Can you pinpoint one or two industry trends that emerged in 2013? One could argue that the debates about OEMs' increasing penetration of the aftermarket became more vociferous this year. But did they? While safety issues will be mainly black or white, many MRO issues have shifted to shades of gray. Consider ST Aerospace, which logged the most airframe maintenance man-hours, 11.5 million, in Aviation Week's latest Top 10 MRO Survey (AW&ST MRO Edition June 24, p. MR04). While ST Aerospace President Chang Cheow Teck recently told me in Singapore that he sees increasing OEM competitiveness and consolidation in the aftermarket, the independent MRO became the inaugural service provider for UTC Aerospace Systems' nacelles on the Boeing 787.
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