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MRO AMERICAS
co-located with

MRO AMERICAS 2010
April 20-22, 2010
Phoenix Convention Center
Phoenix, AZ

conference agenda

Last Updated: April 28, 2010

Monday, April 19, 2010
9:00 a.m. Registration opens
10:00 a.m. Golf Registration
1:00 p.m. Golf Shot-gun Tournament
The Arizona Biltmore Golf Club
2400 East Missouri Road
Phoenix, AZ
Separate registration required.
5:00 p.m. Registraton closes
DAY ONE – Tuesday, April 20, 2010
9:00 a.m. Registration Opens
1:00 p.m. Exhibition hall opens
1:00 p.m. Conference Opening Remarks
  • Ed Hazelwood, Editor-in-Chief Conferences, AVIATION WEEK
1:10 p.m. Opening Address
  • Mark Swearingin, VP Technical Operations, Atlas Air, and Chairman EMMC
1:30 p.m. Keynote Address
  • Scott Kirby, President, US Airways
2:00 p.m. AVIATION WEEK's MRO Awards
The AVIATION WEEK MRO of the Year Awards honor the best MRO and aftermarket entities from around the world for pioneering achievements and value-adding accomplishments of the past 12 months. The awards are presented by Overhaul & Maintenance and recognize winners annually in four categories:
  1. Outstanding airline maintenance group
  2. Military center of excellence
  3. Leading independent MRO organization
  4. Innovative supplier/OEM services provider
2:30 p.m. Annual Industry Analysis and Forecast
This session will once again bring together leading aviation experts to analyze the status and trends of the MRO and aviation industries, including challenges and opportunities for the future.
  • Chris Doan, President and CEO, TeamSAI
  • John Heimlich, Chief Economist, Air Transport Association
  • Kevin Michaels, Principal, AeroStrategy
3:45 p.m. Conference concludes for the day
5:00 p.m. Registration/ Exhibition Hall closes for the day
7:30 p.m. Evening Reception at the Wrigley Mansion
sponsored by Superjet International

