Embraer plans to appoint five more European authorized service centers (ASCs) for the new Phenom 100 very light jet. The region’s market is “very dynamic and changing quickly,” said Antonio Martini, the Brazilian airframer’s vice president for executive jet customer support and services in Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA).

Acknowledging Embraer’s relatively recent arrival in the business jet sector, Martini pointed to 40 years’ experience gained in supporting commercial airlines. Since the 1970s, Embraer claims to have established “reputable” maintenance, parts-support and repair services, “outstanding” field and technical support, and a comprehensive training program. To this portfolio, it has added an “executive care program” and aims to become a leading support and services provider, said Martini. Accordingly, Embraer’s customer support organization has grown from just 30 people
in 2005 to a predicted 300-plus by year-end.

Business jet support is an integral part of Embraer’s global ASC network, with support teams in Brazil (three locations), China (two), France (two), Portugal, Singapore, and the U.S. (three).

The network includes 12 centers serving Legacy and Lineage operators, seven covering Phenom customers and another 12 supporting all three aircraft families.
Embraer’s spare parts supply chain has seven distribution centers, in the Asia Pacific region (Singapore and Beijing, China), Europe (Villepinte, France), the Middle East (Dubai in the United Arab Emirates), North America (Fort Lauderdale and Louisville in the U.S.), and South America (São Jose dos Campos, Brazil). In the broad EMEA region, nine ASCs handle Legacys, three handle Lineages and five support Phenoms, with at least one– Inflite in the UK–dealing with all three designs.

To ensure maximum aircraft availability, Embraer has optimized Phenom and Legacy maintenance planning so routine servicing should require no more than 10 shop visits in the first five years of service. Operators have initial support from ASCs, field service representatives, a Brazil-based global call center (opened last August) and the FlyEmbraer Web portal (which replaced the “aerochain. com” service). Call center personnel have immediate access to flight operations and AOG support, as well as technical staff specialists.

FlyEmbraer provides access to the ASC network and parts logistics, Web-based training and maintenance services (including operations software, flight documents, technical publications and customer meetings). Twice a year, Embraer holds executive aircraft operators’ conferences (in Paris and Las Vegas) and other operators’ meetings, and provides customer support and service desks at the NBAA, EBACE and LABACE bizav events.

The Embraer Executive Care (EEC) program provides contracted maintenance support for which customers pay fixed monthly and hourly fees. Monthly payments cover fixed and calendar costs, such as scheduled maintenance and stocks, while hourly charges cover variable costs that are driven by utilization and number of flights, such as repairs and unscheduled maintenance. The arrangement transfers the risk of maintenance-cost variations from customers to the manufacturer, according to Embraer. “The program protects operators from peak expenses and unpredictable costs,” said Martini.

Finally, EEC customers are said to benefit from four key advantages:
• pre-negotiated contracts with ASCs and other service providers and vendors;
• pooled components shared among a worldwide fleet offering the lowest exchange costs;
• a large enrolled fleet that absorbs the risk of premature failure in out-of-warranty components that may impact single-aircraft owners maintenance costs; and
• dedicated technical and administrative teams to manage maintenance costs.