Past event: MRO Latin America Conference

Monday, January 20, 2014

7:00–9:00 p.m.

Welcome Cocktail Reception

DAY ONE – Tuesday, January 21, 2014

9:00 a.m.

Registration & Networking Breakfast

in the Showcase Exhibition Floor

10:00 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

§  Ed Hazelwood, Editor-in-Chief, Conferences, Aviation Week

10:10 a.m.

Opening Keynote

§  Juan Carlos Zuazua, CEO, VivaAerobus

10:30 a.m.

MRO Latin America 10-Year Market Forecast and Key Trends

Leading aviation research analysts examine current status and upcoming trends of the Latin American MRO market and aviation industries, including challenges and opportunities for the future in Latin America and global markets.  

§  Tom Cooper, EVP & Principal, TeamSAI

§  Aviation Week

11:10 a.m.

The Business of MRO in Latin America

The Latin American MRO market continues to show growth and high potential. Strategic alliances and mergers continue to drive competitive edge and buying power.

§  What are current business trends for MRO organizations in Latin American market?

§  What Latin American MRO strategies are key factors to attract attention of more North American airline fleets?

§  What business challenges and opportunities will the region’s air traffic growth bring over the next 5 to 10 years?

§  How are economic impacts, such as currency fluctuations and fuel prices, affecting the MRO landscape?

§  Moderator: Tom Cooper, EVP & Principal, TeamSAI

§  Johann Bordais, VP Services & Support - Commercial Aviation, Embraer

§  Valter Fernandes, EVP Operations, TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brazil

§  Rodolfo “Rudy” Bryce, GM Latin America & Caribbean, GE Aviation / CFM International

11:45 a.m.

Networking Break

in the Showcase Exhibition Floor

12:15 p.m.

Table Discussions:

These table discussions are designed for executives to discover creative concepts, and stimulate dialogue on pressing business challenge and solutions in an intimate, collaborative group setting.  Each table groups will have 10-12 participants sharing and deliberating on the latest industry challenges and real-world benchmarks.

Topic 1 – Training/Workforce Retention

Finding qualified aviation maintenance technicians (AMTs)—especially those with licenses and experience—continue to be a concern for many MROs and airlines. In addition, due to the demand for qualified individuals, there is high rate of poaching from competitive companies, and even other industries.

§  How can companies find and keep qualified AMTs?

§  What are the most effective methods for specialized training?

§  How can you ensure that Temporary Maintenance workers have the proper training qualifications before hiring them?

Take an up-close and practical look at how some are tackling these concerns and coming up with innovative ways to both train and retain qualified technicians within your organization.

§  Discussion Leaders:

§  Ernesto Ruiz, CEO, Aeroman

Topic 2 – Import Regulatory Impact on Supply Chain and Repairs

Import of aircraft parts into the region can be a long and tedious process due to bureaucracy, restrictions, and stipulations.  This amounts to huge delays and immense costs for MROs and airlines in the region.  Even with external supplier agreements, without a regional pool of aircraft materials, airlines have to rely heavily on internal stock, increasing inventory costs.  Explore potential solutions, such as regional parts pooling, to ease costs and wasted time. Gain a better understanding of customs and clearance procedures and learn how to develop strategies to influence important and necessary changes in the customs process.

§  Discussion Leaders:

§  Amir Nasruddin, VP Operations, Modern Logistics

1:15 p.m.

Luncheon

2:45 p.m.

Table Discussions:

Topic 1 – Proven Process Improvement Strategies

Regardless of how complex MRO processes are, they are constantly driven to produce higher profit margins, gain a larger market share and maintain lower operational costs.  Customer demands require operational efficiency and quality, challenging operations to maximize on existing resources, while reducing turnaround time (TAT) and overhead costs.  How have Latin American MROs progressed to reach significant cost reductions, and the opportunity to attract airline customers from North America?  Process improvement strategies are necessities to achieve all these goals and ultimately, business excellence.

§  Discussion Leaders:

§  Ken Goosen, Practice Leader, Maintenance & Engineering, The Boeing Company

§  Nelson Vaz, Deputy VP Operations, TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brazil

Topic 2 – Outsourcing vs. In-House Capabilities

Economic pressures and a desire within airlines to focus on core services have meant that the trend to outsource maintenance activities has grown in recent years.  However, how do you develop the correct outsourcing strategy to ensure you procure the appropriate services at the right time? Is developing in-house capabilities still a viable option and if so how best can this be executed?  Examine what factors should be taken into consideration when making outsourcing decisions.

3:45 p.m.

Networking Break in the Showcase Exhibition Floor

4:15 p.m.

