AMETEK MRO Muirhead Avionics, a provider of aviation MRO services, has appointed David Bentley as vice president and business unit manager in the UK. He was previously responsible for AMETEK MRO's businesses in the American midwest.

With over two decades of MRO experience from previous senior roles at Dowty/Smiths/GE and Nordam, Bentley's focus is firmly centred on operational expenditure, and he will bring this expertise to the fore as he joins Muirhead Avionics at a dynamic time in the company's history. “The Muirhead Avionics business has an impressive 73 year history,” he says. “Our customer base is robust, and we have experience on more than 7,000 avionic control components over a wide range of the world's aircraft types including: instruments/indicators, weather and mission radar, audio and cockpit controls, ground support equipment, repair management, navigation and communication aids, flight data and cockpit recorder analysis and repair.”

AMETEK MRO Avtech will shortly be relocating its Florida business to the UK and this will fall under Bentley's remit. “This integration will significantly enhance our capabilities to include IRUs (inertial refence units), MCDUs (multi-function control and display units), autopilot and cockpit displays,” he explains.

The Muirhead Avionics facility will soon be moving from its current location to a large high-tech new facility close to London Heathrow Airport. The additional space will not only house increased repair capabilities but offer further scope to expand. Bentley is keen to observe that the opportunity to streamline processes and broaden the customer base is high on his list of priorities.

“We aim to solve our customers' requirements through continuous improvements that save costs via our 'repair versus replace' philosophy. Muirhead Avionics already has multiple approvals from the world's largest OEMs to repair their components and as we look to further enhance what we can offer we will search for opportunities to grow organically and through acquisitions.”

Muirhead Avionics already has a strong reputation in the commercial sector but is looking to extend its specialist MRO services in the military arena. “Supporting legacy aircraft is our core competence, together with ARC (approved repair centre) partnerships,” concludes Bentley. “I look forward to meeting these new challenges and to writing the next chapter with the team at Muirhead Avionics.”