PPRuNe Forums - Problems at MD

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Problems at MD - merged threads

Yet again the claimed improvement in AOG spares is found wanting. Our aircraft went for its Annual on 8 May and very soon afterwards corrosion was found on the MR Mast and it was declared u/s. There appear to be no spares available until the next delivery to MD from the maunfacturer sometime at the end of June - a 6 week-ish AOG delivery at best !!!!!
This is the third time in 14 months and the second in 4 months where the part we are AOG for is one of the "exceptions" to the AOG delivery improvement and we are having to put up with significant downtime.

:{:ugh:

Taken directly from MD website.....

"Requests for spares are handled on a priority basis. The highest priority goes to "AOG" -Aircraft On Ground. These parts are on their way within 24 hours after receipt of the order. Shipment is by the means specified by the customer on the order -usually by freight.

The second priorities are routine orders. Routine orders are shipped within 72 hours after receipt of order, by the means stipulated by the customer. The company stocks more than 10,000 separate part number, plus complete modification kits and accessory installation kits."

Just doesn't seem to be the case!!!! :sad:

If you need a serviceable main rotor mask, send me a pm and I can probably direct you to someone who has a few. This assumes it is for a 369 and not a 900.

He'd never get off the ground in a 369!!!;)

Thanks Andy !!!!

I'd ask to borrow yours but I gather you might be needing it for some time yet !!!:)

It'll be ready in an engineers month!!

and I was only joshing:p

Look, this is pointless
Another predictable result

Bear,

can't they lend you one off of that yellow import?

Nope,

The yellow import will be doing some fund raising flights very soon.

Yeah................

Of course it will:rolleyes:

Why steal the bits from the "yellow import"? I believe that the W. Yorks police 902 is going in for a bit of an avionics re-fit - perhaps they could keep it in "the family" and borrow from there?

It'd be nice to get one from somewhere !! This thread and an email to Ms Tilton have certainly stirred them up at MDH but as yet no firm date for supply !

Does she read pprune?:rolleyes:

Does she care? She's still smarting over the LUH programme defeat.:ouch:

I think she cares about the reputation, from what I read in the journals, this is one lady I would not like to cross!! Although there have been a lot of 'them versus us' banter threads, please note it was started by an MD operator. If Bear is right, they may have accellerated their spare part by posting here. If that works then use everything available!!

Is it true that the Met went for the 145 mainly due to this type of problem with MD?? In which case maybe they should note the business they are losing with their current reputation!! :confused:

My email to Ms Tilton at her advertised email address certainly got through and it appears that MDH monitor pprune as well. We've certainly stirred them enough to open the lines of communication if not the lines of supply !!!!!

MD Helicopters - will be the come back ???

http://www.verticalmag.com/control/n...-logo_mdhi.gif

Quote:

Customer Survey Gives Top Ratings to MDHI for Product Support and Service
Monday, August 20, 2007 / MD Helicopters

A resurgent MD Helicopters, Inc., captured the No. 2 position for overall product support and service excellence among rotorcraft OEMs in a survey administered by Forecast International for Aviation International News. Complete results are published in the magazine’s August 2007 edition.

“ ‘The Phoenix is Rising,’ is the mantra we sing, and our rise in the ratings clearly supports our verse,” said MDHI Chairman and CEO Lynn Tilton. “These survey results provide third-party support to that which we have accomplished and speak volumes to our success. I hope they will finally silence those who want the rotorcraft world to think otherwise.”

Sikorsky, Eurocopter, Agusta, and Aerospatiale trailed MDHI in the rotorcraft segment, where overall ratings for product support and service fell by 1.53 percent. MDHI topped all other rotorcraft OEMS in the categories of “Authorized Service Centers,” and “Cost of Parts.”

In the “Authorized Service Center” category, customers rated cost estimates vs. actual, on-time performance, scheduling ease, and service experience. “Cost of Parts” evaluated value for price paid.

Other categories in the survey included “Factory Service Centers,” “Parts Availability,” “AOG Response,”"Warranty Fulfillment,” “Technical Manuals,” “Technical Reps,” and “Overall Product Reliability.”

Improving product support has been the top priority for Tilton since she acquired MDHI in 2005. Additional priorities include selling, building, delivering aircraft, and establishing a streamlined, vertically integrated company. “We have stated the course and have lived true to our vision. It is nice to see that the improvements have been acknowledged,” she said. “The survey results reflect our truth.”

MDHI has dramatically improved service and support to an installed base of approximately 3,000 aircraft. Aircraft on Ground (AOG) have been reduced by 90 percent. More than 85 percent of orders are shipped within four hours of request. There are six new authorized service centers. Aircraft sales and deliveries are also on the rise. The company has delivered 20 helicopters in 2007 and is on track to deliver 23 more before year’s end. MDHI’s new manufacturing facility in Monterrey, Mexico, is delivering single-engine fuselages and supporting Tilton’s vertical integration strategy.

###

About MD Helicopters, Inc.

MD Helicopters, Inc. is a leading manufacturer of commercial and military helicopters. The MDHI family of rotorcraft is world renowned for its value, versatility and performance. The MD Helicopters family includes the twin-engine MD Explorer®, and single engine versions of the MD 600N®, MD 520N®, MD 500E® and MD 530F®. The NOTAR® system for anti-torque control is used exclusively by MD Helicopters. The company is based in Mesa, Ariz. For more information about MDHI visit http://www.mdhelicopters.com/.

About Patriarch Partners

Patriarch Partners, LLC is a private equity and investment firm in New York, North Carolina and Texas. Patriarch provides innovative financial solutions, strategic direction and operational expertise to companies undergoing periods of pervasive change. Funds affiliated with Patriarch manage assets in excess of $6 billion and include majority and minority ownership positions in more than 67 companies.