MBE Magazine Talks to InterSky about exporting Aviation parts and services to Europe
InterSky spoke with Curt Cultice of MBE magazine about exporting aviation MRO services and aircraft components.
InterSky, Inc. –
It’s a hot day in Memphis, Tennessee, as Marcellus
Montalvo grabs a wrench to twist the bolts off a flight-deck
instrument panel. It’s all in a day’s work for the President of
InterSky, whose staff of 16 performs aviation MRO services on
instrumentation, landing lights, transmitters, valves, fans,
motors, and more for corporate, commercial, and military aircraft.
InterSky was founded by Montalvo’s father, a native of
Chile in 1981 in Southern California. In 1994, the company
moved to Memphis, where FedEx has a hub. The firm has
clients in the U.K. and the Netherlands, and is now looking
at other business opportunities in Europe. More airline
maintenance work is being outsourced to Eastern and Central
Europe, where labor is less expensive, offering the company
subcontracting opportunities.
Although InterSky has Federal Aviation Administration
(FAA) Part 145 certification, the firm must apply and receive
certification from the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) before conducting business with European customers.
To expand InterSky’s customer base, Montalvo must also
seek additional regulatory approvals, including those of the
International Standards Organization (ISO).
Montalvo, a beneficiary of export counseling and other
services from the CS office in Memphis, offers the following
advice: “Europe is not as complicated as you might
think; the most important thing is to educate yourself,”
he says. “One of the first things I did was learn how to fill
out a Schedule B harmonized declaration form; that’s really
a major step in learning the export process.
“European customers want to get to know you personally,
so [individuals] really need to fly over to develop a relationship,”
Montalvo adds.
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