Why Your Parts Distributor Is Important

I enjoy writing the “Parts Bin” column for D.O.M. magazine. The responses I have received have been surprising. Not only have people offered their opinions freely to me, but in many ways, writing this column has helped me see on a professional level that others were feeling exactly the way I was. We have a tough industry full of new and novel technologies, designed to deal with what seems to be ongoing battle to comply with regulations and economic pressures that challenge the existence of aviation itself. It is my hope that if we take some time to focus on the aircraft parts side of maintenance, our jobs may all be somewhat easier.

Many industry peers have been rather amused that I haven’t used this column to promote my company or any one product in particular. I have tried hard to focus on issues and topics that relate to buying aircraft parts and pointing to some solutions for you to consider. I care for the aviation product support industry. As an A&P myself, I desire to foster this peculiar segment that I work in.

Why You Need A Good Parts Distributor

What I have decided to do this month is to explain why you need a parts distributor — more importantly, why you need a good parts distributor. In the 20 years that I have been involved in the aircraft parts industry, I have worked on both sides of the product support business. I have been a consumer of parts as an A&P and as a provider. I have worked for large OEM manufacturers and had the privilege of starting and growing an independent parts distributorship. The negative experiences I witnessed while ordering parts years ago encouraged me to provide a way for A&Ps and IAs to receive adequate support from people who really care — better yet, people who don’t ask for the catalog page your part is on.

Tribal Knowledge

The parts distributor performs several functions for you. First and foremost, a good parts distributor will have an enormous amount of tribal knowledge at your disposal. There are many exceptions to parts catalogs, such as alternate part numbers and special sources. The information that a parts distributor has to digest is surprisingly diverse. Everything is used, from digital parts catalogs on a CD to microfiche and out-of-date parts catalogs. Aviation has seen many changes over the decades. Faced with supporting a wide age of airframes, it is necessary for distributors to have some old-school references. If any of you have looked for old Grimes lighting information, it is hard to beat an old Van Dusen catalog. I, personally, have a fairly diverse array of material. My library includes everything from a printed parts catalog for a P40 Warhawk from WWII, to illustrated parts catalogs for a Saab 340 on CD. Over the years, I have had to hide several out-of-print catalogs. I have even scanned these precious out-of-print catalogs to save them on a portable Terabyte hard drive.

In a surprising twist, your parts distributor will often know more than either the airframe manufacturer or a component manufacturer. The makeup of the people I deal with at the manufacturers has changed dramatically, particularly during the past six years. In the 1980s and 1990s, most manufacturers had staff that understood what the aviation industry was and what it needed. Relationships were important and results were what mattered. That has vanished almost completely. Now, some manufacturers are taking three to six months to manufacture parts, and are putting non-aviation-experienced people from the marketing departments to provide technical support. I remember last year, sitting at Oshkosh with a large supplier who I have worked with for many years. My normal customer service contact (from the manufacturer) was sitting with me at dinner while the new marketing manager joined us. The marketing manager was showing his ignorance of general aviation and I tried to be on my best behavior. My contact was looking uncomfortable as his new co-worker dug an ever-deeper hole. Things came to a head when the new marketing manager said they really wanted customer input on an issue. I explained that distributors provide input to manufacturers, but are normally told that upper management will not approve the suggestion or that the FAA is a problem.

The marketing manager explained to me that distributors were not customers, and were a problem themselves. Therein lays the problem. Manufacturers do a great job of making quality products. They do not necessarily know how to market effectively or to distribute aftermarket parts. That’s where the distributors come in.

Bringing In the Bean Counters

Many manufacturers replace previously-effective aviation sales leadership with accountants. These accountants think that they can run their company on numbers alone. This new breed of corporate America has no regard for honest handshake agreements, previous performance or market segment exposure. They are, in essence, the reason why their companies lose market share.

I have seen this first hand. Three years ago, my father had a heart attack. He was unconscious for several days after being rushed to the hospital. I spent a lot of time at the hospital, praying for some better news. In the midst of this episode, one of my co-workers sent an urgent text. A manufacturer that we had distributed for had lost our check. They knew we sent one, but they had a bank deposit box that was inaccessible for some reason. This manufacturer was told my father was at the hospital, and I was unavailable due to a family emergency. This supplier told my staff that this did not matter. They needed us to figure this issue out for them … or else.

The reason I share this with you is so you understand that the job of the distributor entails being a buffer between the craziness in actually getting the parts from the manufacturer. These shenanigans often contribute to why aviation’s supply chain is so troublesome.

Warranties

Another way that distributors can help you is in dealing with warranties. This is probably the one area that separates the men from the boys.

Many aviation maintenance operators lose money on warranties because they often do not have an effective advocate. A good distributor will support you in warranties, as it is simply a good and honest business practice.

An Alaskan customer of mine that kept complaining about the lack of warranty he was having with a battery issue. I took the customer aside and found out that they had purchased this through a retail broker outlet. I explained that this outlet was not an authorized distributor, and as such does not know what processes are needed to submit a warranty claim. Manufacturers seem to have increasingly different warranty procedures and forms. It is the job of your distributor to process these and do the required follow up with the manufacturer.

Another financial benefit from a close relationship with your distributor partner is that they may provide you with an immediate warranty replacement at no charge. We have done this many times with accessories such as vacuum pumps or alternators. At the end of the day, what matters to our staff is that our customers’ aircraft gets back up in the air. It’s silly that grown adults cannot facilitate emergency AOG situations readily in this day and age with the advent of remote-access computers and late night e-mails. Get your customer a part and work out the details later.

Understanding Parts Usage

The third benefit of developing a good working relationship with your parts distributor is that with proper planning and good communication, a parts distributor can analyze your parts usage. The more your parts distributor knows about what types of aircraft you operate, the better they will be able to adjust their stock buying. Many heavy items such as large aircraft batteries or tires have longer lead times which requires quarterly planning. If your distributor knows what you need in advance, he or she can have it staged at the local branch. This saves you thousands of dollars in freight costs, allowing you to get what you need in a timely fashion and without added expense. This is a win-win for everyone.

The flip side of this coin is that you should communicate to your parts distributor what types of aircraft you plan to purchase. You might be surprised to find that your new aircraft requires a special starter generator, or is known to go through tires more often than your previous turboprop.

I realize that DOMs have full plates — long hours, tons of paperwork and unlimited hours on the road or in the hangar. You might consider spending some time at lunch or breakfast with your local parts distributor. Look for a distributor who cares about what you are doing and delivers on their promises. It might be helpful to notice that the better distributors don’t have changing sales representatives every six months. Good distributors will employ team members who will be in your corner when the going gets tough, and you might be surprised at the money and headaches they can save. 

Norman Chance is president and CEO of Chance Aviation, an international aircraft parts distributor headquartered in Indianapolis. He has a degree in aircraft maintenance from Vincennes University and a degree in aeronautics from Embry-Riddle University. He holds an FAA A&P certificate.