Jetrader - January/February 2013 - 12

what the market is demanding more and more. The BMP Guides and the accreditation processes are important because they were developed by industry, by people who do this work day-to-day. They will go some way to helping us ﬁlter out the cowboys.” The new BMP Guide has been fully incorporated into AFRA’s accreditation program, providing a framework for the independent assessment and accreditation of those speciﬁcally involved in aircraft materials recycling. AFRA has now added aircraft materials recycling to an extensive list of retired aircraft management activities, independently audited then accredited, that were built into previous versions of the Program. The ﬁrst two companies to be accredited under the new BMP Guide were ELG Metals and Huron Valley Fritz West, and were later followed by Robert Gibbs Company and Universal Recycling Company. The Guide will be used by an independent auditor to review and audit a recycler’s facilities, procedures and documents. This latest version of the BMP Guide follows on from AFRA’s ﬁrst BMP Guide, which was launched in the summer of 2008 and focused on environmental best practice around the management of used aircraft parts and assemblies. The ﬁrst BMP looked at the management of aircraft parts and products taken from aircraft reaching the end of their service life, whether these are intended to be returned to commercial aircraft service or not.

The new BMP guide basically provides practical solutions for all those working in the ﬁeld of aircraft parts and materials recycling, and the accompanying AFRA audit and accreditation program assures that the facilities operate in a safe and environmentally responsible fashion, while allowing businesses to ﬁnd sustainable solutions for themselves and their customers. Scott Laughlin, Vice-President Operations at Huron Valley Fritz West, one of those ﬁrst companies to be accredited under AFRA’s new BMP Guide, stated: “We believe AFRA Accredited companies will create improved value propositions and create increased business opportunities in a sector which increasingly appreciates a commitment to environmental best practice.” The new BMP Guide recognizes that aircraft recyclers represent a growing proportion of AFRA membership; this new guide will help them capture maximum value from aircraft which have reached the end of revenue service, by increasing the amounts of materials that can be recycled and raising the overall residual value of the high-grade materials used in aircraft manufacturing. The new guide has been developed by AFRA members whose business span the commercial aircraft life cycle, from original equipment manufacturing through maintenance, leasing and operations, on to endof-service disassembly, parts recovery and aircraft materials recycling. The publication collates industry best practice.

Fraissignes added: “AFRA is extremely proud of this new guide. It is a perfect example of industry taking the initiative in addressing the important issues which face the aircraft end-of-life industry. We believe the new BMP Guide and its accompanying audit and accreditation program enables businesses to develop a more systematic and specialized approach to aircraft materials recycling, which leads to better segregation, separation, and resale of these expensive materials.” Speaking at the launch of the new BMP in Las Vegas, AFRA Deputy Director Bill Carberry stated: “This new guide provides valuable solutions to aircraft materials recyclers who wish to be at the cutting edge of sustainable and environmental best practices in their industry. This publication reinforces AFRA’s leadership role in promoting environmental excellence in all areas of end-of-service aircraft.” AFRA launched its ﬁrst BMP Guide in the summer of 2008. This ﬁrst Guide primarily dealt with environmental best practice around aircraft disassembly and parts removal. The second version of the BMP came out in May 2009, and amalgamated best practice for dealing with engine dismantling and parts disposal. This was incorporated into the earlier BMP on airframe disassembly. The new version also gave a new and clear deﬁnition of an “airworthiness event,” setting out in detail the circumstances under which the industry feels it appropriate to convey

The new guide has been developed by AFRA members whose business span the commercial aircraft life cycle, from original equipment manufacturing through maintenance, leasing and operations, on to end-of-service disassembly, parts recovery and aircraft materials recycling.
Jason Dickstein, AFRA’s legal counsel, who has been intimately involved in the drafting and editing of all three versions of the Best Management Practice Guides, believes that, “AFRA have ﬁnally connected all the dots with the release of this guide. They have realized a vision to develop excellence in all areas of end-of-life aircraft management. The set of BMP Guides are clearly at the center of industry efforts to promote and encourage environmental best practice in this sector.” Denis Oliver, Manager Aerospace Business Development of ELG Metals, which has also received accreditation through the new AFRA BMP Guide, believes that “this new AFRA initiative undoubtedly promotes environmental and operational excellence in our sector, which is what we are dedicated to. We are happy to be associated with the new guide and have utilized it to assess and where necessary improve our practices and procedures.” information about the past history of parts. What is unique about the AFRA BMP Guides is that they originated from industry and show the aircraft end-of-life sector at its best, co-operating, taking the initiative and acting responsibility. In AELS van Heerden’s words, “These BMPs are not about responding to government oversight, they are about industry stating where best practice lies, where standards need to be improved and where the bar needs to be raised. This is what AFRA is all about.”

12 The ofﬁcial publication of the International Society of Transport Aircraft Trading
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Jetrader - January/February 2013

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Jetrader - January/February 2013
