Stinar Aviation Ground Support Equipment upgraded its parts distribution process and now offers same-day and one-day ship response times on many of its most in-demand replacement parts announced Stinar CEO Craig Kruckeberg.
The change is one of several upgrades resulting from Stinar moving all of its manufacturing operations from Eagan, MN to Blooming Prairie, MN a year ago. “Specifically, parts for over 30 years of Stinar equipment items were re-organized into a state-of-the-art warehousing system,” said Kruckeberg.
“We wanted our customers to be able to get parts information fast – typically while they wait on the telephone or with a fast-reply via email or text,” said Kruckeberg. “To do that we needed a modern and computerized parts department. We’ve got that now.”
As a result of these upgrades, Stinar now typically gets parts orders picked, packed, and on the way to customers within a 24-hour cycle for most in-stock items. This is not an easy task considering Stinar stocks parts for a wide line of ground support equipment sold over the past 3 decades; and this includes hundreds of special-order products for the U.S. military.
Another Stinar upgrade: If a part is not in stock, the company can now make that part on-demand from its new manufacturing facility located at the same facility as the Stinar parts distribution area.
“Stinar has enjoyed customer relationships with commercial airlines, airports, and the military, which have been in place since the late 1940’s,” said Kruckeberg. “Our products have a reputation for being overbuilt, and for lasting well past their normal service duty cycle.”
“Thus, keeping a deep parts inventory matters to our customers. Stinar’s on-demand parts manufacturing translates into responding “yes” now for most parts requests,” said Kruckeberg.
“We have schematics going back into the 1980’s and beyond, which makes it possible for us to make an older part to its original specifications if someone has that need,” said Kruckeberg. Part of the reason Stinar now promotes the on-demand replacement parts option is because the company recently upgraded much of its parts-making equipment and processes.
In 2020, when most aviation-related firms are shutting down or scaling back, Stinar was adding in-house plasma cutters, computerized shearing and breaking equipment, additional welding stations, as well as on-site C&C machining.
While that equipment is greatly speeding up the manufacturing times needed to produce new equipment, “Stinar is also making on-demand replacement parts manufacturing a good option for Stinar customers as well,” said Kruckeberg.
“We’d like to make this very clear - 70 years of aviation ground support history is only a start. Stinar’s team plans to be producing and maintaining ground support equipment for at least another 70 years,” said Kruckeberg.
Stinar produces aviation stairs (towable and chassis mounted) as well as catering lift trucks, lavatory service carts, potable water carts and trucks, and various specialty lifts, platforms and vehicles.
Stinar recently completed both a facility relocation from Eagan, MN to Blooming Prairie, MN; and the company is also in the process of re-designing much of its traditional product line.