Parts Management: Pooling, Loan-Borrow and Partnerships

Parts management has become more complex and difficult, especially working in a global supply chain environment.  Latest cost-effective trends on managing parts have been pooling, loan-borrow and innovative supplier partnerships. This discussion will explore integrated options and partnering opportunities for cost-effective parts management. What are the trends towards increased consolidation and is pooling right for you?  Is a regional parts pool in South America viable, and how would costs and benefits be shared?  Would a multi-vendor spare pool ease costs? What are the considerations (benefits, uncertainties, risk, benefits, cost analyses, etc.)?

§  Moderator: Lee Ann Tegtmeier, Chief Editor MRO, Aviation Week

§  Jamie Hardman, VP Customer Services – Latin America, AJW Group

5:15–7:30 p.m.

Cocktail Reception

8:00–10:00 p.m.

Networking Dinner

DAY TWO – Wednesday, January 22, 2014

9:00 a.m.

Registration & Networking Breakfast in the Showcase Exhibition Floor

9:30 a.m.

Welcome Remarks

§  Ed Hazelwood, Editor-in-Chief, Conferences, Aviation Week

9:35 a.m.

Opening Session

NEW WAYS OF WORKING TOGETHER: Integrating to Enhance Efficiency

Hear how TAM MRO is maximizing Key Performance Indicators (KPI) to drive their decision process. With the continued integration of LATAM Airlines Group, they are harmonizing information and processes across the entire MRO organization to drive business and operational success.

§  Daniel Gonçalves, Manager, Engineering Department, TAM MRO / LATAM Airlines Group

10:00 a.m.

Latest Technology Trends for MRO

Hear the latest on new technologies and IT systems in the MRO space, and how they will fit with your existing systems. What are the major cost and timeline considerations when planning the introduction of a new IT system and integrating legacy data?  What has and will work for Latin America?  How are their needs and uptake compared to the rest of the world? Learn how these enablers will improve productivity and accuracy, as well as applications to streamline and optimize processes.

10:30 a.m.

Outlook for PMA Parts and DER Repairs

With material and operating costs continuing to soar, the debate of PMA parts and DER repairs continues to bring alternative options that operators are contemplating.  However, do these methods of cost-savings conflict with concerns of OEMs? How can operators ensure that they have considered all the cost possibilities for maximum performance of their assets?  What are the PMA/DER implications in leased aircraft and engines?

§  Ahmad R. Zamany, VP Technical Operations, Copa Airlines

11:00 a.m.

Networking Break in the Showcase Exhibition Floor

11:20 a.m.

Leasing and MRO

With leased aircraft expected to make up over half the global fleet within the next several years, proper maintenance work and documentation that correctly follow both regulatory and lease contract guidelines will be a major concern.

§  What is the state of the leasing market in this region and is it following the global trend?

§  What are benchmarking strategies to managing leasing processes?

§  How can we streamline the process by cooperation among the lessee, lessor, and MRO?

§  How can you have significant costs savings at your lease return stage by proper planning you fleet maintenance strategy?

§  Jock Seals, AVP Technical Services, ILFC

11:50 a.m.

Closing Panel – Best Practices in Strategic Cost Management and Reduction

Because of the dynamic environment of the MRO world, continuous cost-saving measures are always critical, but it must be strategically decided by cutting in the right places.  Organizations must comprehensively analyze the risks and opportunities on replace vs. repair, determining uncontrollable costs, investing in new repair solutions, modifications/retrofits and more.  How is the airline financial situation affecting MROs in an ever increasing cost pressure environment?  Hear a panel of experts share their benchmarks on effective strategic cost analysis and innovative methods to reducing operational costs.  

§  Rob Higby, VP Airlines & Fleets, StandardAero

§  Júlio Talon, Celma General Manager, GE Aviation

12:30 p.m.

Luncheon

2:00 p.m.

2014 MRO Latin America Concludes  

2:00 p.m.

Facility Tour: TAP Maintenance & Engineering Brazil

Explore the largest hangar in Latin America - TAP Maintenance and Engineering Brazil in Rio de Janeiro (GIG)!   This state-of-the-art facility has the capacity for heavy maintenance and minor checks for regional, narrow-body and wide-body type aircraft, as well as a diverse, complex array of specialized back shops.

Tour Details – In order to participate in the tour and instructional session, all conference registrants must complete the online survey / sign-up form (included in the registration confirmation email). Tour sign-up forms will be accepted until January 10, 2014.  

5:00 p.m.

Tour Concludes / Return to Windsor Atlântica

*For those with evening flights, transportation to the airport from TAP Brazil will be provided.