A multi-engine, instrument rated pilot, James Wynbrandt has been an AIN and Business Jet Traveler contributor since 2003. His in-depth reporting and insightful features have won more than a dozen editorial honors, including two National Business Aviation Association Gold Wing Awards (2019; 2021), and his articles have also appeared in the New York Times, Barron’s, Fortune, Forbes, and Smithsonian Air &amp; Space. He has flown his Mooney M20K 252 on assignments throughout North and Central America and the Caribbean. Wynbrandt is also the author of Flying High (Wiley &amp; Sons), a biography of Jet Blue founder David Neeleman, as well as histories, references works, and books on a variety of other topics from major publishers. He lives in New York City.

Contributor - Business Aviation

James Wynbrandt

Daher, manufacturer of the TBM 940 and Kodiak 100 single-engine turboprops, expects to deliver&nbsp;50 of the French-built TBMs, and 20 of the U.S.-made Kodiaks this year, putting the manufacturer on pace to surpass&nbsp;60 airframes for the first time since the product line has combined.&nbsp; The French company further believes&nbsp;that it will&nbsp;hit the 100 deliveries per year mark in 2023, Nicolas Chabbert, senior v-p of Daher’s aircraft division, told AIN at NBAA-BACE.&nbsp;

 


Chabbert described Daher’s “milestones and achievements” since purchasing Kodiak two years ago, including the recent introductions of the Kodiak 100 Series III and the HomeSafe feature, Daher’s branded version of the Garmin emergency autoland system, on the TBM 940.

 


But first and foremost, Chabbert said, the 2019 acquisition of Sand Point, Idaho-based Kodiak manufacturer Quest expanded Daher’s portfolio. This moved the company “from a single product to a product line with two distinct, different turboprops,” with the sleek and fast TBM 940 complemented by the rugged utility of the Kodiak. “We continue to demonstrate we are not a small player," Chabbert said. “We are definitely planning to grow in the U.S."

 


“It’s not clear for many,” Chabbert continued, “but Daher is one of only three aircraft manufacturers that have manufacturing footprints on both sides of the Atlantic,” citing Airbus and Embraer as the others. “We’re joining that club with facilities in Sand Point and Tarbes,” the French city where Daher is headquartered and the TBM built.

 


Since the Kodiak acquisition, Daher has focused on finding and developing “synergy between the two groups,” Chabbert said, an effort that began with the all-important customer service end of the businesses, where the TBM scores highly among customers. “We needed to have Kodiak adapt the programs and agree it’s a priority, and now they are totally convinced,” he said.

 


Daher also nurtures a strong ongoing relationship with its owner-pilots, keeping in close contact with its customers, such as through its Me &amp; My TBM app, and providing them with ongoing support, efforts that Kodiak will make part of its programs.

 


The new Kodiak 100 Series III is a basic executive version of the aircraft, equipped with all fittings for future upgrades including floats, as well as offering options for interior cabinetry and other upscale appointments, so it can meet needs spanning special missions and utility operations to executive transport.

 


Daher’s growth is based on three complementary components: aerostructures manufacturing; managing logistics; and innovations. As a major subcontractor, Daher makes and supplies aerostructure to OEMs including Airbus, Boeing, Bombardier, and Embraer. Logistics-wise, Daher manages supply chains, for example managing all the warehousing for Airbus Helicopters. Finally, investments in innovative technologies, big data, and research and development, will support all its other activities, Chabbert said, proclaiming, “We are the turkey in the sandwich."

 


Citing the challenges presented by the pandemic to&nbsp;Daher, as Covid-19&nbsp;did to all manufacturers, during these developments, Chabbert credited Daher’s “family-owned, long-term view” of the market for the company’s survival and progress, and its “strategic core, with long-term financial goals different than in a shareholder structure,” which typically demand quarterly reporting and results.

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