Humpuss eyes IPTN's maintenance service

BANDUNG, West Java (JP): Three firms, including the Humpuss group, have offered to buy into state-owned aircraft maker PT IPTN's maintenance service.

IPTN general manager Hari Laksono said here yesterday the three companies were keen to buy into the service called the Universal Maintenance Center.

"Humpuss even made an offer ten years ago when the center was formed," he said.

Hari was speaking during a visit to IPTN's plant by Croatian Prime Minister Zlatko Matesa.

The Humpuss group is owned by President Soeharto's youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra.

Hari did not name two other companies.

Hari said the companies saw the center, which had revenue of Rp 46 billion last year, had good prospects because it had few competitors in the region.

He said many aircraft maintenance services were operating in the region but most were owned by airlines and served only their owners.

He said IPTN had not yet decided on whether to accept the companies' offer.

The center's vice president, Subiakto, said the center could maintain and repair other types of engines besides IPTN's aircraft engines. The center has 400 workers.

IPTN's aircraft engines include the Allison engine in the NBO- 105 craft, the General Electric engine in CN-235 plane.

Other types of engines the center can maintain include the Rolls-Royce T-560 engine of F-100 plane, and the engines of F-70, B-737-400 and old and new B-737-500 engines.

The center and the British-based engine maker Rolls-Royce were jointly studying how the center would be able to maintain Rolls- Royce gas turbine engines, Subiakto said.

Rolls-Royce group marketing director Richard Turner, who was here to award the ISO 9002 certificate to the center, said his company was satisfied with the center's performance. (ahy/jsk)