Embraer Services & Support showcased TechCare Space at the 2019 staging of LABACE, Latin America's largest business aviation fair. The exhibit included a portfolio of interior design elements from manufacturers in the aircraft customisation market. This collection represents the new interior workshop showroom at the OEM's Sorocaba service centre, Brazil.

Embraer's interior workshop has two strategic partners in Latin America: Embraer Design Operations (EDO), winner of the Design Et Al Award in the Interior Design/VIP Completion category for the Bossa Nova project and responsible for the internal and external design of the company's executive jets; and F/LIST Brasil, which has expertise in high-end cabin interior services, from on-site repairs and upholstery services to cabin interior upgrades and complete retrofits.

Both partners offer customisation and redesign services, which involve replacing carpets, fabrics and leather, in addition to varnish and veneer work and stone, wood, vinyl and leather flooring installations.

Among the projects already developed by the interior workshop is the complete revitalisation of a 10-year-old Legacy 600, with the replacement of leather armchairs, removal and application of varnish on wood surfaces, replacement of carpet and vinyl flooring installation in the galley. In another project, an eight-year-old Phenom 100 received new ultra-leather panel coating, varnished cabin bulkheads and doors, formica repairs and seat leather and base restoration.

The business model of the Sorocaba service centre, which just completed five years of operation, is based on the one-stop-shop concept. With one stop, Embraer customers have access to an integrated portfolio of solutions ranging from scheduled maintenance to various types of services on their aircraft, such as minor repairs or complete tailor-made interior and exterior renovations, enhancing their ownership experience.

“We are working to consolidate the one-stop-shop concept to become one of the most complete service centres in the region. We are developing new markets to offer our services to more aviation customers,” says Everton Vicente de Lima, general manager of the service centre.

To streamline the aircraft customisation process, Embraer has launched an iPad app for customers to evaluate and validate various aircraft configurations with immediate visualisation of selected interior and exterior design options. The application shows the materials and colours available, allowing the customer to select every detail, simulate from multiple paint schemes, choosing colour and pattern composition, saving options for later comparison and refinement of final selection.

“We prioritise customer experience and productivity. It was once an interactive, multi-meeting process where the client and our design team relied on material samples or photos generated from previous projects. The app has revolutionised this experience by opening up the possibilities for the customer to explore the limits of creativity and their preferences for colours and materials from the comfort of their home, giving them immediate insight into potential interior and exterior design schemes,” says Frank Chavez, director of interior design at Embraer Executive Aviation.

The Embraer service centre in Sorocaba has a modern infrastructure of hangars, workshops and VIP lounges, which offer a broad portfolio of services, including aircraft maintenance, component and interior repair, hangar space, line service and technical maintenance management.

For the past five years the Sorocaba service centre has supported approximately 70 per cent of Brazilian customers, keeping them in operation to ensure the highest aircraft availability, returning more than 90 per cent of the aircraft to operation in less than 24 hours.