AMETEK MRO Wins Operational Excellence and Sustainability Awards

AMETEK MRO, is a global provider of maintenance, repair, and overhaul services for commercial, regional, military, and general aviation aircraft. It services more than 40,000 aircraft components with capabilities including Actuation, Aviation Safety, Avionics, Landing Systems, Power Generation and Thermal Management. In recent months, the organization has been the recipient of three prestigious awards which are all indicative of the work underway to contribute towards a safer, sustainable and more productive world.

Earlier this year AMETEK MRO Drake Air, located in Tulsa, Oklahoma, received the prestigious Lux Award* for operational excellence. With competitors struggling to meet customers’ expectations following the pandemic, Drake Air - a leading FAA/EASA/CAAC approved repair station specializing in the maintenance, repair and overhaul of Heat Transfer, Electro-Mechanical, Hydraulic and Fluid System components for all types of commercial, regional, general aviation and rotor wing aircraft - embarked on a 12 month+ effort to streamline and improve all operational procedures.

The initiative involved forty-four dedicated team members who dynamically restructured Drake Air’s customer support strategy which relieved pressure on customer supply chains and enabled the MRO to diversify their repair portfolio allowing for expansion across all markets and platforms. 

“From an internal and external perspective, winning this award is important as it shows Drake Air is taking the necessary steps to continuously improve. This benefits customers through cost savings, increased capabilities, expanded offerings, greater agility, and innovation,” says David Bentley, Divisional Vice President & Business Manager, Drake Air.

Further evidence of Drake Air’s award-winning trend was achieving the latest "Top Shop" award for "Best Heat Transfer" from The145.com. This is an industry-nominated award meaning that Drake Air’s customers, airlines and vendors nominated the MRO to win from a pool of more than 20 heat transfer companies.

According to Bentley, “The145 platform is used by ourselves, and our competitors, so for us to win signifies we are considered best-in-class in this category. The competition engages with hundreds of airlines and suppliers who vote in each of the twenty-two award categories. Having won this award for the third time now it has proven to be a compelling factor in why customers choose Drake for heat transfer MRO services.”

In the UK, AMETEK MRO AEM in Ramsgate secured the second annual Elizabeth R. Varet Sustainability Award**. To win this award, AMETEK divisions submitted the best initiatives from across their businesses that make the most meaningful impact toward protecting the environment. Submissions were judged on their ability to achieve positive impacts on energy efficiency, water reduction, and/or waste management.

Andy Wheeler, VP & Managing Director of AMETEK MRO AEM explains that AEM won the award for its Vacuum Evaporation of Hazardous Waste Effluent. “The team at AEM installed a closed loop evaporation and reverse osmosis system to reuse effluent that is generated by a plating process. This project resulted in a $2.6M cost saving to date compared to disposing of hazardous waste offshore. Additionally, this project helps reduce hazardous waste by 192 tons and recycle over 47,000 gallons of water annually.”

The team at AEM conducted extensive research into viable solutions for the management and treatment of hazardous waste.  They concluded that investment in this wastewater recycling process would be the best long-term solution.  “We have thereby reduced our reliance on third parties and taken ownership of the process,” Wheeler affirms. “AEM have identified further room for improvement in 2023, with the possible purchase of another filter press.  In addition, the equipment has been designed with a view to futureproof the business by adding another reverse osmosis membrane.  This could then process double the amount of water.” 

“AEM is committed to sustainable business practices,” he adds, saying that as well as wastewater optimization, other initiatives include the installation of occupancy light detection, process adjustment to eliminate unnecessary energy utilization, and the use of paperless component maintenance manuals.

*Established in 1993, the Lux Award honors the late AMETEK Chairman Dr. John H. Lux, who provided 27 years of leadership and made numerous contributions to technology, science, engineering, and public service. It is presented annually to the AMETEK team that best demonstrates a significant Operational Excellence accomplishment.

** This sustainability award, named for Elizabeth R. Varet, who retired from AMETEK’s Board of Directors in 2021 after 34 years of service, highlights the Company’s focus on sustainable business practices aimed at reducing environmental impact.  In recognition of this sustainability programme, the AMETEK Foundation has donated $10,000 on behalf of AEM to an environmentally focused non-profit organization of their choice.