1. Taking Off in Africa: Critical Elements of Aircraft Engine Manufacturer Engagement That Can Affect Airline Safety Performance
- Author
-
Woods, Nathan Michael
- Subjects
- Communication, Organizational Behavior, Airline Safety, Interorganizational Engagement, Original Equipment Manufacturer, Knowledge Sharing, Interorganizational Trust, Aviation Industry
- Abstract
Original Equipment Manufacturer (OEM) is a term used in many industries to describe a company that produces parts and equipment that may be marketed by another manufacturer. In the aviation industry, the aircraft engine OEM refers to the company that manufactures engines powering the aircraft. The OEM manufactures the engine, defines the required maintenance to operate the engines, and recommends product modifications. Product modifications are recommended to improve product safety, durability, reliability, and cost of ownership and are formally communicated through issuance of service bulletins. Properly performing the required maintenance and adopting service bulletins is an important element of maintaining a high standard regarding safety performance. The aircraft engine OEM is the source of knowledge regarding how to properly and effectively perform standard maintenance tasks. The OEM also has information related to service bulletins that is critical to properly assess and adopt service bulletins. This study identifies the critical elements of engagement between aircraft engine OEMs and airlines during two processes. The first process studied was the adoption of service bulletins and included how the airline becomes aware of a service bulletin, how they assess the need to perform the service bulletin, and finally how the airline prepares and executes on the adoption of the service bulletin. The OEM engagement was identified and analyzed during each phase of this process. The second process studied was how the airline identifies when they need support from the OEM to properly complete required maintenance and inspection tasks. OEM engagement was identified and analyzed during this process. Critical elements required for effective and efficient engagement identified in this study are then compared to existing literature on effective interorganizational engagement. Applying the learnings from this study to the more generic process maps developed in previous studies allowed for a specific process map for ensuring effective and efficient engagement between aircraft engine OEMs and airlines, in this specific context. This dissertation is available in open access at AURA: Antioch University Repository and Archive, http://aura.antioch.edu/, and OhioLINK ETD Center, https://etd.ohiolink.edu/.
- Published
- 2020