Category: PRs

Reducing energy consumption in today’s highly competitive industrial environment is likely to be higher on most, if not all of today’s manufacturers’ agendas, especially due to current higher energy costs. With automation playing an increasingly important role in many applications maximising the efficiency of robots will be of significant interest across all manufacturing sectors.
Features such as regenerative braking can make a big difference to the efficiency of robots, recovering braking energy and feeding it back into the power grid without the need for additional hardware. Motion control and Robotics specialists YASKAWA has developed an important solution for the recovery of robot braking energy and offers this feature as standard on its larger Motoman robot’s with a payload upwards of 50kg.
Their latest YRC1000 robot controls are able to convert kinetic energy from the down and sideways movements directly into 400V AC at 50 Hz and feed in back into the grid. Depending on the movement pattern of the application, the robot’s energy requirements can be significantly reduced.
In applications such as handling, palletising, joining and processing, industrial robots make many down or sideway movements during which the servomotors dissipate energy thereby potentially generating electricity. Up until now, in older or other robot models on the market, the resulting energy has been converted to waste heat by control technology through electrical resistance and lost to the environment. In the Yaskawa solution the electric energy is fed back into the operator network – without the need for additional hardware so it can be re-used.
The extent of savings obviously depends on the specific application and the robots individual movement patterns, although realistically savings ranging from 8 to 25% can be anticipated which may result in annual feed-ins of about 2,800 kWh, equivalent to around 1600 kg CO2 and £1200.
This regenerative braking feature represents a unique technical solution with Yaskawa applying its experience as a leading global manufacturer of drive technology including servo drives and control packages which can be specifically tailored to industrial robots. In addition, the slim and compact design of Motoman robots with low moving masses and fast application of brakes during movement intervals enables the active position control to be switched off when not in use which increase the potential for greater efficiency.

Korry Electronics has selected Wencor as its exclusive distributor supporting the global commercial aftermarket. The multi-year agreement extends the successful partnership between Korry and Wencor within Europe, Middle East, and the Americas, and now expands to include the Asia region.

The global agreement includes Korry’s full range of human-machine interface (HMI) solutions for the commercial aftermarket including switches, annunciators, control panels, knobs, and data concentrators.

Wencor says the agreement offers strategic benefits for its customers such as a consistent customer experience. Korry and Wencor have successfully supported the commercial aftermarket with HMI solutions since 2019. By creating a global, exclusive channel partnership, all customers will benefit as they purchase Korry products from the #1 rated distributor in customer satisfaction. The agreement offers improved service offerings like Wencor’s technical expertise and value-added services will bring expanded rotable and retrofit solutions to operators globally.

And finally the partnership accelerates its Asia growth strategy. “The Korry partnership is a key feature of Wencor’s growing portfolio of OEM partnerships in Asia, enabled by investments in people, products, and process in the region,” a press release said.

“We are excited to expand our partnership with Korry Electronics, which extends Wencor’s industry-leading support to the global commercial aftermarket community. Korry’s highly engineered products and Wencor’s value-added service offerings will continue to raise the standard by which our shared customers are served. We pride ourselves on providing innovative solutions for customers that increase material availability, improve reliability, and decrease costs,” said Hunter Mitchem, Wencor president of distribution.

“Wencor has been a strong partner for Korry Electronics, performing well through the challenges of the pandemic recovery. We appreciate their deep industry knowledge and insight. They have demonstrated an ability to bring the right material, at the right time, at the right price, to our commercial aftermarket customers. Extending our agreement worldwide was a logical next step,” said Kevin Hanson, president of Korry Electronics.

Seven of Wencor’s Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) facilities have received ANSI-ASQ National Accreditation Board (ANAB) AS9110 certificates of registration. This represents a significant milestone in Wencor’s company-wide commitment to quality, the company says.

This certification places Absolute Aviation, Accessory Technologies, Aerospace Coatings International, Fortner Engineering, PHS Aviation, Silver Wings Aerospace, and Soundair Aviation Services in a select group of MRO facilities that have been independently certified to a quality management system going beyond FAA and EASA certification requirements.  Wencor’s most recent MRO acquisition, Aviatron, Inc. (U.S.), will soon start the AS9110 certification process to join the high standards of Wencor’s other MROs.

AS9110 is the international standard for aviation quality management, developed by aerospace professionals to meet the specific requirements of aerospace maintenance organizations. AS9110 incorporates ISO9001, the international standard for quality management, specifying additional aviation and defense maintenance repair and overhaul industry requirements. ISO9001/AS9110-certified businesses demonstrate an unparalleled dedication to quality and customer satisfaction above and beyond the normal practice of uncertified organizations.

“AS9110 certification is a critical component to the future of our MROs and demonstrates our commitment to our customers and to the industry to be uncompromising in our quality requirements. We are proud of our MROs for the completion of this process and honored to promote this significant milestone to others,” said Pat McCarty, president, Wencor PMA and MRO.

