Focus on the customer becomes a multifaceted value proposition for both Daher-TBM and Pratt and Whitney Canada

By Anthony J. Liberatore

A common theme this year at AirVenture, of various manufacturers delivering their press briefings, is one of continuous improvement, customer satisfaction, greater operational time, less maintenance and or predictability, and the utilization of information technologies to enable all those goals.

It doesn’t seem to be the year of major engine redesigns, and the ensuing performance increase nor one of air-frame tweaks, it is not about the raw performance numbers but perhaps the numbers that come from the metrics of the satisfaction of the customers which would include the maintenance arm that cares for the higher end aircraft and their power-plants.

I came to this conclusion after attending both Daher TBM’s and Pratt and Whitney’s press conferences as I got an ethereal sense that something is going on here that is subtle, perceivable, and that echoes the common themes mentioned above, and that it is good thing.

In the case of Pratt and Whitney Canada, their focus on things such as their P&WC Oil Analysis Technology that is 100 times more sensitive than traditional analysis, and can detect possible problems hundreds of hours before it can happen which enables maintenance to schedule that potential outage as a planned event and increase fleet reliability of their PT-6 line of Engines.

Adding to that up-time is P&WC’s Fast, which captures and analyzes engine data and wirelessly transmits it so that it becomes a tool to optimize maintenance schedules and enhance up-time as well. So good is FAST that Daher leveraged the output for their Me and My TBM app.

This upgraded App was revealed in the press conference held at Daher’s booth located at Booth 387, near the intersection of Airport Drive and Verne Ave on the AirVenture grounds. This update has enhanced graphics for a greater user experience as this app allows fellow TBM flyers to engage in friendly competition so they can compare flight performance numbers such as in-flight fuel efficiency, and the pilots ability to optimize take off and landings.

For an even more enhanced customer experience, Daher’s Senior Vice President Nicolas Chabbert detailed the numerous improvements that have occurred (some recently), to both the TBM 910 and 930 aircraft. These include heated seats, extended propeller warranty, and a noise filter system for when the emergency O2 is employed, to just name 3 of many enhancements.

If you look at what P & WC and Daher are doing for their customers, in the customer satisfaction arena, and the synergies that occur via FAST, the winner is the not only the pilots of said products, but eventually the entire flying community as the benchmark they establish will raise the bar for their competitors and they will respond in this competitive environment and that is good.

FMI: www.pwc.ca, http://www.tbm.aero