DAY TWO – Wednesday, April 21, 2010
7:30 a.m. Registration Opens
8:15 a.m. Welcome Remarks
  • Ed Hazelwood, Editor-In-Chief Conferences, AVIATION WEEK
8:30 a.m. Globalization Summit: An MRO World without Borders
The ability to partner and do business with airlines, OEMs and other MROs anywhere on the planet is increasingly becoming essential to a successful MRO operation. Likewise, issues that once were a concern only to MRO businesses in Detroit are now impacting those in Delhi and Dubai. From the use of foreign repair stations to climate change legislation and cap and trade issues, to the totally global aftermarket, no MRO, OEM or airline can escape or deny the globalization of the MRO industry and the ties that bind and affect all those in the commercial aviation industry-–no matter where they are located. This session will look at the both the subtle and more obvious impact that an MRO world without borders is having on the industry, and what businesses, OEMs and airlines need to do to stay competitive, informed and in compliance in the global MRO marketplace. What are the keys to success, and what are the pitfalls?
  • Moderator: Guenther Matschnigg, SVP Safety, Operations & Infrastructure, IATA
  • Tom Anderson, SVP, Customer Services, Airbus Americas
  • Alan Butterfield, VP of Maintenance and Engineering, Air Canada
  • Tony Charaf, President, DeltaTechOps
9:30 a.m. Customers Speak Out
Back by popular request, this session demands the question: what does the customer want? Nothing less than definitive answers will be candidly discussed by a panel of key airline experts--the primary buyers of OEM equipment and MRO services and products. Find out what their expectations of their partners and service providers are today, as well as in the near and long term. What relationships, products and services are essential, and which are less important, and why? This is a must-go general session for everyone attending MRO 2010.
  • Moderator: Lee Ann Tegtmeier, Editor-in-Chief, Overhaul & Maintenance
  • David Shotsberger, Continental Airlines
  • Jim Sokol, VP Maintenance & Engineering, Southwest Airlines
  • Kirk Thornburg, VP Maintenance & Engineering, AirTran Airlines
10:15 a.m. Keynote Address
  • John Tague, President, United Airlines
10:30 a.m. Exhibition Hall opens
11:00 a.m. Track Sessions:
MRO Trends
sponsored by
Cribmaster/Winware
Foreign Repair Station Contract Maintenance Issues
How will the fallout from the proposed FAA oversight of foreign repair stations – random drug and alcohol testing and two unannounced FAA inspections yearly—affect your MRO operations? What will be the impact of expected retaliation from Europe and other countries—onerous protectionist legislation, fewer aviation-related jobs in the U.S. and less demand for U.S. aviation products worldwide, among others? And what about the foreign repair stations themselves – how do they deal with repeated government and airline safety audits, and what is the impact on their business and efficiency?
  • Moderator: Tom Cooper, VP & Principal, TeamSAI
  • Basil Barimo, VP Global Engineering & Quality, Repair Group, Nordam
  • Carol Giles, Manager, Aircraft Maintenance Division, FAA
  • Ernesto Ruiz, CEO, Aeroman
Purchasing/ Supply Chain
sponsored by
AirLiance materials
Supply Chain Issues for a New MRO Paradigm
How has the economy affected inventory holdings? To what extent is inventory destocking influencing MRO demand? Are supply chain delays more frequent, and is there a way to avoid them? How much total inventory is in the MRO supply chain and how has it changed in recent years?
  • Moderator: Kevin Michaels, Principal, AeroStrategy
  • Wayne Mihailov, VP Sales, SR Technics
  • Paul Lochab, Managing Director, Supply Chain, United Services
  • Jay Perez, Staff Vice President, Material Services, ExpressJet
Engine Advances
sponsored by
Texas Aero Engine Services
Staying Ahead of the Compliance Challenge
Staying compliant to regulatory and manufacturer updates requires fine-tuned collaboration between many departments, such as finance, operations, quality and supply chain. Hear how JetBlue is holistically keeping up with most recent maintenance requirements, such as service bulletins, Instructions for Continued Airworthiness (ICA), Airworthiness Directives (AD), manufacturer service recommendations and much more.
  • Mike Andrews, Director, Quality, JetBlue Airways
  • Frank Buratti, Director of Maintenance, JetBlue Airways
  • Larry Montreuil, Director of Supply Chain & Fuel, JetBlue Airways
Aircraft Data Management
sponsored by
InfoTrust
Data Standards
With new data systems continually being created and added into legacy operations, data standardization is a vital framework on how data will be formatted and prioritized for aircraft reliability and operational problems. Topics include: configuration management, data conversion, ongoing integration, and standardization across multiple systems.
  • Moderator: Ken Jones, Director Electronic Data Standards, Air Transport Association
  • Francisco Azevedo, GM Engine Maintenance, Engineering and Quality, TAP Maintenance and Engineering
  • Rick Karsten, Team Lead, Inventory Management, American Airlines and Chair, Supply Chain Management Interest Group, ATA e-Business Program
  • Peter White, Manager Air Operations Technology, FedEx Express
ATA Track
presented by the ATA

