ThoughtFocus and Level 3 Inspection Team Up to Provide Industry-leading Technology, Design and Quality Assurance Services for PMA and DER Repair Aircraft Parts

IRVINE, Calif. and STUART, Fla., Dec. 1, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- ThoughtFocus, a leading consulting, engineering and business process management firm serving the aviation and aerospace industry, and Level 3 Inspection LLC, master practitioners of Computer-Aided Inspection (CAI) technology for precision manufacturing, announced today a strategic collaboration to deliver advanced technology laboratory and parts development services for quality-assured aftermarket aviation parts.

The joint aviation parts innovation initiative concentrates on Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA) and Designated Engineering Representative (DER) Repair, two disciplines required in the design, manufacturing, testing, and certification of aircraft parts for aftermarket sale and use. The globally integrated, advanced technology laboratory and development service will offer the latest advances in PMA and DER software, hardware, and testing to assure the integrity of reverse-engineered and revitalized aftermarket parts, components and assemblies, benefitting clients by:

• Automating the inspection process for greater reliability, faster turnaround, and reduced cost
• Leveraging low-cost, high-performance off-shore engineering talent where applicable
• Delivering high-accuracy 3D scanning, modeling, reverse engineering and inspection of better conforming, precision aviation parts
• Validating the extended useful life of harvested parts

"With a 10-to-12-year backlog on delivery of new commercial aircraft, airlines and leasing companies are facing the prospect of aging fleets and the challenge of keeping these aircraft in service," noted ThoughtFocus Aerospace Division General Manager David Deal. "The joint ThoughtFocus-Level 3 Inspection team, working alongside our aviation clients, will design, build and certify superior aircraft parts, systems and solutions, at a fraction of the price and a faster time to market than currently available, maximizing clients' parts inventories and helping prolong the useful life of parts and aircraft."

According to Level 3 Inspection CEO Bill Greene, "In today's world, fewer than 20% of aircraft components have CAD models; so many were made years ago from 2D drawings, and the tribal knowledge that created them is going away. So how does the airline industry maintain its aging aircraft in the face of this shortfall in serviceable parts? Through the application of new scanning and modeling technologies that permit us to reverse engineer legacy and failing parts to create superior new ones, and inspect and validate the integrity of good parts to extend their lifecycle. And that's precisely what this collaboration delivers."

About Level 3 Inspection:

Since 2008, Level 3 Inspection (L3I) has been providing the world's most advanced dimensional quality inspection professional services and automated systems. The company has pioneered a proprietary process for Computer Aided Inspection (CAI) from High Accuracy 3D Scanning that rapidly optimizes their clients' precision processes, tooling and products.  L3I delivers the most illustrative and thorough dimensional quality inspection results for manufacturers in industries ranging from aerospace to advanced medical instruments and devices, helping them design, build and deliver complex, high-precision, high-reliability parts and components for critical applications. For further information, please visit www.level3inspection.com.

About ThoughtFocus

Privately held ThoughtFocus is a US-based consulting, software development, product engineering and business process management firm. With local offices in the US, supported by state-of-the-art development and out-sourcing centers in India and the Philippines, our global team of over 1,300 associates serves clients in the financial services, manufacturing, education, payment and loyalty, insurance, aerospace and technology industries, helping them meet their most critical business objectives. ThoughtFocus is a Blackstone Innovation Fund portfolio company. For more information, please visit www.ThoughtFocus.com.

Media Contacts
For ThoughtFocus:
David Deal, General Manager-Aerospace
[email protected]  
732.331.3424 (mobile)

For Level 3 Inspection:
Bill Greene, CEO and VP Business Development
[email protected]  
772.405.7502

SOURCE Level 3 Inspection LLC