Flying Colours has appointed Paul Dunford as general manager of Flying Colours Corp Asia, its new interiors facility at Singapore’s Seletar Aerospace Park.
Canadian-born Dunford joins the company following a 25-year career within the aerospace industry and was selected for his extensive knowledge of Bombardier Challenger and Global completion programs. Previously working for Bombardier Aerospace in Montreal, Canada, Dunford has relocated to Singapore where he is responsible for managing the progress of interiors completion projects, developing new business and building a robust on-site interiors team for Flying Colours.
“We’re delighted Paul agreed to join us,” said Eric Gillespie, vice president of Flying Colours. “His customer-facing experience and understanding of the complexity of interior completions makes him a perfect fit for the role. He will certainly add real value to our growing Asian business.”
Housed in the Bombardier Aerospace Singapore Service Centre, the Flying Colours facility became fully operational in early 2015 and has already completed its first project – woodwork refinishing on a Challenger 605. The team is currently working on two Global aircraft, refurbishing and refinishing the woodwork on both aircraft. The cabinetry, finishing and upholstery shops are also active on a variety of Bombardier projects.
“This is a very important geographical area for our company. There are limited facilities in the region capable of refurbishing Challenger, Global or Learjet aircraft to the required standard so this is a great opportunity,” said Gillespie.
“Operational costs to fly aircraft back to North American or Europe are high, and downtime becomes lengthy, so by having a local base we are fulfilling a strong market demand and anticipate we will continue to grow in the region as a result.”
One of Dunford’s key responsibilities will be to meet Flying Colours’ long-term aim of employing a mainly local workforce. It has already recruited 12 team members – six local technicians, four Canadian technicians and two administration staff, in addition to the general manager role. The plan is to hire another 6-8 technicians in 2015, all of whom will go through a specially developed three-month training schedule in Canada. The aim of the on-the-job training and specific aircraft project-led work is to make them proficient in all elements of the interior skills portfolio currently provided by Flying Colours.
“Paul will help us select the right candidates and then ensure their ongoing development supports the business requirements,” said Gillespie. “Right now the skills needed to deliver the quality expected for Bombardier aircraft are rare, which is why we wanted to recruit someone who really understood the challenges and could rise to the opportunities presented. We have that in Paul.”
Flying Colours offers a full range of interiors services including preliminary inspections, removals and installation, repairs, modifications and refurbishments at the Singapore facility. This complements Bombardier’s line and heavy maintenance services at the facility.
April 17, 2015
