Canadian Flair

Every weekday, about 240 people report to work at the Eurocopter Canada Limited (ECL) plant in Fort Erie, Ont. An impressive135,000-square-foot facility, ECL is the heart of Eurocopter’s Canadian operations, selling and servicing the parent company’s complete range of helicopters, and providing manufacturing support for eight popular product lines: the AStar, EC120, EC130 B4, EC135, EC145, EC145 T2, EC225 and, shortly, the EC175.

The company’s roots can be traced back to 1984, when it was founded as MBB Helicopter Canada Limited. It was re-named ECL in 1992, after a merger created Eurocopter by uniting the helicopter divisions of Aerospatiale and Daimler-Chrysler Aerospace. Today, Eurocopter is the world’s leading manufacturer of civil and parapublic helicopters. It is best known for its wide range of helicopter models and a history of innovative, forward-thinking solutions. Most recently, the company – which is headquartered in Marignane, France, near Marseille – introduced its cutting-edge X3 high-speed hybrid helicopter, which completed an extensive U.S. tour during the summer of 2012. 

The parent company’s pioneering spirit is alive and well at ECL, one of 30 Eurocopter subsidiaries and associated partner organizations strategically located on all five continents. In addition to the Fort Erie plant, ECL also has a logistics and customer service centre in Richmond, B.C., and a centre in Montreal, Que., with both locations providing technical and commercial assistance to operators. 

Eurocopter is a giant in the Canadian marketplace, holding a solid 60 per cent market share for many years. According to company statistics, the Canadian helicopter fleet grew by 30 aircraft overall in 2012; 26 of those are Eurocopter aircraft. After almost 30 years in business, ECL has delivered close to 400 new and used helicopters to customers across Canada. 

ECL may be officially classed as a subsidiary, but judging by the level and scope of its work, it’s much more than just a satellite office. There are four key streams of activity under the Fort Erie plant’s roof: aircraft sales (including assembly, completion and customization as per customer orders); customer support (including maintenance and training); engineering, research and development solutions (for the development of options available under supplementary type certificates, or STCs); and manufacturing (composite products and custom options available under STC for Eurocopter aircraft). 

Basic green aircraft, test flown in France and Germany, are shipped in pieces to the ECL plant, where they are re-assembled, completed, customized and modified at the company’s state-of-the-art facility. In terms of man-hours, relatively simple corporate completions may take about 800 hours, while a well-equipped police aircraft could take up to 3,000 hours to complete, including painting. 

In terms of aircraft sales and bookings, we are number three amongst the subsidiaries, ECL president and CEO Guy Joannes told Canadian Skies during a recent interview. 2012 was a good year for us in terms of market share, bookings, turnover and results, and for our composite shop with increased activity. We’re quite happy with 2012.

Another one of ECL’s biggest accomplishments, continued Joannes, is that it has successfully balanced its portfolio of product and service offerings. 

All activities – from spares supplies to STC development, and repair and overhaul (R&O) – all of these activities are balancing the business of aircraft sales. 

Joannes believes this balance has seen ECL through the recent economic turbulence, and will continue to do so in the years ahead. 

We are well prepared for the future. We have one of the largest portfolios of the Eurocopter subsidiaries. In fact, we have the capacity to develop, certify, qualify, test and manufacture for headquarters. More and more, we are exporting. Almost everything we do in our composite shop is exported to the European production lines in France and Germany. We are now regarded as a contender for composite business, and we are becoming a centre of excellence in this activity, he said. 

In fact, the Canadian subsidiary has made a name for itself when it comes to developing innovative enhancements for Eurocopter’s extensive product range. 

Along with American Eurocopter, we are the only subsidiary in the world having a portfolio of kitted STCs developed in house; sold not only in Canada but also worldwide, and installed as options on the [European] production lines, explained Joannes. Many people are not aware of our in-house expertise and what we are doing here. But based on my experience, I can say we are unique. We even make the cushions and upholstery for the aircraft right here, giving us the flexibility to meet market demands.

A good example of ECL’s range of capabilities is the recent development of a composite luggage box for the EC225 helicopter. Instead of being available as an STC, the box will be proposed as an added option for installation on the production line. In this case, ECL has, in fact, become the sub-contractor for the design, certification and production of this composite item. 

Past made-in-Canada innovations include high visibility doors for the AS350 and the squirrel cheek cargo pods designed to meet the needs of utility operators. The Canadian subsidiary was also responsible for designing the cable cutters that are now on light single and twin Eurocopter products. All in all, a total of 433 STC and limited STC programs have originated at ECL.   

It’s becoming more and more a kitted STC centre of excellence, said Joannes proudly. The beauty of our facility is we have all capabilities in house, from engineering all the way up to development and manufacturing.

Joannes, who has held senior positions at various Eurocopter subsidiaries, including those in Australia, South Africa and India, has been at the helm of ECL since the fall of 2009. He has a healthy respect for Canadian helicopter operators and the challenges they face.   

The market here is so utility-focused, he said. Canada probably has one of the highest professional groups of operators, especially for light single helicopters. I am working to have Eurocopter consider the utility market; in fact, we invite operators to help us define our product, and more and more of those operators are Canadian.

