Rotorcraft
Improving supply chain a priority for MDHI leader
Charles Vehlow, newly appointed president of MD Helicopters, hopes to become the strong link in a broken supply chain that has plagued the Mesa, Ariz.-base

Charles Vehlow, newly appointed president of MD Helicopters, hopes to become the strong link in a broken supply chain that has plagued the Mesa, Ariz.-based manufacturer.

“A year ago, we had a couple of hundred aircraft grounded due to lack of parts,” Vehlow told AIN. “We’ve decreased that number by more than 90 percent. In some cases as we looked through our supply chain, we found there were suppliers that were no longer providing the part, or were providing parts not of the quality to ensure they could be used dependably. In some cases suppliers were going out of business. We’ve refreshed the supply chain and brought in new suppliers. We’ve worked with them by finding new materials.”