Alternative Fuels
Members of the Air Transport Association are dedicated to the development and deployment of safe, environmentally friendly, reliable and economically feasible alternatives to conventional petroleum-based jet fuel. Clearly, the effort presents ponderous technical and financing challenges. To foster the deployment of alternatives, the ATA founded, and is the principal member of the Commercial Aviation Alternative Fuels Initiative (CAAFI), a consortium of government agencies, airlines, manufacturers, airports and current and prospective suppliers. This session will provide an overview of the coordination of research and development on alternatives and work on technical specifications, environmental factors, production and distribution.
  • Moderator: John Heimlich, Chief Economist, ATA
  • Michael Baer, Managing Director, Fuel Administration, US Airways
  • Dr. Jennifer Holmgren, VP and GM, Renewable Energy and Chemicals, UOP
12:00 p.m. Track Sessions
MRO Trends
sponsored by
Cribmaster/Winware
Aging Fleets = Obsolescence Issues
Capacity cuts, cost controls, and an insistence on getting a return for their investment—among other reasons--are causing many airlines to hold on to their aging aircraft longer than they might normally. However, this is creating concerns with obsolescence in terms of maintenance. How long will parts be available and usable? Will tomorrow’s mechanics be sufficiently trained to work on older aircraft, engines, and electronic systems?
  • Moderator: Sunny Mirchandani, VP, Engineering and Tech Ops, Triumph Airborne Structures
  • Peter Laszcz, Managing Director, Component, Repair & Overhaul, American Airlines
  • John Linn, VP Customer Support & Services North America, Embraer
  • Donald Wetekam, Group VP for MRO, AAR Corp.
Purchasing/ Supply Chain
sponsored by
AirLiance materials
PMA Primer
PMA parts continue to hold down costs but are discouraged by OEMs. Find out the latest on FAA oversight and other regulatory issues affecting PMA parts. Understand how to participate in this market and how to encourage production of specific parts. Learn the steps taken by PMA part manufacturers to qualify a part for PMA.
  • Moderator: Robin Wohnsigl, President, RW Aviation Advisors
  • John Hunter, COO, HEICO
  • James Keenan, SVP, United Services
  • John Milewski, PMA Program Manager, FAA
Engine Advances
sponsored by
Texas Aero Engine Services
Risk Analysis/Management for Engines
As the MRO industry moves into a global environment, it is critical more than ever to comprehensively analyze where the risks and opportunities are. This session will explore cost and operational risks on short term vs. long term maintenance contracts, cost efficiency analysis on whether to buy or repair, engine overhaul and much more. Participants will consider both quantitative and qualitative risk, and explicitly recognize the dynamic environment of the MRO world.
  • Moderator: Jim Holmes, Sr. Manager, Customer Business, TAESL
  • Leo Koppers, SVP, MTU Maintenance
  • Arthur Elliott, GM, Norway Engine Center AS, Pratt & Whitney
  • Taco Vingerhoed, Director Repairs, Engine Services KLM E&M
Aircraft Data Management
sponsored by
InfoTrust
Autonomous Prognostic Health Management
Monitoring the continued health of an aircraft and identifying problems before affecting worthiness has been a long-term goal of the aviation industry. This session will discuss an aircraft diagnosis and prognosis system that will offer real-time diagnosis and prognosis to ensure maximum time “in the sky” and minimal downtime. Collaboration between operators and manufacturers on sharing data strategies to create better predictive measures on maintenance programs will also be explored.
  • Dave Kinney, AHM Product Manager, Boeing
  • Frank Thaxter, AHM (Airplane Health Management) Coordinator for Line Maintenance, United Airlines
ATA Track
presented by the ATA

