What do engine operators want from an overhaul provider? A team from Marketing, Sales, Mature Fleet and Customer Technical Programs joined forces to hear straight from African operators at a GE Aviation-hosted Engine Services Customer Symposium held in Casablanca, Morocco.

The symposium was the best one that I've seen," says Elyes Charfa, powerplant manager for Nouvelair, a Tunisian airline with 11 Airbus A320s in its fleet. "Lots of experience and knowledge have been exposed to us (as operators). We met other customers with their engine problems, and the GE team provided all the solutions. We learned many things: maintenance contracts, on-wing support, shop visit planning, workscope, etc. It was a great experience; we look forward for more opportunities."

The two-day symposium was a two-way street of learning, adds Todd Caccamo, GE's TrueChoice™ Overhaul marketing director. "By continuing to talk face-to-face with our customers, we get a better understanding of how they operate their business and what makes them unique. This information enables us to more effectively customize our TrueChoice Overhaul services to meet their specific needs."

"The symposium attracted nearly a dozen airlines," says Isam Moursy, GE's regional sales general manager for Africa. "One of the objectives was to showcase GE's highly customizable engine overhaul and diagnostic services to our African customers."

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During the symposium, the GE team shared information about Time & Material (T&M) overhauls, shop visit and workscope planning, material services and analytics/digital services. Then the operators attended workshops and personalized consultation sessions where they could dive deeper into what GE offerings could benefit their business.

"Working with TrueChoice Overhaul customers requires you have a strong understanding of the customer's engine usage requirements," explains Caccamo. "The shop visit plans are based on the operator's future plans and lifecycle horizon of the engines. Therefore, listening to customers in order to customize a flexible approach unique to their individual needs, be it one engine or a fleet, and shop performance with strong guarantees are key drivers to success."

The GE team is in the process of identifying additional opportunities to interface with customers at this level with a similar symposium planned in the Eastern European region later this year.

For more information, contact Todd Caccamo, or visit the TrueChoice Overhaul page.

Article first appeared on GE Aviation blog - by The Bike Shop