A small, Mississauga, Ontario based firm, best known as refitters and
resellers of aviation ground support equipment, have carved a new niche
for themselves as manufacturers of ground power units (GPU). Working
under the name Jetall GPU and manufactured at the firm’s sister
organization – North East Aviation (NEA), the manufacturer completed
its Tier II R&D three years ago. Since then, Jetall GPUs have been
sold nationally and internationally and can be found in service at FBO
ramps through to airline departure gates and even the military.
This
product is uniquely Canadian and was developed by NEA and Jetall. No
other firm is building such equipment for global export in this country
today. Even more impressive, no government funding or assistance
programmes were used here. This story is purely a Canadian
entrepreneurial effort – and one that is seeing great success as some
40 units are already in place at various locations throughout the world.
More
than a Canadian pride story, the technology behind this GPU is very
unique. At the core of the Jetall GPU is a processor which acts as the
main nerve hub for all the electrical and moving parts in the unit. The
processor performs constant real-time checks of the GPU state and
condition, from engine and generator condition, electricity flow,
fluids status and maintenance issues. As and when needed, all these
notifications will be displayed on the main control area of the GPU.
The
unit also uses a Marathon brushless generator which reduces maintenance
(no need to rewind /buy new Generator). And at a time when the
environment and aviation are coming more into the public mind, this
unit can boast some “green friendly” attributes. The Perkins engine is
an EPA Approved Tier II power plant. It is the latest engine technology
available presently and is so efficient that, that not only will it
provide full power at lower rpm’s than other similar units, it also
holds the lowest carbon emissions rating in the market today.
Jetall
have also looked carefully at the maintenance and management of the
unit – keeping in mind that most GPU upkeep is performed on-site by the
owner/operator. The Jetall GPU has the main components set up in a
modular fashion. As an example, if something on the control panel
fails, the owner is shipped a replacement unit that quickly connects to
replace the original unit. While the firm is fully committed to
supporting its products with spares and replacements, Jetall does not
hold any royalties on any parts in the GPU. Replacement and spare parts
are basically OTCP (over the counter products) and readily available in
the free market. According to NEA and Jetall, this should save the
buyer around 50-70% by true market value in comparison to competitor’s
parts programmes.
The Jetall GPUs are fully operable in both
desert heat and in winter conditions and the firm has an established
support and tech team of professionals internationally for either
operations and mechanical training or solving issues. Development and
market acceptance of this GPU has been so successful, that Jetall is
now in the midst of getting plans together to set up a manufacturing
facility that is separate from the NEA operations. This will allow them
the space to build more units and perhaps even have some inventory as
opposed to building from a waiting list order as they currently do.
More information can be found at jetallgpu. com.
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