GlobalParts.aero (Booth C3645) is expanding into the rotary-wing market with plans to boost its portfolio of parts offerings for mixed-fleet customers. Exhibiting for the first time at Heli-Expo this year, the Wichita, Kansas-based parts provider sees the move as a natural progression for its business, said GlobalParts.aero COO Malissa Nesmith. “We already have a customer base with mixed fleets, but we hadn’t previously crossed over and made a focus of it like we are this year.” She added that the company has had a “laser focus” in the early part of this year on getting the word out about its recent expansion.
GlobalParts.aero paved the way for the expansion last year, bringing on board George Canale and Bill Vickers, two industry veterans with expertise in helicopter components, as business development executives. “Many times when we’re calling on fixed-wing customers, we might walk into a hangar to talk about a Learjet and there might be two or three helicopters there,” Vickers said. “We’re already with that customer and at the airport. So the business is already there.” The next step is to determine the needs of customers with both fixed- and rotary-wing models, Vickers said. “We’re in the very early stages of setting up.”
In addition to having a built-in customer base, the company has already been positioned to provide parts through its existing distribution channels. “With the distribution lines that we have, we have a lot of crossover from the fixed-wing [market] into the helicopter market. To us, it’s an obvious transition,” he said.
The company distributes more than 90,000 unique part numbers and already has added 6,000 more in the rotary-wing space, Nesmith estimated. The company is initially targeting part numbers for models that its customer base may already be flying, such as Bell, Airbus Helicopters, and Sikorsky. It is working with select airframes that it can support, “rather than going after everything and then saying we’re in the helicopter market,” Vickers said.
It is offering rotary-wing parts from several of its existing partners, including Parker Aerospace, Gill Batteries, LoPresti Aviation, Shadin Avionics, Precise Flight, MidContinent Instruments, Electromec Technologies, and Ametek MRO. GlobalParts.aero executives expect this list will grow as it expands its parts offering and builds up the clientele.
In addition to expanding its parts business, the company is also extending its Part 145 capabilities and manufacturing business, the GlobalParts.aero executives agreed. GlobalParts.aero supports manufacturers and customers with customized manufacturing, including the production of “one-off” parts. This work has supported airframes from many of the major fixed-wing manufacturers, but also rotary-wing manufacturers. The repair business can expand its support offerings for a customer’s fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft.
“The customer base appreciates that we’ve been a one-stop shop for a long time now, and this expands our product offerings into the mixed-fleet operators,” added Nesmith.