Aviation Painting Services celebrates ‘16/20’ milestone

Aviation Painting Services celebrates ‘16/20’ milestone

Hamilton, New Zealand – Economic Development Minister, Hon Steven Joyce, joined invited guests at Aviation Painting Services in Hamilton today to celebrate the company’s milestone of painting 16 aircraft in 20 weeks since it opened its doors.

CEO, Phil Hanrahan, says achieving the ‘16/20’ milestone is a testament to the facility’s purpose-built design. “No other painting facility in New Zealand is capable of achieving what we’ve achieved in this short amount of time. Our facility is the only one in the country that is purpose-built and our primary asset is the oven inside which we strip, paint and dry the aircraft.”

The oven at Aviation Painting Services is 7200 square metres in volume and heats to 60 degrees Celsius in 15 minutes. The oven, coupled with the industry’s latest spray –painting technologies, has resulted in staff being able to paint an aircraft 65% faster than any current facility operating in Australasia.

“The oven speeds up throughput tremendously because it dries an aircraft in 30 minutes, allowing us to apply the next coat within the hour. Aircraft painted in typical hanger conditions often take several days to dry between coats, depending on temperature and humidity. We can apply 11 coats of paint in five days, which is impossible at any other painting facility in New Zealand,” explains Mr Hanrahan.

Opened in December 2011, Aviation Painting Services is an example of one of the most successful private/public partnerships in the country. The facility is a joint venture project between Phil Hanrahan’s IGS Group and the Waikato-based Aviation Industry Cluster. The Aviation Industry Cluster is a 50/50 joint venture partner in the $2.5 million project; investment funds were granted to the cluster organisation by New Zealand Trade and Enterprise through the Major Regional Initiative Programme.

Aviation Painting Services is the only purpose-built Civil Aviation Authority compliant painting facility in the country that can be accessed by general aviation and independent airline operators from within New Zealand and the greater Pacific region.

The painting facility employs around 20 staff and ramps up to 35 at peak times. “If you take into account the new jobs we’ve created here, plus the additional services we’re contracting in from a variety of companies, we’ll inject an estimated $10 million into the local economy each year,” explains Mr Hanrahan.

The 16 aircraft painted as part of the company’s ‘16/20’ milestone represent 12 customers. Seven (7) of the 16 aircraft were helicopters.

“We’ve been privileged to paint aircraft for major customers like Air New Zealand subsidiary, Eagle Air, and Oceania. We’ve also had around 50 smaller jobs painting aircraft components, with much of that work coming from our two neighbours, Hamilton Aero Maintenance and Aeromotive,” says Mr Hanrahan.

Aviation Painting Services’ largest job to date was on display for Minister Joyce and guests today. The company is currently painting Ossie James’ iconic DC-3 aircraft in its original James Aviation Ltd livery. The DC-3/C47 B Aircraft ZK-AZL has spent the last 38 years in the Ag Heritage complex at Mystery Creek Events Centre. Painting will be completed in time for the aircraft by to be on display at Hamilton’s National Fieldays event in June.
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Aviation Painting Services at a glance:

• Milestone: painted 16 aircraft in 20 weeks since opening
• 9 airplanes and 7 helicopters painted as part of milestone
• Painting oven heats to 60 degrees C in 15 minutes
• Oven is 30X30 square metres in area and 7200 square metres in volume
• Facility has largest cantilevered door in NZ
• 1600 litres of non-chromated paint used in 20 weeks
• 460 litres of environmentally-friendly paint stripper used in 20 weeks
• Over 10,000 aviation labour hours ‘burned’ in 20 weeks
• Up to 1800 litres of natural gas is delivered each fortnight, making the company one of the largest gas user in the greater Hamilton area
• Located adjacent to Hamilton International Airport

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