Cost-Saving Idea Wins MoD Award for the Most Business Improving Suggestion of the Year

Almondbank, UK – Vector Aerospace Component Services (www.vectoraerospace.com), one of the world’s leading independent providers of aviation maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) services has won an MoD award for its cost-saving method of tackling a repair challenge that was recurring during the servicing of Lynx Main Rotor Heads (MRH).

During routine in-service maintenance and to enable installation of the Vibration Absorber Adaptor the lifting eye on the Lynx MRH must to be removed. Even careful removal of the lifting eye often results in unacceptable damage to the surface of the titanium rotor disc, incurring unscheduled rejection of the MRH and substantial repair costs.

Vector Aerospace Component Services Team Leader Allan Cuthbertson, together with Technicians Gary Mitchell and Gordon McKinnon, developed a special removal jack tool to lift the eye without causing damage to the rotor disc. Based on previous repair statistics the implementation of the removal jack tool has been a significant saving for the MoD.

The suggestion was put forward for the MoD’s annual GEMS Award scheme which recognises and rewards ideas that are implemented. The scheme encourages MoD civilian and Armed Forces personnel as well as MoD contractor staff to contribute constructive ideas for improving efficiency anywhere within the MoD. The GEMS scheme sees around 30,000 ideas submitted each year with around 2,000 of these making it into the final selection categories.

“This is just one example of how Vector Aerospace is working closely with our customer to constantly improve the efficiency of our processes as well as looking for innovative ideas that can create significant savings for the MoD. For the team at Almondbank this is a wonderful way to recognise their skills, hard work and ability to think outside the box,” said Tim Rice, Managing Director, Vector Aerospace UK.