Solving the short-run parts conundrum.

While business aircraft OEMs would love to be able to stock the vast array of replacement parts their aircraft will need throughout their service lives, that’s just not possible.

It stands to reason that when you see as many business aircraft come through your network of MRO facilities as Duncan Aviation does, sooner or later, you will face that very problem.

However, while that may create a seemingly insurmountable situation for many MROs, meeting that need is precisely why the company created its Duncan Manufacturing Solutions (DMS) division. 

Necessity is the mother of Duncan Aviation’s DMS.

Scott Stenka, the manager of Duncan Aviation’s DMS, explains that the company’s growth into becoming an FAA PMA parts supplier started when it was heavily involved in completing “green” aircraft for OEMs.

“Back then, aircraft OEMs didn’t ‘complete’ their aircraft interior and paint, so we had to design and manufacture a variety of parts for our avionics and interior installations,” he says. “That was the beginning of our relationships with many of the OEMs. They saw what we could do and started to come to us when they needed a specific solution.”

“So, when an OEM needs one, 15 or 150 parts, they come to us because it’s what we do every day,” he continues.

Stenka says the company received its FAA PMA authorization in 1983 to manufacture saleable parts to support Duncan Aviation’s aircraft completions and STC programs.

Of course, while Duncan Aviation had all these in-house engineering, testing, manufacturing, and certification capabilities, it made sense to utilize them to support its other MRO activities.

An example is when a legacy jet came into the Duncan Aviation Lincoln MRO for maintenance, one of the control surfaces needed to be replaced. Unfortunately, the OEM had no replacements available.

“The OEM had the old 2D paper drawings of the piece – it was designed in the ‘60s – but we were able to recreate the part and deliver it faster and more cost-effectively than they could,” explains Scott Stenka, Duncan Manufacturing Solutions Manager, Duncan Aviation. “We ended up making eight sets of flight controls. Their normal suppliers just aren’t interested in producing such small numbers of parts.”

And being able to solve those types of situations didn’t go unnoticed by the aircraft OEMS.

“Another project we did for one large business jet OEM was to manufacture and certify parts that they were having a hard time getting from Europe,” he continues. “They gave us the plans to do a PMA Letter of Assist so we could make the parts they could sell outright to customers.”

“Today, Duncan Manufacturing Services provides a full range of manufacturing  and certification solutions for OEMs,” Stenka says. “So, when an OEM needs one, 15 or 150 parts, they come to us because it’s what we do every day.”

A one-stop shop with many solutions.

He explains that DMS’s “one-stop-at-one shop” capabilities put it in a unique position to provide everything from conception to manufacturing and testing, as well as AS 9100D and ISO 9001:2015 certifications.

“And we can do it all quickly,” Stenka continues. “All these years of supporting Duncan Aviation’s MRO projects, as well as the variety of OEM needs, have put pressure on us to work quickly and efficiently, and that is what we are best at. Doing what others can’t is who we are.”

Of course, it takes the right tools and training to make all this happen. “In 2021, Duncan Aviation established a program to grow the capabilities of Duncan Manufacturing Solutions as a stand-alone entity, and they supported that with a $4.1 million investment in our facilities and tooling,” he adds.

Today, DMS’s “home” is a 21,000-square-foot, climate-controlled complex located at Duncan Aviation’s headquarters in Lincoln, Nebraska. Stenka proudly explains that the investment includes the latest manufacturing capabilities, including CNC milling, sheet metal fabrication, composite manufacturing, additive manufacturing, forming, heat treating, and finish painting.

“These new capabilities allow us to expand our manufacturing offerings into more challenging and complex parts fabrication projects,” he says. “Where some see challenges, we see opportunities to leverage our skills to quickly and cost-effectively deliver critical parts to our OEM and MRO customers.

Trusted solutions for over 40 years.

While the types of work they do and their tools may have changed over the decades, Stenka stresses that Duncan Aviation’s commitment to providing the company’s legendary service has remained the same.

“The Duncans have invested a lot of money in ensuring that it can continue to direct its course and not have to rely on layers of management,” Stenka continues. “No one else can support their customers the way we can, and that’s a big reason our customers continue to trust Duncan Manufacturing Services to meet their needs.”