40 Years

You’re around the same age as MTU Maintenance, which turns 40 this year, what did you want to be when you grew up?

When I was young I wanted to travel the world, meet new people, experience new cultures and work in an international field. The aviation industry is perfect in that regard! I have also been driven to be good at what I do and appreciated by my colleagues and peers – you’d have to ask them whether that came true though!
Fabrizio Laurenti, 41, MTU Maintenance Lease Services, Amsterdam
 

You’ve been here almost from the beginning. Do you have a favorite anecdote from that time?

My absolute favorite anecdote is that in the beginning we had no office furniture, so there were five of us sitting in a small room with two desks and a typewriter table. Whenever our colleague starting typing on the machine, the whole table began to wobble – not a particularly stable model! To make copies, you had to put on your rubber boots, because there weren’t a lot of paved paths and the copier was in the construction trailer at the entrance to the site. We didn’t have our own copier back then.
Petra Ohde, at MTU Maintenance Hannover since July 1, 1981, works in export control
 

What will the leasing industry and MLS be like when you turn 40?

The leasing industry will be even more important than it is now. Global aviation demand is strong, and the majority is expected to come from Asia – it will be essential for operators to have cash in hand to cope with the expected surge in demand and tighter margins. Provided we are true to our core beliefs of consistent high quality and innovation of products, MLS will be a leader in the engine leasing market by the time I hit 40 and still challenging the status quo.
Joshua Sebastiampillai, 27, MTU Maintenance Lease Services, Amsterdam
 

You and MTU Maintenance are both turning 40 this year. What makes it a special year from your point of view?

My 40th was very special to me because it marked the start of a new phase of my life: this year I became a father. My family has grown, which makes me happy, grateful and proud. MTU Maintenance is also growing and here, too, I am a “father”, figuratively speaking. This year we opened our new logistics center, which I planned; I was also responsible for its construction. It’s great that our company is doing well. We’re growing and I’m contributing to that. Many of my MTU colleagues helped me celebrate my 40th birthday – they’re part of my extended family.
Andreas Meinert, 40, Head of Logistics and Planning, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg
 

You are 40, the same age as the company. How do you view where we are now?

It is great to see that young people are moving away from stereotypes that certain professions are for men or women. I work in the HR department, and I am delighted to see our workforce changing as we speak, with ever more qualified female candidates applying for technical jobs. At MTU Maintenance Canada, we have a very diverse team of 63 nations under one roof – I’d love to see this expand further!
Danguole Chandler, 40, Human Resources Generalist, MTU Maintenance Canada
 

You were already with MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg when you were 40. What has changed over the past 10 years?

Ten years ago I was the product line manager for the CF34 program in Ludwigsfelde. I oversaw the reintroduction of the repair process for the CF34‑10E. We were the first licensed supplier on the worldwide market! Today, ten years later, as MTU Maintenance turns 40, I am Managing Director and Senior Vice President of MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg and we are still the largest provider of repair and maintenance services for the CF34‑10E. By the end of 2019 we will have more than 900 employees, compared with around 600 in 2009. Our joint efforts are paying off: we are increasing orders and sales across our entire portfolio.
André Sinanian, 50, Managing Director & Senior Vice President, MTU Maintenance Berlin-Brandenburg
 

You have been with MTU Maintenance since 1983. What was the biggest surprise for you in the past (almost) 40 years?

The biggest surprise for me after I joined MTU in 1983 was how much freedom and scope we had to shape our work. That was a truly novel and good approach. I came from an energy supply company with well-established structures, but here we were allowed to do things the way we thought best (there was also friendly assistance, though!). It was the same throughout the whole company; almost everyone seized these opportunities and so together we were able to lay the foundation for today’s MTU Maintenance. One thing that’s impossible to imagine these days is that we didn’t get our first PC in finance until 1988. This miracle machine was in great demand, so we had to draw up a schedule: everyone was allowed to use the PC for two hours a week … and it could do less than today’s smartphones.
Peter Schmalkuche, Head of Financial Accounting, MTU Maintenance Hannover