An interview with Herbert J Artinger, president and owner of Aircraft Conformance Engineering Services (ACES)
How does the completions management process work?
We provide a finely tuned liaison process, protecting the interests of the buyer and ensuring value for money. It can start as early as OEM final assembly quality assurance surveillance and end with the completed interior as a turnkey package.
What services do you provide?
We cover the full spectrum of inspection services at any phase of the aircraft’s production, including in-house surveillance of the facility’s adherence to the schedule and continuous quality assurance. Our services are available for any location, for business jets and long-range Airbus and Boeing aircraft.
Do you base someone at the completion centre or make visits?
Both scenarios are valid, contingent on what the client selects. Full-time on-site presence ensures maximum surveillance. We’ve had some clients who opted for part-time representation on their first project but chose a full-time on-site rep on subsequent ones.
How do you benefit the client?
Problems arise when a facility can’t understand the word no. We also push to achieve the ambience, elegance and ergonomics specified by the customer – sometimes the centre has to be reminded that the client is paying for this. Educating the facility to communicate with the rep on-site reduces friction and leads to a better product.
What kind of expertise should a customer look for?
The decision depends on what the owner wants – a gladiator or a politician. Our projects have included an ACJ310, six ACJ319s, six ACJ320s, four ACJ330s, six ACJ340s and six BBJ 2s for royal customers; two BBJ 747-400s and two BBJ 2s for presidential use; and six ACJ319s for governmental use. We have also been awarded contracts for two BBJ 747-8 projects and reserved for two BBJ 787s in this client category. For corporate chairmen we have been involved with one BBJ 777, five BBJ 2/3s, six ACJ319/320s and an ACJ321. We have also overseen three BBJ 2/3s for executive high-net-worth individuals; and four ACJ318s for private operators.
Excerpts from this interview were used in a feature exploring the role of customer representatives, published in the September 2013 issue of Business Jet Interiors International. For the full article, click here.