Carrier and MRO Engineering Authorities
The persisting trend toward reducing the technical decision-making and operating authority of airlines and MROs in favor of data and documents of airplane and engine manufacturers is no secret. Shrinking instructions for continued airworthiness (ICAs) and empty repair data reports hamstring maintenance, repair and supply options, and impair the value of reliability programs. Meanwhile, repair and rebuild facilities associated with manufacturers operate well outside of guidelines applicable to others. Standard guidance on the engineering authority of operators to classify repairs has defied years of attempts at resolution. The validity of the concept of Parts Manufacturing Authority (PMA), vital to commercial aviation, has been challenged in service instructions. This panel will highlight ways to avoid a precipice where innovation and flexibility are foregone, and airworthiness is not necessarily the top priority.
  • Moderator: Ed Walton, Manager, Aircraft Engineering, UPS Airlines
  • Craig Amadeo, GM Engineering Standards, Chief Engineer, Delta Air Lines
  • Sarah MacLeod, Executive Director, Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA)
  • Burkhard Pfefferle-Tolkiehn, Director of Aircraft Component Services, Lufthansa Technik
1:00 p.m. Lunch in Exhibit Hall
4:00 p.m. Cocktail Reception on exhibition floor
5:30 p.m. Registration/Exhibition Hall closes
DAY THREE – Thursday, April 22, 2010
8:00 a.m. Registration opens
9:00 a.m. Open/Welcome
  • Ed Hazelwood, Editor-in-Chief Conferences, AVIATION WEEK
9:15 a.m. Workforce and Training Super Session
Where are the next generation of mechanics and technicians—are they out there? How can the MRO industry entice them to our business, and how do we train them? How do we keep them in the MRO field? Some analysts predict a skilled labor shortage in the MRO industry in the not-too-distant future, especially for those trained on legacy systems. Is the industry doing enough to attract and train young people to the profession? Find out what some MROs are doing to reach out and train new mechanics and technicians, and what the expectations of these young people are.
  • Moderator: Mike Mecham, Northern California Bureau Chief, Aviation Week & Space Technology
  • Paul Creider, Managing Director, Tulsa Base Maintenance, American Airlines
  • Joel Dougherty, Dir. of Human Resources, Global Repair Group, NORDAM
9:30 a.m. Exhibition hall opens
10:00 a.m. Track Sessions:
MRO Trends
sponsored by
Cribmaster/Winware
Want to Grow? You Need Access to Capital
If you are an MRO business that wants to expand—which often results in higher margins—this session will provide information on how to gain access to and obtain the capital you need to grow and succeed. What capabilities must MRO suppliers demonstrate in order to attract capital? Which critical success factors do investors focus on prior to committing capital? This session will cover recent M&A and privatization in the MRO industry. Hear about first-hand experience and lessons learned from both an MRO supplier and the investment community perspective.
  • Ray Sisson, Chief Commercial Officer, SR Technics
  • Jonathan Berger, VP-Technical Services, SH&E
Purchasing/ Supply Chain
sponsored by
AirLiance materials
Inventory Ownership and Management for Challenging Times
To what extent are airlines shifting inventory ownership to their suppliers? How much inventory should airlines own and manage internally, and how does that affect their financial bottom line, especially in this economy? What are MRO inventory benchmarks for airlines, MROs, OEMs and distributors? Industry experts will also discuss key inventory issues such as pooling, leasing, and other integrated solutions.
  • Moderator: Mike McBride, EVP & Principal, TeamSAI
  • Joe Brummitt, Director, Material Management, The Boeing Company
  • Bob Currey, Managing Director, Technical Operations Supply Chain, Delta TechOps
  • Karen Berg, VP Sales, AFI KLM E&M
  • Curt Lambertsen, Director of Materials, Texas Aero Engines Ltd.
Engine Advances
sponsored by
Texas Aero Engine Services
Engine Emissions
With the global movement towards greener skies, aircraft engine emissions are being closely monitored, especially in the international airspace. What will that mean for engine operations? It is essential for engine MRO programs to be updated on new requirements, upgrades, compliance and cost efficiency of all possible modifications.
  • Moderator: Elyse Moody, Associate Editor, Overhaul & Maintenance
  • Alan Epstein, VP Technology & Environment, Pratt & Whitney
  • Bill Millhaem, GM Material & CFM Engine Services, GE
  • James Place, VP Services Development, Rolls-Royce Future Programmes
Aircraft Data Management
sponsored by
InfoTrust
Advanced Technology Enablers for Data Management
Technology can be significantly leveraged to assist in managing and collecting pertinent aircraft data pre-, in- and post-flight for better preparation and planning of the incoming fleet with real time data. This will enable ground crews for immediate maintenance. This leads to less downtime for planes, more flying time and ultimately higher revenues for airlines. Hear how KLM maintenance came together with their flight operations department to leverage technology enablers, such as electronic flight bags, for real-time data collection and maintenance preparation.
  • Donald van Tongeren, Project Manager e-Enabled KLM E&M
ATA Track
presented by the ATA

