Company Adds Satellite Service Stations, More GoTeams, New
Levels Of ASCs In Outlying Areas
In an effort to deliver an industry leading service center
experience to Falcon customers, Dassault recently undertook a major
review of both its Company Owned and Authorized Service Center
(ASC) network. “Our overall objective is pretty
simple,” said Jacques Chauvet, Senior Vice President of
Worldwide Customer Service for Dassault Falcon. “We must
improve the service experience for Falcon owners, no matter where
they are based and wherever they fly. To do this, we will expand
what we call our ‘footprint’ of service.”
Currently, Dassault Falcon has five Company Owned Service
Centers and 26 Authorized Service Centers (ASC) strategically
located throughout the world. In addition, the company recently
added five Satellite Service Stations with ‘GoTeams’
positioned on four continents. At the time the traditional
Falcon ASCs were established, the basic philosophy was that each
center needed to meet an ultimate level of requirements in terms of
equipment and services to support all Falcon models, up to and
including “C” inspections. While this philosophy works
well in areas with large Falcon populations such as Europe and the
United States, it proved less practical in some of the new,
emerging markets for business jets.
“We are now putting in place a stronger, more vibrant
network that will allow ASCs to specialize in one or two aircraft
models if they choose or to support all Falcon models through all
phases of maintenance," Chauvet continued. "What our customers will
see is a more specialized approach that will provide a quicker
reaction to their needs.”
The new Dassault Falcon ASC structure will be divided into three
categories: Heavy, Major and Line maintenance.
- “Heavy Service Centers” will provide comprehensive
customer support for all Falcon models and hold local regulatory
approvals as well as those from the FAA and EASA. Most of the ASCs
in North America and many in Europe fall into this category
offering a complete line of services including all levels of
maintenance and inspections, Rapid Response AOG teams,
refurbishments and upgrades.
- “Major Service Centers” will provide comprehensive
support for Falcons of a particular model series and hold local
regulatory approvals as well as those from the FAA and EASA.
Services will typically include all maintenance including AOG
service and inspections through a ‘C’ check. Five
centers located in Finland, Germany, Singapore, South Africa, and
the U.S. fall into this category.
- “Line Service Centers” will provide support for
specific Falcon models and hold a minimum of local regulatory
approvals. Services include what is typically called line
maintenance up through A and A+ checks. Thirteen centers around the
globe fall into this category.
To further enhance Dassault’s “footprint of
service” Dassault Falcon has introduced company owned
Satellite Service Stations. These facilities are an extension of an
existing Company owned service center and are staffed with
technicians, AOG support tooling and a targeted inventory of
spares.
“This is a valuable new program that will directly and
indirectly benefit all of our operators in many ways,” said
Pierre Thielin, Vice President Customer Service for the Eastern
Hemisphere. “It allows us to be closer to our customers and
to respond more rapidly to their needs. It will also increase
available resources at our company owned service centers to respond
to AOG situations.”
The Satellite Service Stations will support basic line
maintenance up through A inspections. Each will be staffed with an
AOG GoTeam which will provide rapid mobile response directly
to an aircraft location with the parts and tools necessary to get
an operator’s Falcon flying with minimal delay. The first
such facility in the United States was opened recently in St.
Louis, Missouri. Other sites currently in operation are located in
Nice, France; Rome, Italy; Moscow, Russia and London, United
Kingdom.
Currently other locations for Satellite Service Stations are
being considered in the Northeast, Southeast and Western United
States. In unveiling the new customer services strategies at
Dassault Falcon, Chauvet was quick to credit the strong guidance
coming from the company’s Worldwide operator Advisory
Board (OAB). “This Board represents a cross section of all
Falcon operators from around the world and has been instrumental in
helping us set priorities,” said Chauvet.