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Singapore: Best view in the MTU network
The newly opened MTU Maintenance Lease Services office in Singapore provides lessors and airlines in the Asia-Pacific region with intelligent solutions.
02.2020 | author: Victoria Nicholls | 3 mins reading time
author:
Victoria Nicholls
is a specialist for aftermarket topics such as engine MRO, leasing and asset management, as well as international market trends. The British-born editor lives in Berlin and works for MTU’s corporate communications in Hannover and Ludwigsfelde.
The best piece of advice Luc Morvan, Chief Representative of the newly opened MTU Maintenance Lease Services office in Singapore, ever received was “always ask why not? And then find a way.” He takes the same attitude to his move from the MTU Maintenance Lease Services home base in Amsterdam, Netherlands, to the aviation leasing hub in Singapore.
Morvan is French but has been living in the Netherlands for the past 15 years. “In the early years, I learned so much, everything was new, things were challenging and integrating into a new culture was exciting. But then that became routine,” so when the opportunity for a new job in Singapore came up, he jumped at the chance. “My wife and I wanted to get away from the daily grind and challenge ourselves once more. Our two boys are still young, so the timing was good.”
Left: Luc Morvan has taken on the role of Chief Representative of MTU Maintenance’s activities in Singapore. Right: The new office is located in the Central Business District.
Airfoil Services Sdn. Bhd.
Alongside the MTU Maintenance Zhuhai overhaul facility in China and the MTU Maintenance Lease Services office in Singapore, MTU also has a joint venture with Lufthansa Technik in Malaysia: Airfoil Services Sdn. Bhd. (ASSB) has seen great success since the company was founded in 1991. It boasts over 80 customers worldwide and provides a comprehensive range of airfoil repair services for high-pressure compressor (HPC) and low-pressure turbine (LPT) airfoils—for widebody and narrowbody engines such as the CF6-80C, GP7000 and the CFM56 and V2500 engine families. The facility space is currently being expanded by 5,200 square meters and will increase repair capacity from 650,000 to 900,000 parts per year by 2020. As part of the expansion, the company is planning to add another 200 jobs over the next three years, increasing the workforce to around 700 employees.
New member of the MTU family in Asia
Located in the Central Business District of the city, the new office is part of MTU Maintenance’s “global yet local” growth strategy of being close to the customer. “This proximity will enable us to efficiently and directly serve the community with excellent, lessor-oriented MRO solutions. I’m excited to have the opportunity to grow something from scratch,” Morvan says.
The new MTU Maintenance Lease Services office in Singapore is the newest addition to the MTU family in Asia. MTU Maintenance Zhuhai has been supporting V2500 and CFM56 engines for over 15 years and has recently added the LEAP engine to its portfolio. Now, the facility is undergoing its second expansion and will have capacity for 450 engines by 2021. In Malaysia, MTU operates a joint venture with Lufthansa Technik: Airfoil Services Sdn. Bhd., which specializes in airfoil repairs, is also undergoing an expansion that will take its capacity to 900,000 repairs a year in 2020.
By 2029, the share of the world’s fleet operating in the Asia-Pacific region will have grown from 23 percent today to around 40 percent. A large proportion of these aircraft are on lease. Furthermore, Asian operators are expected to retire over 2,000 aircraft in the next ten years. “We are ideally placed to support the large maturing and migrating fleets in the region. Our intelligent and creative transition and exit strategies mitigate risk for lessors and operators up to and during phase-out,” explains Morvan. “What’s more, the move also enables us to ensure 24/7 technical engine asset management services for all our customers.” He will be responsible for building up business in the Asia-Pacific region.
For Morvan, the best part of the move so far has been discovering that MTU has made a good name for itself in Singapore. “Integration into the aviation community has been fast and there’s been a lot of interest in what we’re doing,” he says. That and Frasers Tower, where the office is located. “I have one of the most beautiful offices in the MTU Group,” he says.
And what was the worst part of the move? “I haven’t come across that yet, but it will probably be the day I leave,” Morvan says.
