US MRO Stevens Aerospace and Defense Systems has received the FAA Award of Excellence Diamond Award for 2020 for its facility at Smyrna airport in Nashville, Tennessee. The award comes as a result of participating in the FAA Aviation Maintenance Technician (AMT) awards programme.

The FAA AMT awards programme was established to encourage employers and technicians to participate in initial and recurrent training programmes, and the FAA recognises these companies and individuals through this programme. Stevens' Nashville location has received this prestigious award every year since 2014. Stevens has placed a high focus on safety and continued training since its inception in 1950.

“We have a highly effective training programme aimed at improving safety, quality, reliability and technical knowledge,” says Kenyon Blacker, general manager Nashville location. “To achieve this award, our technicians must complete and pass at least twelve hours of specialised training, as well as additional courses through the FAA. This level of training and commitment is important to us and our customers as it keeps us growing and continually improving, which ultimately gives the aircraft owner a better experience and safer aircraft.”

Stevens has also announced that its Donaldson Field airport location in Greenville, South Carolina has recently acquired a Hass VF-2SS High-Performance Super-Speed Vertical CNC machine, providing it with the capability to manufacture parts in-house. This capability will serve all four Stevens locations and will decrease customer costs and downtimes when immediate or lower cost parts needs arise or when vendor lead times and price points can be improved.

The investment will also aid in Stevens' STC development projects, resulting in quicker solutions to market at reduced costs. Combining this new capability with Stevens' in-house engineering support ultimately gives the customer a better product, at a lower cost and a quicker return to service.

“In-house machining is a big part of our strategy to complete major modifications and in-depth repairs efficiently and effectively,” comments Travis Fleshman, maintenance manager at Stevens' Greenville location. “The ability to fabricate custom parts, then walk out on the floor and fit them to the airplane reduces cost and saves precious time. Every process at Stevens Aerospace is designed and implemented with an eye to our customers and their needs. Our machining capability is no different.”