S&K Logistics Services forms relationship with Middle East Propulsion Company
S&K Logistics Services (SKLS) recently expanded its distribution services to include representing sources of manufacture and supply in Saudi Arabia to military defense platform operators around the world. SKLS established partnership agreements with Middle East Propulsion Company based in Riyadh and Aircraft Accessories and Components Company based in Jeddah. The groundwork and agreements were months in the making and formalized publicly during the Dubai Air Show.
“S&K has been working with both companies to serve the Royal Saudi Air Force since the early 2000’s,” said SKLS President Dave Rariden. “These agreements are the most recent high point in a long history of collaboration between outstanding service providers and S&K companies to serve our customers’ needs.”
Middle East Propulsion Company (MEPC) is fast becoming a premier engine overhaul and repair service facility in the GCC region. They have been serving the Royal Saudi Air Force for many years both with the backing of major propulsion OEMs as well as premier secondary engine overhaul and repair service providers.
Over the past five years, MEPC has made great gains in developing capabilities in-house by augmenting its engineering and technical staff. The results have been outstanding with MEPC being able to serve regional customers more efficiently than other service facilities through lean operations and great reductions in shipping time.
Aircraft Accessories and Components Company (AACC) has been a critical strategic partner to S&K in serving regional operators for nearly 20 years. They are currently undertaking a major capital and technical investment that will soon allow the company to compete with any major component overhaul facility in the world.
“The transformation is massive, broad in scope, and very exciting for anyone relying on exceptional repair facilities to win new business,” says James Schaan, VP, Business Development for SKLS. “We have seen dozens of repair facilities around the world and worked for or with a good a number of them. When all of the new facilities are operational and the workforce is in place, AACC’s capabilities will be unbeatable worldwide.”
In addition to having long working relationships with the leaders of these companies, MEPC and AACC both see the great success S&K companies have had reaching operators of defense platforms around the world and want to capitalize on those connections.
Gail Schmer, VP MRO Operations for SKLS defines the relationships as shrinking the planet, “S&K has the relationships and contract vehicles in place to serve US-allied military forces in every corner of the world. We connect exceptional service providers to our customer’s day in and day out wherever they both may be, saving time and money for operators while keeping their defense systems fully mission capable. We manage the regulatory and contractual matters while our partner facilities manage the servicing of components. Every supplier is critical to us and we all provide critical support to our customers.”
SKLS’ MRO Division has grown dramatically over the past five years. They now have formal distribution agreements with over 30 manufacturers and sources of repair and continuously add more.
“We are extremely careful about who we offer our distribution services to and we know exactly what we intend to accomplish every time we add a source of supply or repair to our portfolio,” said Gail Schmer. “We are also very quiet about how we go about our business. We focus on serving our customers’ needs and not making a big splash about it.”
And as for the publicity and press releases at one of the largest air shows in the world?
“We still have to get the word out to potential customers, and we did,” Dave Rariden says with a laugh. “Operators like to know that S&K is geographically unbounded. Whatever it takes, we will connect allied military forces to the best service providers in the world. It’s good for them, good for our repair facility partners, and most importantly, good for the long-term benefit of our shareholders.”
Learn more about S&K Logistics Services at: https://www.sklogisticsservices.com