Sikorsky Global Helicopters Receives 'Total Quality Award' from Rolls-Royce

April 6, 2009
Annual award honors a company with a program that improves its processes while focusing on customer service.

COATESVILLE, PA -- Sikorsky Global Helicopters' Engine Services Division has received the Rolls-Royce Model 250 Total Quality Award. Sikorsky Global Helicopters is the newly rebranded commercial business operation of Sikorsky Aircraft Corp. Sikorsky is a subsidiary of United Technologies Corp.

The Rolls-Royce award is presented annually by U.K.-based Rolls-Royce Group plc, maker of power systems for land, sea and air travel, to a company that has implemented a program that improves its internal and external processes while having a positive and direct effect on commitment to customer quality and satisfaction.

The award was based upon efforts that the Engine Services Division made in supporting the T63-A-720 engine overhaul program implemented to fulfill a requirement by the U.S. Army to overhaul 140 engines to meet an urgent requirement to support counter-drug and border patrol missions. After requesting a pre-Product Verification Audit (PVA) by the U.S. Army, the Engine Services Division used these lessons learned from the experience to develop and implement four key processes and procedures: a Manufacturing Process Plan, a Critical Safety Item, Government Property Control, and Production Scheduling program.

These efforts resulted in successful completion of the final PVA and certification approval by the U.S. Army. In addition, the Division completed all engine overhaul requirements on schedule within a 10-month period while reducing total turnaround time by 45 percent and flawlessly executing the program throughout its life cycle.

"This award reflects our ongoing commitment to continuous improvement by all of the employees within the Engine Services Division," says Darrell Jones, Vice President, Helicopter Services Division. "We challenged our employees as they prepared for the PVA, and they exceeded beyond our expectations as well as the U.S. Army's. They truly deserve this award."

Sikorsky Global Helicopters, a Sikorsky Company features a full-service maintenance and completion center anchored by the Keystone Heliplex technical services depot in Coatesville, PA. Keystone Helicopters, a Sikorsky Global helicopters Company, is a factory-authorized service center for Bell, Eurocopter, MD Helicopter, Rolls Royce, Pratt & Whitney, and Sikorsky products.