By Lindsay Hughes | January 16, 2014 Estimated reading time 4 minutes, 35 seconds.
When Aveos Fleet Performance closed its doors in March 2012, the aviation maintenance industry reeled from the loss of 2,600 skilled jobs, and the demise of a long-standing Canadian maintenance, repair and overhaul firm. The future looked bleak indeed.
But it’s been said before that when one door closes, another opens. Montreal businessman Lorenzo Marandola saw that open door, and took the opportunity to walk through it.
He purchased some former Aveos equipment, assembled a team of 22 industry veterans, and founded M1 Composites Technology (M1) – a Transport Canada approved maintenance organization that specializes in composite materials and sheet metal structures.
For Marandola, it was the right time to establish the Laval, Que.-based company. He began his career at Pratt & Whitney Canada, and later moved to Bombardier Aerospace, and then to L-3 Communications. When Aveos shut down, he decided to buy the company’s composite repair equipment, clean room, ovens, and main facility to start his own business.
Since it was founded in February 2013, M1 has been focusing on building its brand and client base. The company’s first projects involved mainly interior components and simple parts, repairing structural integrity. But now, Marandola said the work has developed into more complex control surfaces and critical parts, a progression that he takes as a vote of confidence from his clients.
“We’re looking for areas where other people have difficulty finding solutions, and coming up with an answer – we’re that kind of shop,” said Marandola. “Others turn away a job because it’s too complex, or they can’t find it in a book. We’re going to see it as a challenge; we want to do it. We try to have a rapid turn-around so you get your solution quickly, and you’re able to implement it and get your project going.”
Alongside commercial and military aircraft projects, M1 also works on composite projects with Formula 1 racing teams, another of Marandola’s passions. After searching for a Canadian company that could undertake composite race car repair, he came up empty-handed. Once again, the door of opportunity opened and Marandola walked through. He said M1 doesn’t target a specific industry, but rather composite technology, and anything that knowledge can be applied to.
Because of the varied workload, M1’s team of engineers and technicians must be flexible, because roles can change daily as the company takes on new business.
“It is competitive; and for us, we’re the new kids,” commented Marandola. “We’re playing in the big leagues; but in reality, the people on the team have 20, 30 years of experience. We’re new, we’re extremely efficient, we’re nimble, we don’t have a huge infrastructure, and decisions are made quickly. That is our advantage.”
Over the next few years, Marandola’s goals are simple: to become the composite repair and engineering company of choice, and continue to grow as a cohesive unit.
“We strive to solidify our position in the industry, and establish a reputation with our customers where we give the quality and turn-around time at a competitive price. That’s not just by saying it, that’s by being able to do it,” he said. “I want my team to feel that if we’re making something happen, it’s because we’re doing it together. I want them to feel that sense of belonging. I believe the day that you start seeing things as your job it becomes tedious; you need to see this as your passion. I don’t see this as a job.”
