09/2011 | “Motivated and qualified team”
On 1 May 2011, Andreas M. Gherman (51) officially took charge of Lufthansa Technik's Lockheed Super Star project. For the former Technical Director at Lufthansa Passage this not only meant taking on a new task, but also moving to the project location in Auburn, Maine, USA. In an interview Andreas M. Gherman speaks about about his personal impressions six months after assuming the position.
Mr. Gherman, you’ve been working as the Super Star project manager for almost six months now. What were your expectations when you took on this task?
I had geared myself up for a very special project that can’t be compared with any other management position within the Lufthansa Group. In Auburn, I found a highly motivated and qualified team working on restoring the L-1649A to an airworthy condition in compliance with the FAA’s requirements with incredible expertise and commitment. In agreement with the Lufthansa Group, the management of Lufthansa Technik and the foundation Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung (DLBS) had decided just before the end of 2010 to increase the personnel capacities on site and, for the first time ever, send out a manager to Auburn who is responsible exclusively for this project. These far-sighted decisions have already started to bear fruit in that the project is now progressing much faster.
Which topics will you and your team be concentrating on over the coming weeks?
Basically, there are four core areas. First of all, the ongoing structural work on the aircraft in the hangar in Auburn. Then, we also intend to push ahead with our work on the components. Dr. Sebus’ team of engineers will be focusing its attention on reconstructing the electrical systems. And making progress with the engine overhaul at our partner operation in Idaho is also an important topic.
What does a “normal” working day look like for you as project manager in Auburn?
There’s no such thing as a “normal” working day for me. No two days are ever the same, which makes my work very varied and exciting. Due to the daily work on the aircraft and the resulting findings, “Connie” continues to dictate the project activities to this day. This element of unpredictability in our working day is a challenge for the entire team, no matter whether production or engineering, but it’s also a lot of fun. Of course, we must not forget to keep an eye on our schedule and the specified budget over this. But the same applies to every other project in the Lufthansa Group’s “normal” business, so this is not something that is specific to the Super Star project.
Apart from the transfer of the project management to a full-time job in Auburn, what has changed from an organizational point of view over the last few months?
For a long time, the project suffered due to capacity shortages, especially where engineering was concerned. This problem was solved when Dr. Rainer Sebus joined the team in Auburn on March 1 to manage the engineering side of things directly on site. At the same time, the engineering capacity in Auburn and Hamburg was increased with the introduction of new staff. This phase is not quite finished yet; our partnered engineering office intends to hire further engineers directly here in Auburn. In Manfred Rosenthal, who joined us on March 1 as well, we now also have someone in charge of components on site. Not far from the overhaul hangar, we have rented a warehouse where the dismantled components can be stored under optimal conditions, cataloged, then sent away for overhaul and finally stored again when they are ready for installation. This entire process is mapped and controlled optimally via an integrated EDP system.
Have the capacity shortages now been resolved, and how are the senior experts integrated in all this?
In close coordination with the engineering department and under the direction of Michael Austermeier, we will also increase production capacity at the aircraft. And we will do so with a proven mix of our own staff at BizJet Auburn, employees from an external company and the valuable support of Lufthansa Technik’s best trainees. Added to that, we’ll also have experienced airframe mechanics from Hamburg and Frankfurt on hand, who will help us with particularly critical parts of the project. Last but not least, we will continue to fall back on the know-how of my predecessor Dean Raineri in Frankfurt, who is responsible for coordinating the project in Germany, among other things. In addition, we now have a dedicated contact person at management level in each of Lufthansa Technik’s product divisions, someone who takes responsibility for Super Star topics relating to the division’s particular field of work. This is where our senior experts, who have accompanied the project right from the start, can make contact with their respective specialist divisions. So we will naturally continue to make use of the valuable know-how of our retired experts. After all, we’d be ill-advised not to.
Back to overview
Mr. Gherman, you’ve been working as the Super Star project manager for almost six months now. What were your expectations when you took on this task?
I had geared myself up for a very special project that can’t be compared with any other management position within the Lufthansa Group. In Auburn, I found a highly motivated and qualified team working on restoring the L-1649A to an airworthy condition in compliance with the FAA’s requirements with incredible expertise and commitment. In agreement with the Lufthansa Group, the management of Lufthansa Technik and the foundation Deutsche Lufthansa Berlin-Stiftung (DLBS) had decided just before the end of 2010 to increase the personnel capacities on site and, for the first time ever, send out a manager to Auburn who is responsible exclusively for this project. These far-sighted decisions have already started to bear fruit in that the project is now progressing much faster.
Which topics will you and your team be concentrating on over the coming weeks?
Basically, there are four core areas. First of all, the ongoing structural work on the aircraft in the hangar in Auburn. Then, we also intend to push ahead with our work on the components. Dr. Sebus’ team of engineers will be focusing its attention on reconstructing the electrical systems. And making progress with the engine overhaul at our partner operation in Idaho is also an important topic.
What does a “normal” working day look like for you as project manager in Auburn?
There’s no such thing as a “normal” working day for me. No two days are ever the same, which makes my work very varied and exciting. Due to the daily work on the aircraft and the resulting findings, “Connie” continues to dictate the project activities to this day. This element of unpredictability in our working day is a challenge for the entire team, no matter whether production or engineering, but it’s also a lot of fun. Of course, we must not forget to keep an eye on our schedule and the specified budget over this. But the same applies to every other project in the Lufthansa Group’s “normal” business, so this is not something that is specific to the Super Star project.
Apart from the transfer of the project management to a full-time job in Auburn, what has changed from an organizational point of view over the last few months?
For a long time, the project suffered due to capacity shortages, especially where engineering was concerned. This problem was solved when Dr. Rainer Sebus joined the team in Auburn on March 1 to manage the engineering side of things directly on site. At the same time, the engineering capacity in Auburn and Hamburg was increased with the introduction of new staff. This phase is not quite finished yet; our partnered engineering office intends to hire further engineers directly here in Auburn. In Manfred Rosenthal, who joined us on March 1 as well, we now also have someone in charge of components on site. Not far from the overhaul hangar, we have rented a warehouse where the dismantled components can be stored under optimal conditions, cataloged, then sent away for overhaul and finally stored again when they are ready for installation. This entire process is mapped and controlled optimally via an integrated EDP system.
Have the capacity shortages now been resolved, and how are the senior experts integrated in all this?
In close coordination with the engineering department and under the direction of Michael Austermeier, we will also increase production capacity at the aircraft. And we will do so with a proven mix of our own staff at BizJet Auburn, employees from an external company and the valuable support of Lufthansa Technik’s best trainees. Added to that, we’ll also have experienced airframe mechanics from Hamburg and Frankfurt on hand, who will help us with particularly critical parts of the project. Last but not least, we will continue to fall back on the know-how of my predecessor Dean Raineri in Frankfurt, who is responsible for coordinating the project in Germany, among other things. In addition, we now have a dedicated contact person at management level in each of Lufthansa Technik’s product divisions, someone who takes responsibility for Super Star topics relating to the division’s particular field of work. This is where our senior experts, who have accompanied the project right from the start, can make contact with their respective specialist divisions. So we will naturally continue to make use of the valuable know-how of our retired experts. After all, we’d be ill-advised not to.
Back to overview
