Are you curious about what a day on the Walbar Peabody floor looks like? While we love that no day looks exactly the same because we work on such a wide range of components, we have also built tried-and-true processes that both we and our customers can rely on.
Operations Supervisor John Altri recently shared a behind-the-scenes of our day-to-day workflow, how we streamline the maintenance repair overhaul (MRO) process, and what sets Walbar Peabody’s team apart. Keep reading for a peek behind the curtain.
Early Morning Prep & Purchase Order Review
John and his dedicated team kickstart their day on the floor between 3 and 4 a.m. as soon as the parts arrive. They begin by reviewing the jobs ready for induction into our system and the incoming parts, then send out reminder emails to the purchase order (PO) review team (i.e., the customer service, engineering, and quality teams).
PO reviews are completed and cleared first thing in the morning so we can release the parts to the floor and maximize the time we have to work on them. This is essential for maintaining our turnaround time (TAT), one of the best—if not the best—in the MRO industry.
Releasing Parts to the Floor & Identifying Repairs
Once the PO review is cleared and parts are released to the floor, we follow processes specific to each product line. Some parts need more attention than others due to varying degrees of damage and wear.
So, how do we determine the condition of the parts? We clean and strip them, then conduct a fluorescent penetrant inspection (FPI), which shows us where the damage is on each component. During this inspection, we dip the part into a solution that glows in the dark. This solution glows where the voids and cracks are, indicating where repairs are necessary.
Our facility has six work centers, some of which are shared (such as the brazing cell). John is in charge of four (large engine, BOAS line, accessory cell, and brazing cell). He prioritizes the jobs depending on factors like the customer, volume of the specified product line, and furnace availability.
Disposition (a.k.a. Incoming Inspection)
Next, the quality team will inspect the parts to determine whether we can repair them or if they are beyond our work scope. If they are repairable, we begin work. Again, each component can follow a different path depending on the product line.
We don’t like returning hardware as unserviceable, so we do everything we can to repair it for the customer. Walbar Peabody promises to restore their parts under specific instructions and a quality standard overseen by our quality and engineering departments and then overseen by the FAA. And, of course, to get parts back to each customer when we say we will.
Now, you may be wondering what our review process consists of and how we deem parts unrepairable. Sometimes, the manufacturer’s repair manual will not allow us to perform a repair on the part because of the damage level. In other cases, we use our history of working on a particular product line—in other words, trial and error that has told us what works and what doesn’t.
Parts might also scrap out during the repair process or undergo mid-process failure. If this occurs, we’ll contact the customer, tell them whether we recommend trying again, and allow them to decide if they want to proceed with the repair. The customer service team strives to maintain very open, close relationships with each customer so they know the condition of their hardware and are comfortable with their decisions.
Final Inspection
After the repairs are complete, we review all documentation, sign off on everything, and then send the parts to shipping for packaging. From there, we return the parts to the customer.
But how do we ensure all processes are followed throughout this extensive workflow? We have a traveler, or a router, which is basically our work order. This contains all the pertinent information, including:
- Customer details
- Part number(s)
- Serial number(s)
As the parts move from operation to operation, every operator verifies that the paperwork on hand matches the parts in front of us. We use software called MRO Live to track every work order. This gives every team, from engineering to customer service, insight into the stage each part is at and its timeline. When a customer calls to ask about the status of their order and whether it’s still due to ship on time, we can tell them if it is or if there are delays.
What Makes Walbar Peabody One of the Best in MRO?
When asked what Walbar Peabody’s bread and butter is, John says the CF6 engine because it takes all of the plant’s resources to carry out MRO on this engine. Our TAT for the CF6 is one of the best in the world, typically between 21 to 49 days.
However, as for his favorite product line, John says he doesn’t have one. Instead, he is passionate about working on all of them and always striving for better. “Every morning that I walk through the door, my motivation and inspiration every single day is to be the best in the world,” John says. “To build a team that’s the best in the world—that takes an awful lot of work.”
John explains that for our team of just over 50, cross-training has contributed significantly to the success of our exceptional TAT and customer experience. Simply put, we have a lot of people doing a lot of jobs!
Additionally, he highlights the fact that we have curated a team of driven, ambitious people who excel at what they do and are hungry to solve problems. “In the MRO business, more than 50% of your job is solving problems on a daily basis,” John points out. He notes that because parts arrive in such varying conditions, it often takes thinking outside the box while still adhering to the repair requirements to repair them, as opposed to deeming parts unserviceable without making any attempt to restore them. Our goal is always to repair any/all components, even if additional effort is required.Are you looking for a repair partner who will do everything possible to preserve your jet engine components and keep your aircraft operating smoothly? Contact Walbar Peabody to learn how we can be that go-to for you.