Paris, Amstelveen, 10 July 2018 – EPCOR unveiled its very latest investment: a state-of-the-art test cell dedicated to the Cabin Air Compressors (CAC) equipping Boeing 787 Dreamliner fleets. The presentation was part of a ceremony at the EPCOR base in Schiphol, The Netherlands, attended by company employees and Messrs. Maarten Koopmans, KLM E&M Vice-President Component Services, and Lou Auletta, President and CEO of Bauer, Inc., the test cell’s design company.

The best of technology
This event is the outcome of a project that kicked off in 2016 and has required a very large investment. In-depth research was carried out by Bauer to develop a bespoke system that meets EASA requirements. The outcome is that EPCOR’s CAC test cell uses the best available technology in terms of performance and safety: it is easy to operate and features cutting edge software to record, store and exploit test data. The installation, which complies with European Union aviation regulations, has been given the green light by the authorities, enabling EPCOR to certify CACs after testing in the test cell.

TATs further optimized
EPCOR is thus the first repair shop in Europe able to handle CACs from A to Z directly in its own workshops. Through this insourcing move, EPCOR can offer customers operating 787 fleets substantially reduced TATs: the new test cell cuts out the lengthy logistics circuits that were necessary until now to obtain CAC certification after final testing at the OEM, UTAS.

EPCOR Managing Director Martijn de Vries said: “Because the CAC is a component that has yet to reach full maturity, EPCOR’s all-round capability on this product is a real bonus in terms of responsiveness and availability and hence of operational availability, for the fleets operated by our customers. This investment is part of EPCOR’s business development strategy. Our ambition is to integrate even more components into our support for new-generation 787, 737MAX and A350 fleets, and that includes obtaining approvals from the Chinese authorities.”

As a result, EPCOR’s exhaustive offer for 787 CACs has extended the capability list of its workshops, which already featured comprehensive overhaul and test capabilities for the Air Cycle Machines (ACMs) equipping Boeing 737, 747, 777 and 787 fleets.