AAR Electronics

Efficiency and reliability are not just goals in the high-stakes world of aviation electronics; they are the foundation of success. AAR Electronics has not only embraced these pillars but has elevated them through its innovative, dual-sided business model. By serving both OEM partners and OEM customers, it creates an unmatched, streamlined supply chain operation, setting itself as the industry’s premier one-stop shop.

AAR Electronics has established deep-rooted partnerships with some of the industry’s most respected names. By leveraging AAR’s vast resources, it showcases a comprehensive portfolio of products. The company focuses on the military and aerospace (Mil-Aero) sector, ensuring it truly understands the critical nature and usability of every component supplied and doesn’t just become another distributor lost in the shuffle of massive catalogs.

From Components to Complete Solutions

“This holistic approach positions AAR Electronics as a key supplier and distributor for tier-one manufacturers, taking charge of the complete bill of materials (BOM) for specific programs, ensuring seamless integration and optimal performance,” says Darren Spiegel, AAR Electronics’ vice president and general manager.

As one example, AAR Electronics works with aircraft controls and human machine interfaces. By sourcing each part, from switches to sensors, they deliver a ready-to-install unit to the customer. This consolidated design and production process allows AAR Electronics to add features like extra trim switches or other nuanced improvements that weren’t possible with a fragmented approach.

The integrated strategy creates a cohesive supply chain. AAR supplies components to OEM partners, who deliver the finished products back to AAR. Finally, it distributes the products to end customers, including governments and airlines. A full-circle approach ensures higher quality, greater efficiency and enhanced functionality in final products.

AAR overcomes supply chain problems through its predictive modeling and data driven approach to strategically stocking. In some instances, AAR is the distributor for the end products in which AAR Electronics’ subcomponents are utilized, which ultimately connects the commercial or military end user with the products in a faster and more efficient manner. With a dual-sided business approach, AAR not only responds to market needs but also proactively anticipates customer needs.

Innovating through Demand Creation

What sets AAR apart is its mastery of demand creation.

How is this achieved? Through market intelligence that fuels a demand-driven distribution strategy. Often there is limited information flow between OEMs and customers. AAR Electronics breaks down these barriers by maintaining transparency and active collaboration with OEM partners, ensuring a smooth exchange of critical insights. The resulting market data provides a clear picture of how existing markets are performing and of new product demands.

“When a crucial part faces obsolescence due to discontinued manufacturing, we frequently step in to assist our OEM customers. By proactively asking, ‘Can one of our partners make this part for you?’, we demonstrate our ability to stay ahead of market requirements and anticipate needs before they become apparent, outpacing others in the industry,” says Spiegel.

AAR Electronics collaborates with OEM partners to explore opportunities for reengineering existing products. This collaboration helps tackle the pervasive challenge of raw material shortages due to longer lead times. A proactive supply chain management strategy ensures rare components are always in stock, keeping both OEM partners’ and customers’ operations running like clockwork.

Underlying all these efforts is AAR’s commitment to a “Quality first. Safety always.” philosophy. Supported by AAR’s compliance team, AAR Electronics prioritizes safety. The team prides itself on transparency and its effort to track end use of products.

Success Backed by a Skilled Team

AAR Electronics’ powerhouse team embodies a perfect blend of technical acumen and sales expertise. Leveraging years of experience in the electronics industry, they work closely with OEM partners, expertly managing inventory planning and serving as a key technical resource. An engineer leads the sales team, specializing in identifying and solving customers’ design challenges.

AAR Electronics utilizes AAR’s extensive engineering team for deeper technical discussions. It also frequently taps into AAR’s global sales team to address customer needs in various regions. This integration of specialized expertise and broad capabilities allows AAR Electronics to effectively meet the diverse needs of its clientele through every step of the electronics lifecycle.

Expanding Horizons with a Global Vision

AAR Electronics recently signed an agreement extension with OTTO Engineering, Inc., to include the APAC region. Otto Engineering designs and manufactures aviation controls like switches, grips and joysticks. For its support of OTTO’s market growth, AAR Electronics received an ‘Executive Gold Award,’ recognizing its value as a distributor. The company is positioned to continue expanding existing product lines into new regions and adding new products to their existing portfolio.

Keeping its finger on the pulse of the industry and eyes set on the growth horizon, AAR Electronics will continue to be an invaluable partner to OEMs, ensuring the future of aviation is built on a foundation of optimized collaboration.