Life in the spare parts business unit is never boring! From active communication with clients and suppliers to dynamic tasks sourcing the most wanted components – there’re plenty of challenges each day. But MartynasBalsys, Sales Manager at Magnetic MRO, enjoys the fast-paced nature of his job. And he is very good at it – so we asked Martynas to answer three questions and share his expertise on the trends in spare parts trading, challenges when predicting future demand of components and what are the ingredients spare parts teams’ success recipe.
The usage pattern of aircraft spare parts is highly unpredictable and thus, future demand forecasting is a very challenging task. How does your team tackle this challenge? Are there any forecasting strategies your team’s implementing in their daily work?
Indeed, to forecast the demand in the aviation industry is very difficult and staying ahead is always a challenging task. However, there’re certain shifts in spare parts needs depending on the season and knowing such seasonal trends allows us to prepare in advance at least to a certain extent. Also, to stay ahead and keep sales ship afloat, it is important to maintain a close relationship with both clients and suppliers. We’re close to our contacts and this allows us to know their needs as soon as they arise, and we also keep eye on who are doing teardowns - such information allows our team to efficiently source needed components and serve the airlines’ needs.
When talking about spare parts trading, there’s another factor which is important to mention – quite a few airlines are using PBH programs, therefore they have their needs for a vast pool of components covered. And in cases there’s still a need for some parts, the competition is fierce. So to stay ahead of the competition and be quicker than the rest, our team always keep the track on the up-to-date prices as well as demand and supply balance.
Did you notice any shift in clients demands in the past few years? How did it change and what, in your opinion, influenced these changes?
To be fair, I think the fundamental demands are the same as they were before: quality of the service and ability to be quick are the key demands. Maybe because the connectivity is always growing, the understating of what is quick response has shifted a bit, meaning that clients require even more prompt response than ever, therefore knowing their demands beforehand and constant communication is as important as ever.
What are the key components behind your team success and how do you make sure you‘re always on top of the demand from clients?
The key driver behind our team’s success is… team. We share information in real-time and in AOG cases, all team members come on board to solve the situation as quickly as possible. Teamwork is a must in this industry and our team is very professional and cooperative. Thus we are able to provide high-quality services that meet clients demands quickly and effectively. I am nothing without my team, so a massive THANK YOU to all of them!
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