At the end of 2021 Aviation Search Group celebrated what had been the most successful year in the company’s 20+ years of operation. Fast forward to the end of Q3 2022 and Aviation Search Group has seen 75% growth over last year.

This may be the tightest hiring market the aviation industry has ever seen. However, Aviation Search Group has been able to continuously adapt to the changes in the industry and find success with its Intelligent Recruiting Process (IQR).

In a recently published article, Jay Gallagher, managing director, said he is “confident Aviation Search Group can undertake the matchmaking required to satisfy both clients and aviation professionals. “Aviation Search Group has been doing this for 20+ years,” he says. “We’ve got the experience and network to get results.”

Gary Miner, executive director with Aviation Search Group, added “In addition to our process, our real value is in our people. We have an excellent team here that really cares about delivering a quality product. This is evident in our results.”

Aviation Search Group offers a variety of services to include executive recruiting and volume hiring programs depending upon position type, number of candidates being hired, location, and more. Companies are provided with dedicated recruiters to manage and assist in the hiring needs, ensuring a consistent flow of qualified candidates through the company’s hiring process.

AAR CORP., a provider of aviation services to commercial and government operators, MROs, and OEMs, has been awarded a Captains of Industry contract with the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), establishing a long-term strategic relationship to provide total global supply chain support to the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD) and U.S. allies. 

DLA’s Captains of Industry contracts are holistic support contracts with built in performance metrics geared to improve readiness for weapon systems. Contracts are awarded to partners who are able to help DoD increase warfighter readiness. 

This 20-year term contract incorporates total supply chain support strategies, including but not limited to parts supply, performance-based logistics, engineering and technical solutions, depot and field maintenance activities, repair development, and forecasting and planning. 

This contract will enable new AAR/OEM partnerships with DLA, which will allow for more efficient and open information sharing, mutual identification of opportunities, and contractual execution of sustainment solutions. 

“This contract strengthens our relationship with the DLA by supporting their strategic mission to deliver improved readiness and transform logistics support,” said Christopher Gross, senior director, Program Management, OEM Solutions – Government. “This U.S. government-AAR partnership recognizes AAR’s unique ability to provide flexible, timely, and cost-effective support to the U.S. Armed Services and Foreign Military Sale (FMS) end-users,” said Timothy Driscoll, vice president, OEM Solutions – Government.

First Aviation Services Inc. announced the appointment of Steven Jordan to the position of vice president & general manager of Aerospace Turbine Rotables, Inc. Jordan brings a wealth of aerospace maintenance, repair and overhaul experience with a history of proven leadership and continuous improvement. Over his career Jordan has held positions of increasing responsibility at Triumph Accessory Services and Nordam. Jordan is a graduate of Northeastern State University with a bachelor’s degree in Industrial Technology.

Paul Bolton, First Aviation chief operating officer said “We are excited to welcome Steven onboard, his strong background in complex aerospace component MRO blends perfectly with AeTR’s broad product range and goals for continuous improvement. We view Steven as an excellent leader for an already outstanding team.”

Jordan said “I am excited to be joining the Aerospace Turbine Rotables team as vice president and general manager and being part of the First Aviation Services family. The recruitment process has proven First Aviation’s commitment to excellence at AeTR and its passion for continuous improvement.”

Freedom Aero Service Inc. announced they have received Part Manufacturing Approval (PMA) from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).

“Obtaining this approval is something we have been working on for some time now. We are happy to have achieved this milestone for the potential it brings to the table for both Freedom and our customers,” said Scott Durham, president.

Freedom says having Part Manufacturing Approval allows them to offer hard-to-find items, as well as create innovative solutions for items traditionally difficult to support. This, along with their unique in-house repair processes, enables Freedom to better meet the needs of customers.

AAR signed a long-term agreement with Unison Industries to expand its distribution of Unison’s aviation, aerospace, and civil land vehicle products. 

This agreement broadens AAR’s distribution of select Unison ignitor plugs, ignition leads, harnesses, and related spare parts to cover aftermarket customers worldwide. This builds on the existing partnership between AAR and Unison for aftermarket product distribution services, as well as for 24/7 Aircraft-on-Ground (AOG) call center support to deliver rapid-response services to customers for Unison products.  

“AAR has been a trusted partner for over 10 years,” said Brian DeGennaro, vice president, Global Sales and Marketing for Unison Industries. “This expanded agreement will enhance Unison’s customer experience through increased product availability and will enable AAR to help Unison Industries grow our aftermarket business globally.”

“Augmenting our relationship with Unison Industries will compress lead times and improve customer service for operators and MRO facilities globally,” said Eric Young, AAR’s vice president of OEM Solutions. “We are excited and honored to be selected for this partnership.”