The most popular Eurocopter product in Canada is the high performance, single-engine AS350 B2 and B3e. A member of the Ecureuil (Squirrel) family of helicopters, the AStar is loved by Canadian operators for its safe, versatile performance and its relatively low purchase and maintenance costs. Joannes said that while the aircraft has certainly earned its stripes, its popularity also makes it a hard act to follow. 

The AStar is strong in Canada, which in one way gives us an advantage, he explained. But in another way, it’s a disadvantage when it comes to releasing other types of aircraft. It’s hard to get people to change when they are satisfied with their helicopter. Ninety per cent of the Canadian fleet is an AStar dedicated to utility work; operators are so pleased with them that they are quite reluctant to change.

On the other hand, more than 900 helicopters in Canada are 30-plus years old, Joannes continued. This opens the door to new opportunities for ECL. For example, one market that is being examined is the medium utility market, where there is a need for a new, low-cost utility helicopter, suitable for moving heli-portable drills or other equipment. ECL has also noted a gradual shift from a predominantly single-engine market towards more twin-engine interest, most notably from the parapublic, offshore oil and gas, and mining industries.

He added that three or four twin-engine helicopters are expected to be sold by ECL this year. At least one of them is destined to make its home at Phoenix Heli-Flight in Fort McMurray, Alta. The oil sands-based company has purchased an EC135 for dedicated emergency response, including nighttime calls, throughout the massive Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo.  In addition, Phoenix has also signed on for two new single-engine AS350 B2s, proven utility workhorses that company president and CEO Paul Spring said are client favourites. Finally, Spring has also signed an MOU [memorandum of understanding] for the first Canadian EC145 T2, a twin-engine craft that is the quietest in its class, and reportedly well suited for EMS, law enforcement, search and rescue, business aviation, oil and gas and utility work.  

Phoenix has chosen three different Eurocopter models with its most recent order; but, no matter what machine a customer prefers, Joannes said ECL can deliver. We have the people, the expertise, and the capabilities in house, and we have ready-to-mission aircraft and products to satisfy operators.

Eurocopter believes in investing in its people and its facilities, and the Fort Erie plant has benefited from that philosophy since 1984. Most recently, a 50,000-square-foot expansion was completed in 2008.

We are investing in research and development, which is a good sign, said Joannes. Now, we’re getting young engineers out of university who are excited to work for us. 

ECL is also beefing up its after-sales resources. The company has hired two additional tech reps, for a total of seven – three in Western Canada, two in Montreal and two in Fort Erie. Joannes said the new hires were brought on board in response to ECL’s steadily growing market share in Canada. We have to be well prepared to service those aircraft, especially when we have new types coming to the market that will generate more and more technical requests, he said. 

He believes 2013 will be exciting, but also challenging. On the positive side, ECL is expecting a total of 22 to 26 new aircraft bookings. That will likely result in a further increase in market share, said Joannes, because the Eurocopter fleet in Canada is growing much faster than the country’s overall fleet. On the flip side, the fiscal cliff and the economic outlook in the U.S., along with European uncertainty, may have contributed to lower bookings. Operators are being more cautious before committing to the purchase of a new aircraft.  

Still, there are positive business leads for ECL, including the company’s bid to supply the Canadian Coast Guard with new helicopters. Joannes said ECL is still talking with the Canadian government about which platform would best meet CCG needs. Although it’s too early to speculate on which helicopter might be chosen, it’s a given that ECL staff will be called upon to customize them to some degree. 

As well, Joannes said part of the package ECL is proposing to the government is expected to result in positive additional long-term work for the company, through associated industrial and regional benefits (IRBs).

As an organization, ECL prides itself on staying in touch with its customers. Operator feedback is often solicited and considered when developing new products and services. One of the priorities at ECL is to reduce the accident rate, explained Joannes. A good example of this policy is a recent training survey that was distributed to chief pilots and operations managers, requesting their feedback on future training programs courses offered by ECL which may include simulators. 

No decisions have been made yet, but ECL is aiming to reduce accidents by enhancing its training offerings, while delivering added support to its operator customers. On the maintenance side, ECL has also expanded its training capabilities by partnering with British Columbia Institute of Technology (BCIT) in Richmond, B.C., to offer airframe and engine courses in the west. Out east, similar courses are offered through École Nationale d’Aerotechnique in St. Hubert, Que., as well as at the ECL facility in Fort Erie.

ECL offers customer support in other areas, too. When Canadian Skies visited the plant, staff were working on installing an import package – a 100-hour inspection and modifications to Canadian standards – on a Eurocopter MBB BK-117. The twin-engine helicopter was acquired from Germany by ECL customer Great Slave Helicopters, which in turn hired the Fort Erie firm to make it ready for flying here in Canada. 

As well, ECL’s repair and overhaul shop is the only place in Canada that performs AS350 BA to AS350 B2 conversions, completing roughly 10 of these per year. This service is just one more facet of ECL, a multi-divisional operation that succeeds, in large part, because of its carefully cultivated diversity.

Next year, Eurocopter Canada Limited will celebrate its 30th anniversary. In nearly three decades of operation the company has stayed true to its core values, never losing sight of its commitment to the customer, while fostering the innovative Eurocopter spirit and remaining firmly focused on the future.