Growth Continues for Gulfstream Product Support

Oct. 20, 2014
Gulfstream’s service and support organization has grown to more than 4,200 employees worldwide, an increase of more than 10 percent in the last year. The growth will continue in 2015 with the completion of an aircraft refurbishment paint facility

SAVANNAH, Georgia, October 20, 2014 — Gulfstream Aerospace Corp.’s service and support organization, already the largest in business aviation, has grown to more than 4,200 employees worldwide, an increase of more than 10 percent in the last year. The growth includes field service representatives (FSRs) in the U.S. and other key personnel in Europe and Asia.

The growth will continue in 2015 with the completion of an aircraft refurbishment paint facility that is expected to produce 100 jobs in Savannah. Gulfstream’s new $33 million, 72,000-square-foot/6,690-square-meter paint facility will be located near the Gulfstream Savannah Service Center, the largest facility in the world dedicated to business jet maintenance.

“Our team continues to grow at a fast pace to meet the demands of a growing fleet around the world,” said Mark Burns, president, Gulfstream Product Support. “Whether they are new facilities or more personnel, the customer resources we’ve announced and added enable us to achieve the goal that we talk about every day: creating and delivering the world’s finest aviation experience.”

Gulfstream’s new U.S.-based FSR positions are in the Midwest, Southwest, Southeast and West.

Aviation industry veteran John DeHart is based in St. Louis and covers Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska and Iowa. Devon Lohr, a former Gulfstream entry-into-service representative, joins Steve Johnson as a Dallas-based FSR. Gulfstream’s fourth FSR in South Florida is Rafael Rivera, a former Gulfstream Field and Airborne Support Teams (FAST) technician. Scott Jones, a former chief of maintenance for a Gulfstream operator, is one of four Southern California-based FSRs.

The company’s 51 FSRs worldwide provide technical guidance on methods and procedures related to scheduled and unscheduled maintenance, facilitate resolution of any technical issues that arise and serve as technical advisors to operators.

Gulfstream FAST, which specialize in assisting operators caught in aircraft-on-ground situations, includes a mostly Europe-based unit of 12 dedicated mobile maintenance engineers. Members were recently added in Barcelona, Spain, and Malaysia. The latter is the first team member based in Asia.

Asia is also the home of Gulfstream’s first Product Support customer program manager outside the U.S., Stephen Klohr. The company veteran is based in Hong Kong, and his main role is to introduce new customers to all aspects of the vast service network.

In other recent Gulfstream Product Support news, Gulfstream’s service center at London Luton Airport earned an approved maintenance organization designation from India’s Directorate General of Civil Aviation. The authorization allows Gulfstream Luton technicians to work on company aircraft registered in India.

Gulfstream Product Support technicians continue to pursue advanced training. Company personnel have earned more than 490 FlightSafety Master Technician designations, the most of any business jet manufacturer. The latest FlightSafety statistics indicate that 1,570 of the more than 2,450 Master Technician designations worldwide are to support Gulfstream operators.
FlightSafety’s Master Technician program is considered the industry standard for advanced maintenance training.

Also, PlaneParts, Gulfstream’s cost-per-hour maintenance program, has grown to more than 325 subscribers worldwide. The 4-year-old program offers customers predictable maintenance costs for replacement parts due to scheduled and unscheduled events.

Gulfstream’s site dedicated to component repair, Gulfstream Lincoln in northern California, recently added a pickup-and-delivery route for wheels, brakes and other aircraft components in the busy business jet sector north of Los Angeles. Gulfstream personnel will pick up components at facilities at and near general aviation airports in Van Nuys, Burbank and Camarillo, transport them to Lincoln for repair and return them to the operator.

“There is a strong business case for this service because we have more than 100 operators in the area,” Burns said. “Many of them requested this added convenience, and we’re happy to deliver.”
Burns added that Product Support will play an important role in Gulfstream’s new aircraft programs, the G500 and G600, which were announced Oct. 14 at company headquarters in Savannah.

“Much like we did with the G650 and G280,” Burns said, “our organization is working closely with the design and development teams for our new aircraft. We will also be involved with the manufacturing and flight-test teams. This will translate into more customer-focused features on the aircraft and ultimately a smooth entry-into-service when it is time to deliver those jets to customers.”