This was the first GCC meeting ever held in Mainland China. Participation was good with five members and 11 guests, the highest attendance since its inception in APAC in 2012. The meeting also had the highest representation of operators and pilots as well as customers based in China, one of the fastest developing business jet markets in the world.
The GCC is an independent group of aerospace professionals that works jointly with Honeywell to bring about improvement in aircraft, equipment, operations and services by seeking input from members on any concerns and issues based on the operator's experience. Once the input is collected, the committee consolidates and prioritizes input into Global Top 25 list. Committee members work collaboratively to prevent problems from recurrence.
At the Beijing meeting, the planning team created a robust agenda specifically tailored to Honeywell’s customers in the region. Among the topics, Honeywell highlighted the mobile application, Direct Access, for B&GA customers. This project was successfully launched globally prior to NBAA. Tim Beatty, Vice President C&PS, conducted a live demonstration for the attendees that showcased how easily and swiftly customers can locate Honeywell service personnel closest to their location.
In addition to global projects, the meeting included discussions on Honeywell’s Safety Management System (SMS), in-region Spares Exchange (SPEX) stocking levels, Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC) tag requirements, and Honeywell’s avionics mandates solutions.
The event was filled with good discussion and thanks to an increased representation from mainland China operators, perspectives and opinions from different angles were shared and embraced. At the conclusion of the meeting, Honeywell was able to close five items on the Global Top 25 list and four topics were recommended for closure at the GCC call scheduled in December 2013. The meeting garnered positive feedback from customers who heard from Tim Beatty and other Honeywell product and process experts whose presentations aligned with the opportunities and challenges in the region.
Honeywell also extends a special thank you to Mr. Pat Dunn, APAC GCC Chairman, for hosting his first meeting as Chairman and helping us close out the 2013 face to face event calendar on a strong and productive note.
“We were very pleased by the participation of our customers especially the Chinese operators in the meeting. The GCC community in APAC has been growing rapidly under a global operating system. With the valuable two-way exchanges at the meeting, we’re better equipped at improving our products and services, and at further developing our B&GA business in APAC and other regions.” said Tim Beatty.