More than 20 years of operations and still growing strong: EPCOR, the AFI KLM E&M center of excellence for the repair of APUs and components, has marked a new milestone in its development by launching a major expansion of its facilities. Known as EPCOR XXL, the project will boost EPCOR’s efficiency and the level of support provided to its customers.
Paris, Amstelveen, 18th of October 2023 - Facing consistently high levels of demand, EPCOR was beginning to feel understandably cramped within its current infrastructure. Since its foundation in 1999, the center specializing in APU and component support has been constantly expanding and developing its industrial facilities in order to absorb near-continuous growth from its worldwide customer base. Shortly before the pandemic, the opportunity presented itself for EPCOR to take over a neighboring building and expand its industrial facilities from today’s 4,000 to over 10,000m2.
More space equals greater operational efficiency
Once the EPCOR XXL expansion project is achieved (completion scheduled for beginning 2025), the MRO shop will have the ability to double its production capacity, with the ambition of taking in more than 600 APUs per year and more than 4500 components per year.
Heidi Haveman, Managing Director of EPCOR, explains that in addition to “addressing current square meter limitations we were facing, the project is the best way to sustain the development of our organization across our two core business lines: APUs for the A220,320,330,340 family, B737/777/787 and components for the 787/737, Cabin Air Compressor Modules and Air Cycle Machines. The goal of the project is to allocate more space for our lean operations. In this way, we will be able to serve our current 67 customers worldwide and our new customers in a faster and more efficient way.”
Supporting the philosophy of “Repair rather than replace”
EPCOR is placing major focus on the development of new repair methods in its projects and facilities. A Repair Lab space boasting dedicated teams and innovative technologies, such as digital CNC milling machines or Plasma and Cold Spray equipment, will be devoted to this purpose. In alignment with other shops in the AFI KLM E&M network, EPCOR is prioritizing the mantra of “repair rather than replace,” and equipping itself with the means to integrate this principle wherever possible within its processes. This is an added-value approach for its customers, for whom it represents a vector for the reduction of costs and TATs, as well as being pro-sustainability. Indeed, in keeping with the Group’s wider strategy and ambitions, EPCOR is focusing particular attention on the sustainability angle, integrating it into its construction project via the use of recycled materials, for example.
During construction EPCOR added and improved new roofing for better isolation, new HR++ glass and instead of gas heated heating placed heat pumps to reduce CO2 and NOx emissions. We also added charging stations for electrical cars with more to come. Within the next 5 years we will also add solar panels.
Spaces to boost collective performance
Finally, the project’s innovative dimension lies not only in the integration of new-generation industrial resources, but also in the design of an overhauled working environment, oriented toward collaboration and collective intelligence.
This will put teams, the EPCORians, in a better position to work together and welcome new talent in the best possible circumstances, as EPCOR pursues an ambitious recruitment plan to meet the needs of EPCOR XXL and its future development prospects.