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News of February 10, 2004

SMA Press Release: SMA’S NEW PLANT IN BOURGES, FRANCE WAS DEDICATED ON 1/30/2004

60 employees, 80 subcontractors and suppliers in the US, Germany, France, others, $ 4 million investment.

Through Manufacturing Agreement Certificate Nº F.G. 172 (March ’03), SMA has been certified as a piston-engine Manufacturing company complying with European Regulations part JAR 21. All parts are supplied either in sub assemblies or as individual parts by selected suppliers previously qualified. Capacity is 5 engines per day.

SMA is geared to produce upto 2,000 engines per year. Staff will quickly reach 60 employees. An STC team of 10 is developing new kit applications. The Cessna 182 was the first. SOCATA TB20 is next. Presently in progress are Maule M-9, Piper PA28, Partenavia P68, Cirrus SR21 tdi, also the Akkord 201, a new twin seaplane developed by Avia Ltd in Russia. Today, SMA is represented in about 30 countries. The first sales/service agency contract was signed with CIRRUS AVIATION in Sarasota, FL (contact Jean-Patrick Canivet at 917-952-8396). Others: PLUSS Y DOBRIK S.R.L. (Argentina), MOTORFLUG BADEN-BADEN (Germany). SMA expects 40 such agencies by end ‘04. Also in 2004, training sessions now in progress will train 150 people from distributors, services-stations and OEMs. The new SMA Customer Support Center is now operational on a 24h/24 and 7 days/7 basis to answer all customers requests. SMA is now training a team of “Field Support Representatives” (FSR) to constitute a worldwide network. An independent, dedicated Test Bench facility will be completed by the end of 2004. (SMA Press Release)

Publisher's remark. A manpower of 60 for 1,000 engines/year would mean a manufacturing cost per engine (labor plus raw materials plus parts plus plant overhead of roughly 13,000 to 16,000 Euros ($16,000 to 20,000) using conventional cost benchmarking formulas for batch production manufacturing.

posted at 3:11 AM

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Mission Statement

Every month: news, facts, and comments on the coming revolution for piston-engines aircrafts between 130 and 400 HP: Retrofitting a diesel engine to run on Jetfuel or Kerosene, reduce Gallons/Hour by some 30%, eliminate ignition systems (magnetos, spark plugs) and their problems, eliminate mixture control, increase TBO to 2,400-3,000 hours, increase performance between 6,000 and 12,500 ft., and drastically reduce Operating Costs.

The letter is intended for piston engines aircraft owners, manufacturers, fleet operators and FBOs, re-manufacturers of engines for these aircrafts, manufacturers of engine components and ancillaries, and all professionals acting in decisions of engine exchange or refitting at TBO, in North and South America, Pacific Rim, African continent, and all parts of the world were Avgas, Mogas, Kerosene and Jetfuel are available.

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