april2021 - 16

COVER STORY

Photos courtesy of Ramp Communications

Safety and reliability are the main
two factors considered when GSE is
being refurbished, explain officials
at Mallagahn, which specializes in
new GSE but offers refurbishment
services to its customers.
" There are a number of reasons
it's determined that a piece of GSE
will be refurbished which fall into
the categories of health and safety,
efficiency and reliability, " say Chris
Mallon, spare parts manager at Mallaghan Group, and Ryan McElhone,
head of customer care at Mallaghan
Group.
" Mallaghan's customer care
department offers various practical
and economical 'machine upgrade
and modification' solutions, which
entails safety upgrades such as
IATA AHM913 collision avoidance
system retrofits, vehicle refurbishments, accident repairs and vehicle
paintings. "

Refurb Candidates
Although certain cases may have
special requirements, essentially
any piece of GSE can be refurbished.
Common examples include baggage
tractors and belt-loaders, pre-conditioned air (PCA) and heater units,
ground power units (GPUs), baggage
carts, tow-bars and lavatory/water
carts.
" Throughout the PrimeFlight
network of companies, we have the
capabilities to refurbish a wide range
of equipment. Our ProFlo Industries
team mostly works to refurbish aircraft refueling equipment, including
Avgas and jet refuelers, hydrant dispensers, rampservicers and towable
hydrant carts, while PrimeFlight
GSE Maintenance also refurbishes
powered GSE such as tugs, pushbacks, belt-loaders, deicers and lav
trucks, " Bosserman says, noting the
most difficult equipment to refurbish is equipment that has little to no
parts support due to its age. " In addition, ProFlo LATAM refurbishes a
full line of refueling and GSE equipment within the free-trade zone of
Colombia, South America. "
Smaller GSE units are also candidates for refurbishment, according to
Chantel Donaldson, lead technician
at Ramp Communications.
Donaldson points out every part
of pushback, deicing, maintenance
and wireless headsets can be easily refurbished, including headset
accessory items like belt stations,
extension cords and Y-adapters.
" Headsets are almost infinitely
repairable, " Donaldson says. " The
lifespan of repaired units is dependent on handling, maintenance and
use of OEM parts. We frequently see
equipment that is 15 to 20 years old
that has had regular maintenance. "
For larger equipment, Weitzel
says most major components can
be refurbished, depending on the
capabilities of the GSE maintenance
shop.
" Typically, engines, transmissions,
axles, pumps and motors are all great

16 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE

APRIL 2021

REFURBS AMID THE
PANDEMIC
By Josh Smith
The COVID-19 pandemic and the subsequent reduction of airline traffic has had a varying effect on GSE
refurbs.
On one hand, less flights means less everyday wear
and tear on equipment. But on the other, it has been
easier to remove equipment from service.
" In some cases, furloughs and layoffs would have impacted the ability to keep up with regular maintenance
requirements - let alone add refurbishments to the
task saturated GSE workflow. Companies who did not
lose employees could have efficiently done refurbishments if their financial forecasts allowed, " says Matt
Weitzel, regional sales manager at Xced.
" The pandemic could have also accelerated the
retirement of older, more costly to maintain GSE and
any excess equipment could have been scrapped
and used for parts, " he adds. " Supply chains were
stretched very thin, so cannibalizing older equipment
would have been a way to combat parts shortages. "
According to Terry Bosserman, president of ProFlo Industries, a PrimeFlight company, refurbishment business has continued to increase during the pandemic
as customers look for way to reduce costs without
impacting their operations.
" Leveraging refurbished equipment in place of brandnew equipment is one way to do that, " he points out.
" The pandemic has also resulted in additional used
equipment being released for sale as lower volumes
require less equipment. This inventory has been used
as refurbishment cores. "
Officials at Mallaghan GSE say the COVID-19 pandemic has increased the number of customer enquiries for
GSE unit retrofits and refurbs, providing opportunities
to support customers' recovery and growth.
At Ramp Communications, where lead technician
Chantel Donaldson's team repairs headsets, there
was a dip in repair volume in the spring and summer
of 2020 due to reduced flight traffic. However, inbound shelves were never empty.
" We have not noticed a change in the number of units
close to end of life. We repair any headset as long as
it is cost-effective to do so, " Donaldson says. " We are
seeing repair volume picking up quickly. "
Overall, explains Weitzel, a re-balancing of GSE has
and will continue to take place as the result of the
global pandemic. How much depends on how GSE
fits into a company's recovery strategy.

april2021

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