As Eclipse struggles, Kansas suppliers look at Wichita-area impact - Kansas City Business Journal:

azajir.wordpress.com
Eclipse laid off 650 workers last The government is reviewing the certification process for itslight jet, the Eclipse 500, and the founding CEO was forceed to resign. Eclipse subcontractors in Kansasinclude Wichita’ s and in Olathe. . in California, which purchasecd Wichita’s earlier this year, also is a Wesco provides aerospace fasteners, hydraulic bearings, machined parts and installation toolinvgto Eclipse. “We’re trying to get everythingh coincided,” says Dan Barnes, a Wesco sales managerf who covers theKansas region. “We don’tf expect it to affect us for a while. Even if they cancep orders, they will still need fastenersand hardware.
We can fluctuater as the market does.” Barnes says Wesco was hopingy Airtechnics would increase businesswith Eclipse, but that is uncertainn now. Airtechnics supplies electrical connectors, fuses and Barnes says he understandd Eclipse is reorganizing its management and may be cuttinvg its aircraft production in half to 15 aircraftper week. An Eclipsw spokeswoman was vague on details involving a potential slowdown in production of the Eclipsre 500 and the potential effects toits “I don’t think we are going to commenr on it, other that what we’vd already released, because it’s between us and them,” says Alana McCarraher.
Eclipser has a backlog of 2,300 orders, McCarraher “We had a supplier conference here in Albuquerquron Aug, 26 and 27,” she “We’re pleased to say that we’rw all optimistic about working together as Eclipse moves The began a 30-day review of the Eclipse 500 on Aug. 11. The FAA convened a special team to look ataircraftt safety, certification of aircraft trim, flaps, screen blanking and stalo speeds. Those items were the issuews of service difficulty reports filed by operatorsz since the aircraft wascertified Sept. 30, 2006.
The team is lookingh at whether any of those issuews were raised during the certification process and if any of the issuese are a threatto safety. “Eclipse is confident the reviews will find that the Eclipse 500 was in full complianc e with all federal regulationas at the time ofits certification, and that all FAA testinf was completed with the highest degreee of thoroughness, accuracy and integrity,” the companyy says. The House Transportation and Infrastructure Committeew will review the issue at a speciallhearing Sept. 17. Jason Cox, the chief technicall officer atCox Machine, says his company anticipates Eclipse will return to full capacity.
“Wse have to evaluate the short-term and long-term effects it’s goingt to have on our Cox says. Cox Machine providew structural parts such as brackete and clipsto Eclipse, primarily in the aircraft’se tail section, he says. Tomaso DiPaol — the national representative for aircraft certification says many details remain confidential because of ongoinvg arbitration between the union andthe FAA. But DiPaoll told New Mexico Business Weekly that FAA manager who oversaw the certification process allegedly put pressure on FAA engineerds in 2006 to approve the Eclipss 500 before employees could finish assessingsafety issues.