With the engine overhaul and aftermarket parts business growing ever more competitive, Superior Air Parts announced this week that it’s extending the warranty on its Millennium cylinder line to 37 months. A longer warranty will also apply to other components Superior markets into the field overhaul segment.
“We feel like we’ve made some significant strides at making our product better, so why not put our money where our mouth is from a warranty perspective,” says Superior’s Scott Hayes. On piece parts, Superior is increasing its warranty to 24 months, up from 12 months, Hayes said.
Superior has a strong market presence in the Continental engine cylinder market, but it also has a selection of jugs for Lycoming engines, plus a range of overhaul parts used by field shops. In this podcast recorded ahead of AirVenture, Hayes said Superior continues to sell cylinders at just under prices asked by the OEMs and that it intends to hold those price points. Continental Motors has also exerted fresh competition into the market by adding Lycoming cylinders to its market mix following its purchase of the assets of ECI.
As in other manufacturing sectors in both aviation and automotive, the penetration of less-expensive five-axis machinery has pushed quality up and costs down, making it possible to build higher quality parts at the same or lower prices than just five years ago, Hayes says.