New Shared Responsibility for Airworthiness
Complex changes swirl through this industry: increased recordkeeping expectations, overlapping auditing procedures, power-by-the-hour agreements, and mergers and acquisitions all complicate the lives of carriers and MROs. Worse, they can reduce visibility to issues outside their point in the chain, lead to arduous discussions with business partners, and some cases work against larger safety and efficiency goals. As the "pivot points" in the MRO process, what steps can/should operators take to streamline and improve their processes and expectations? Panelist will define and explore these matters, and seek your input on where the biggest improvements can be made.
  • Moderator: Mark Blair, VP Base & Propulsion Maintenance, FedEx
  • Kok Khiang Tay, President, ST Aerospace
  • Rick Stine, SVP, Heico Aerospace
11:00 a.m. Track Sessions:
MRO Trends
sponsored by
Cribmaster/Winware
Fatigue and other Human Factors in Aircraft Maintenance
Fatigue issues in the maintenance field must be addressed for safety risks to be reduced. It has to be a synchronized venture between airlines, unions and regulating agencies. Come hear the latest on fatigue data as well as the operational impact, regulatory data studies and updates.
  • Moderator: Elyse Moody, Associate Editor, Overhaul & Maintenance
  • Dr. Katrina Bedell Avers, Research Scientist, FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute (CAMI)
  • John Hall, Director of IAM Flight Safety, US Airways
  • Frank M. Jauregui, VP Americas, International Federation of Airworthiness
Purchasing/ Supply Chain
sponsored by
AirLiance materials
Ensuring Operational Excellence across the Supply Chain
This session will feature successful methodologies on leveraging Continuous Process Improvement (CPI), such as Lean or Six Sigma, to have response development and control throughout the supply chain.
  • Meghan O’Laughlin, CF34 Operations Director, StandardAero
Engine Advances
sponsored by
Texas Aero Engine Services
Innovation in Engine Repair Technologies
This panel will delve into the newest ways that technology is impacting engine repair and maintenance. Included will be the role of laser technologies and new component repair capabilities.
  • Moderator: Ed Hazelwood, Editor-in-Chief Conferences, AVIATION WEEK
  • Kerry Boucher, VP Engineering, StandardAero
  • Tim Rasch, Principal Engineer, Repair Technologies Center of Excellence, GE Aviation
  • Adri van Ierland, VP, MTU Maintenance
Aircraft Data Management
sponsored by
InfoTrust
Data Analytics
The challenge is not in getting data, but in knowing what to do with it. To make maintenance operations more efficient and faster, data needs to be filtered, analyzed and delivered properly, saving unnecessary down time or labor.
  • Moderator: Terry McNicholas, EVP, InfoTrust
  • James Griffie, Manager – Technical Procedures, Delta Air Lines
  • Bryan Riffe, Director, Reliability and Training, US Airways
  • Larry Strykowski, Managing Director, Technology, Continental Airlines
ATA Track
presented by the ATA

Airworthiness Directive Improvements
Compliance with airworthiness directives has been one of the most publicized issues in aviation maintenance over the last two years. The FAA commissioned a team of aviation subject matter experts to develop recommendations for industry and their reports were released in September 2009. An ARC committee has been formed to implement the recommendations of the team and the results have the potential to have a significant effect on airlines and MROs in the future. This panel will address the three key operatives identified in the report – airplane manufacturers, the FAA, and airlines and their MRO partners. The panel will discuss the report recommendations and action plans in place and developing to implement them.
  • Moderator: Dec Lee, Managing Director of Engineering, Delta Air Lines
  • Carol Giles, Manager, FAA Aircraft Maintenance Division
  • Terry McVenes, Director, Operational Regulatory Affairs, Boeing Commercial Airplanes
12:00 p.m. FAA Closing Keynote
This is your chance to hear from and interact with a key FAA regulatory official concerning current and upcoming regulatory issues that impact your business. Regulatory compliance, new regulations being considered, and more will be discussed at this annual session that has become an important MRO tradition.
  • Facilitator: Mark Swearingin, VP Technical Operations, Atlas Air, and Chairman EMMC
  • Keynote: James Ballough, Senior Advisor to Associate Administrator for Aviation Safety, FAA
1:00 p.m. Lunch in the Exhibition Hall
3:00 p.m. Registration/Exhibition Hall closes

 

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