Northwest Aerospace News June | July 2019 Issue No. 9 | Page 61

PACIFIC NORTHWEST AEROSPACE ALLIANCE SPOTLIGHT
AOG’s: The Driving Force for Aerospace Vendors
So, what do you do when you get the call
on a Friday night to make delivery on a
part number and your customer needs the
parts by Monday? If you are fortunate to
know what the acronym “AOG” means,
it speaks to your abilities to deliver under
duress. It stands for “Aircraft on Ground”
and usually means you are going nowhere
until that part has been machined and de-
livered. Many companies are working
under these tight deadlines while you are
enjoying your weekend. They are indeed
“special forces” of the industry and are
considered the best of the best to make
the delivery. The truth is, there is an entire
network of companies that play a role in
making a delivery of that part — from the
supplier of raw materials with certs, to ma-
chining, fabricating, finishing, heat treat-
ing and more. Navigating the complex
web of aerospace suppliers to find what
you need can be time consuming.
Therefore, building your own network of
reliable suppliers, that you know will be
there for you when you are running into
special requirements, is critical to your
business. One tool that can provide a
connection to companies that match your
needs in manufacturing and certifications
is the database and connector platform
owned by Aerospace Vendors (www.aero-
spacevendors.com), founded by former
Cimtech CEO Steve Kidd. In his work
with Cimtech and Aerospace Vendors, he
has experienced those urgent phone calls
looking for specialized vendors to provide
services to complete the task at hand.
After spending many years within the
working chain, he was asked to help iden-
tify companies within Washington State,
which resulted in an online tool to find
companies matching in-demand require-
ments that are certified and ready to go.
As the tool was developed, the team recognized the need for keyword searches
to enable suppliers with unique capabilities to be identified quickly. This idea
came following a request out of the UK from Rolls-Royce plc, who contacted
Aerospace Vendors to ask if any of its members supported superplastic forming,
a complex manufacturing process used in the manufacture of jet engine fan
blades. Knowing this trade term, Steve was able to match two companies that
matched this requirement. Today over 2500 key words are listed in the data-
base, which companies can identify within their profile.
Getting Recognized as a Go-To Company
Small companies often have enough work — building their organization within
the technical disciplines and finding the level of expertise, the right machines,
the perfect location for their building — all leaving little time to focus on where
the business is going to come from to support further growth. Typically Sales
and Marketing is the last thing to be considered, yet for most can often become
the most important leg of the three legged stool. Without a continuous flow of
new work, small companies spend too much time looking for contracts to grow.
The Aerospace Vendors platform provides an opportunity for these companies
to showcase their company and be recognized in their field of specialty on an
even platform with larger companies. The concept simply is to equally list their
unique credentials on what they do and be selected based on their ability to get
the job done, rather than size.
Now companies have a way to represent themselves 24/7. Options include
showing a custom elevator pitch video from the owner, images of your cur-
rent AS9100 or Nadcap certifications, list of equipment and images of work
completed. Companies can be matched based on multiple requirements and
companies can find them much more easily than if they had their own web site.
JUNE | JULY 2019 ISSUE NO. 9
61