, what happened"
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. The company cited a "strong decline in engine overhaul demand", "reduced regional demand", "tough international competition" and the more reliable new engines used in airline fleets for the closure
Seems there may be other motives for this?
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What other engine overhaul centres are there in Australia? Theres no doubt that newer technologies and processes(quite possibly those very processes devised by the qantas engine overhaul shops that earned all those awards)are enabling engines to be more durable and go longer between major overhauls. However I dont think that operators of (for example) 737 fleets the size of Virgin and Qantas would be sending their CFMs too far from home for the big work.
Is there a local overhaul shop in the country somewhere that is rubbing its hands together with glee at this decision?
Is there a local overhaul shop in the country somewhere that is rubbing its hands together with glee at this decision?
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This is my first post, so forgive me for jumping in here. I will be finishing up along with many of the LTQ staff in a month and am trying not to feel overly emotional about this. I have to respond to you regarding the volume of engines you have pointed to.
Virgin never did a deal with JTS, LHT were not successful in getting the Virgin work either, so this volume goes offshore.
Qantas is currently finalising the 'refresh' program for the CFM56-7 fleet, which will result in a deal with GE to replace engines coming up for a full refurbishment. Not the whole fleet but over 30 engines from what I understand, so significant engine shop volume disappears.
The B5F engines on the 747 has nearly finished their first refurb so won't come back for a while.
The E1 fleet has had a huge number of shop visits in the last 12 or so months, with the hump nearly through. There will be visits but not at the same frequency, and certainly not enough to support running an engine overhaul operation.
All in all it has been a very disappointing day, I do feel for many of the technicians who will now struggle to find employment in Melbourne. Quite a few of the Scots have decided to make a life here, and may now have to look at heading back to Scotland.
I still have many ex-colleagues in the Qantas facility in Tullamarine all going through the same scenario, a completely lamentable story with many families affected.
Virgin never did a deal with JTS, LHT were not successful in getting the Virgin work either, so this volume goes offshore.
Qantas is currently finalising the 'refresh' program for the CFM56-7 fleet, which will result in a deal with GE to replace engines coming up for a full refurbishment. Not the whole fleet but over 30 engines from what I understand, so significant engine shop volume disappears.
The B5F engines on the 747 has nearly finished their first refurb so won't come back for a while.
The E1 fleet has had a huge number of shop visits in the last 12 or so months, with the hump nearly through. There will be visits but not at the same frequency, and certainly not enough to support running an engine overhaul operation.
All in all it has been a very disappointing day, I do feel for many of the technicians who will now struggle to find employment in Melbourne. Quite a few of the Scots have decided to make a life here, and may now have to look at heading back to Scotland.
I still have many ex-colleagues in the Qantas facility in Tullamarine all going through the same scenario, a completely lamentable story with many families affected.
Folks,
The LTQ announcement said that the work would be going to that well known cheap labor country, Germany.
There are much deeper problems here than "labour cost", the costs created by regulation (CASA/Fair Work Australia/OHS generally) is a very major factor in Australia being uncompetitive.
Re. the big engines (744/767/A330) that went offshore years ago, as the current in flight shutdown rate so clearly shows.
Tootle pip!!
The LTQ announcement said that the work would be going to that well known cheap labor country, Germany.
There are much deeper problems here than "labour cost", the costs created by regulation (CASA/Fair Work Australia/OHS generally) is a very major factor in Australia being uncompetitive.
Re. the big engines (744/767/A330) that went offshore years ago, as the current in flight shutdown rate so clearly shows.
Tootle pip!!
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German Labour Costs
Lead,
You were of course being facetious when you referred to the cost of labour in Germany weren't you!
A couple of fascinating articles..
German Auto Manufacturers' High Profits and High Pay Show Why U.S. Labor Laws Need to Be Stronger | Alternet
How Germany Builds Twice as Many Cars as the U.S. While Paying Its Workers Twice as Much - Forbes
LD
You were of course being facetious when you referred to the cost of labour in Germany weren't you!
A couple of fascinating articles..
German Auto Manufacturers' High Profits and High Pay Show Why U.S. Labor Laws Need to Be Stronger | Alternet
How Germany Builds Twice as Many Cars as the U.S. While Paying Its Workers Twice as Much - Forbes
LD
Last edited by LookinDown; 26th Jul 2012 at 21:01.
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In case you missed it..
the background
For the record of this thread, sad..
Qantas engine plant to close, more jobs sent offshore | The Border Mail
the background
For the record of this thread, sad..
Qantas engine plant to close, more jobs sent offshore | The Border Mail
Last edited by TIMA9X; 1st Aug 2012 at 15:47.
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another example of botched Labor government policies taking there toll on manufacturing/labouring industries in Australia. If you look at the fence from the other side you'd send it offshore also.
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With the Aussie dollar at $0.85 against the Euro (it was $0.50 in mid-2009), Germany is a lot cheaper than it used to be...
The advantage when your a strong country in a currency block with a lot of basket cases.
The advantage when your a strong country in a currency block with a lot of basket cases.
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Have we got any other engine shops?
tgbgtgb previously asked the question:
Does the RAAF have its own shops?
Does anyone know the answer?
What other engine overhaul centres are there in Australia?
Does anyone know the answer?