Paris, Amstelveen, Shanghai, 9 February 2017 - Following the launch in 2013 of AFI KLM E&M Components China, its components repair workshop in Shanghai, AFI KLM E&M has now deployed a logistics centre under the same roof in order to support the A350's future operators throughout in China and the region. As of now, several dozen orders for the new-generation Airbus widebody have been placed in China by leading Chinese carriers.
The development of this new capability including a regional components pool reflects AFI KLM E&M's aim to propose high-end, competitive Component Support on the China market. Embedded in the AFI KLM E&M Components China facility located close to Shanghai's Hongqiao International Airport, the logistics platform will include a warehouse for storing A350 components and manage intra-China shipments to provide proximity and fast-track responses to the need of serviceable spares for A350 operators. It will benefit from the full array of expertise developed in recent years by AFI KLM E&M, a major player on the A350 market, delivering comprehensive component and material support for various airlines like Thai Airways or Air Caraïbes, operating on the four major continents: Asia, Europe and North & South America.
With its storage procedures compliant with Chinese requirements, the platform will also rely on the air freight capacity provided by AIR FRANCE KLM, and logistics partners on domestic and international flights serving Shanghai and major Chinese hubs. This service centre will work as the bridgehead of the AFI KLM E&M A350 network in China, allowing further deployment of logistics solutions at the A350 operators' doorstep. The service centre is fully integrated with the existing support network including Service Centres in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Ho Chi Minh City.
Vincent d'Andrea, SVP Component product AFI KLM E&M, said: "AFI KLM E&M bases the operational and economic competitiveness of its support on maintaining a doorstep presence for its clients via local facilities. In rolling out this logistics extension to AFI KLM E&M Components China and expanding the engineering capabilities of our repair shop, we aim to deliver optimum, fast-track Component Support solutions fully adapted to the needs of China's A350 operators."
