In the latest issue of MRO Management Magazine, Kevin Rozario speaks to AJW's Chief Operating Officer. Barry Swift, about the changing relationship between OEMs and MROs, post the Covid-19 pandemic.
  

Rozario speaks about the change in how businesses approached their operations pre- and post-pandemic. OEMs and MROs exist because each sector has strengths and weaknesses, but through collaboration, they can support one another and the industry as a whole.  

At the core of the industry is the driving desire to satisfy the customer and the challenges faced by stakeholders recently, have businesses question their operational models in the hope of more strategic and efficient service delivery.  

Others interviewed speak about the challenges brought about by Covid and how these are still affecting the industry but now to a lesser extent. These circumstances have brought OEMs and MROs closer together and strengthened relationships. The two sectors have collaborated on finding solutions to jointly experienced problems to their mutual benefit.  

However, AJW’s Barry Swift says, “Evolving mitigation plans and frequent changes put pressure on OEM/MRO relationships.” He qualifies this by explaining that MROs often had to communicate the need to explore alternative component sources to end customers, and consequently, tensions emerged in end operator/MRO relationships, with operators seeking robust mitigation solutions. In some cases, MROs had to opt for alternative solutions due to challenges in OEM performance and this led to the industry recognising the importance of maintaining flexibility and cooperation. 

The article mentions how AJW’s partnership with Honeywell, earning the distinction of being its Global Channel Partner of the Year and becoming one of Woodward’s Licensed Asset Management Partners (LAMP) further reinforces the benefits of collaboration.

Swift speaks about the OEM-MRO relationship evolving and says operators have largely been well supported in the post-Covid-19 period, and “MROs have played a crucial role in ensuring continuity of service, particularly during the operators’ summer schedules.” This further reinforces the importance of these partnerships to maintain operational resilience.  

“MROs have demonstrated their adaptability and resourcefulness during this challenging period, effectively bridging gaps in material availability, which coupled with the flexibility shown by operators, has been instrumental in sustaining the industry.” 

AJW’s COO notes that there is a growing trend toward the integration of alternative component sources and suggests “These trends reflect an industry that has learned to adapt and prioritise resilience, ultimately benefiting all stakeholders.”