Zodiac Aerospace and Engineering Holding open a toilet repair shop

Photo by Zodiac

In early 2016, a group of Zodiac Aerospace and Engineering Holding companies agreed to build the first shop for toilet repairs in Russia. It will be located in a hangar complex at Domodedovo Airport in Moscow. If this joint project’s implementation is eveluated as successful by both sides, then, most likely, Zodiac Aerospace—a world leader in manufacturing of aerospace equipment and systems for commercial aviation, and Engineering Holding—a leading Russian MRO provider, will expand the range of foreign products maintained in Russia.

The first toilet repair shop in Russia, with a planned total area of over 100 square meters and operated by the France-based Zodiac Aerospace, is planned to be opened in the second half of 2016 by S7 Engineering (a subsidiary of Engineering Holding) in a hangar at Domodedovo. Zodiac Aerospace Services, the company dealing with the after-sale service of systems and components manufactured by Zodiac Aerospace group enterprises, will provide the project with direct support on behalf of the new foreign partner.

Until now, Zodiac Aerospace has not actually supplied any services related to after-sale service of its products in and of the CIS countries.

In late January, Director of Engineering Holding Business Development Alexander Filippov told ATO about basic parameters of the project for post-warranty toilet repairs. The signed agreement is valid for five years; Zodiac Aerospace will supply specialized equipment and tools for toilet repairs to S7 Engineering, train Eingineering specialists and provide marketing support in the activities of the new repair facility (under the terms of the agreement, all Zodiac Aerospace Services clients for CIS shall be forwarded to S7 Engineering to have toilets repaired).

“In fact, this is a franchise agreement, though we do not call it a franchise,” Filippov said. “We will pay royalties to Zodiac Aerospace based on the scope of work performed. Therefore, as long as there is no work, we pay nothing. According to our calculations, we expect to recover values invested in the project approximately by the end of the third year from the date of its start.

“Why did we decide to start with toilet repairs? The answer is quite simple: the cost of joining the project is minimal, and the market is not very large. That is, even in case of failure, no parties will be damaged much in terms of spent time and costs.”

The only facility in CIS countries for post-warranty Zodiac Aerospace toilet repairs is designed for annual maintenance of about 170 items. The manufacturer will provide a staff of four people to work in this repair shop.

To be allowed to perform toilet repairs, S7 Engineering will have to add an appropriate option to its Part 145 certificate. It is expected that Engineering Holding experts working at the Moscow facility will deal with maintenance of toilets for aircrafts of Boeing 737 (CL / NG) / 747-400 / 767/777 type, the Airbus A320 family, etc.

If the project is successful, Zodiac Aerospace and Engineering are ready to expand the list of products serviced; the Russian partner will provide post-warranty service for emergency slides, oxygen dispensing equipment, etc.

“It’s too early to discuss these prospects,” says Alexander Filippov. “However, we can say now that, thanks to cooperation with Zodiac Aerospace, we are significantly expanding our technological capabilities. Now, based on the partnership with the leading aviation equipment manufacturer, we will receive up-to-date technical documentation quickly and directly and adopt advanced repair technologies. Engineering Holding has always been interested in developing its MRO techniques on the model of the best world practices.”