JCF: Obviously. So on the same subject, it seems, and I could be wrong, there is a particular focus on the ACJ, specifically the A2A220 program. is that just my perception or is that program roster part of a strategic priority at the moment and why?

 

DD: It is 100% perception. We are not, in any way shape or form, strategically aligned to be Airbus centric. In fact, up until about 2020 we were doing one-for- one, Boeing, Airbus, Boeing, Airbus. it was only until 2020 that the market forces had simply produced more Airbus ACJs to bid on. This we don't control - but if they’re out there of course, we'd go after them.

 

Also on the Boeing side, it’s worth noting that we did the very first Max 8. We got the first STC on the Max 8. We're the only company in North America that has Max 8 experience. We know the nuances. We're very much a Boeing company in that respect because we're the only one on this side of the Atlantic that has a unique understanding of their most modern aircraft. Also, the vast majority of the of the narrow-body aircraft that operate in America are Boeing, so we will always be here to service those customers. The ACJ220 is obviously a big feather in our cap but we don't consider the TwoTwenty as competition against the BBJ. Another interesting point is there's this perception of a huge a gap, or a jump, between your Bombardier or Gulfstream to a BBJ or an A-319. But the reality is, we can essentially, within $10 million, put you in a completed ACJ220 for what you can buy the green BBJ. So we see it as two different market segments and independent of our being an Airbus service center. The aircraft is manufactured both in Canada and United States, so that just makes sense for us to partner in that regard.

 

JCF: Yes, I get it. I have long wondered why more customers don’t make that leap considering the narrow dollar gap. I would assume part of it is restricted access to smaller airports.

 

DD: Yes, but of course that is our primary line of business, what we call the unique VIP. Our three lines of business are: 1) unique VIP and we can never give that up because it allows us our ongoing innovation to continue. 2) our MRO division – heavy maintenance and upgrades, and 3) our refurbishing group. But within that, we make no differentiation between Boeing and Airbus.

 

JCF: Very good and thank you. Consider my perception adjusted :). And it will also clear up any similar misconceptions among our readers. That’s sometimes the value in these articles – to clear up misconceptions and get the back story. Ok, so moving on to cabin design, I wanted to ask you if you maintain a fully staffed internal design department. I didn’t immediately see that on your site but I have seen articles and posts suggesting there is. Maybe you can clear this one up as well?

 

DD: Well maybe I need to update my website then and or I can send you a link  - because yes, we have a very talented interior design team here with two people I really respect. I’m sure you’re familiar with Lauri Church, the Chief Interior Designer for Comlux. Then, there is Ashley Moulton who has been in the industry for many years. Both of these people have really high-level experience and what we've done is to leverage their designs and ideas on perhaps half of the interiors we've completed. But you can't possibly be successful without supporting third party designers as well of course. Obviously, we do that all the time and in that context, we provide the interface between that third party designer and our engineering staff. We have four full-time interior design staff members - who support our 60 engineers - so that's one for 15 which is pretty good. And with that kind of support, it ensures that… 1) they can facilitate an interpretation quickly that the engineers understand, and 2) be that important liaison with the third-party designer.

 

JCF: When you say 60 engineers, are you talking about 60 staff engineers – all within your facility? And may I assume that design and engineering have a close relationship?

 

DD: Yes, all in house. That doesn’t include any outsource specialists we might use from time to time – but it doesn’t make sense to keep a lightning strike specialist on my annual payroll, right? So, we bring those assets in only when required.

 

As for Design and Engineering’s closeness, they're all located in one large working area together, which make for a very cohesive, well integrated group. Then, we have our Head of Engineering in one office and the Chief Interior Designer in another.

 

JCF: Alright thank you. Again, glad to learn about something I wasn’t clear on. Alright, so having been a designer myself for some years, I know what a huge role engineering and certification play in these completions, especially the more complex ones. Can you maybe put a finer point on your engineering capabilities and how they work with design (and/or an outside designer) throughout the evolution of the design?

 

DD: Right now, we have the design and the engineering expertise for all disciplines. We have a complete Interiors Engineering team for all cabin furnishings, a Structures team, Mechanical Systems to do all your thermal fluids, Electrical to do all your certification, etc. It's organized with a Head of Engineering and then we apply a project dedicated engineer to every project. Then there are Lead Engineers and Principal Engineers. Our Lead Engineers are driving the project. Principal Engineers are determining a growth path through Engineering to ensure that they're checking across all projects to make sure we're staying consistent. Lead Engineers are driving individual disciplines - and then the Project Engineer orchestrates it all on any given project.

 

So again, it’s an organized methodology that encompasses a matrix type departmental system to make sure we stay consistent and on track for all disciplines. As far as when they get involved, literally day one. The Project Engineer is involved in the kickoff meeting – and even when we're even doing the bid proposal. They're usually present for what we call the initial technical coordination meeting (or ITCM). This is when we're reading the spec and the Project Engineer would be their preliminary design review audiences. Here, we're really sitting down with the initial set of elevations, solid models, the finer details etc. Working with the client in that case if it's held in our facility. We have a conference room in which we expect every lead to be in the room from Engineering to Design to Project Management. They remain there for their entire part of the PDR (Preliminary Design Review), the CDR (Critical Design Review), as well as the FDR (Final Design Review) whatever stage it's in, they are present. They don't just walk in and leave when they present their portion. We want them in there for the entire meeting because it's just too holistic of a process – we believe in teamwork through and through. Everything ties together or overlaps so you want everyone there to make sure nothing is missed.