Pastor Lopez brings a long and successful background in large aircraft component MRO to his new post as CEO of PEMCO World Air Services.
If there’s one thing about the aviation maintenance business that becomes more evident every day it is that it’s one industry where you just can’t fake it. Especially in leadership roles. Companies of all sizes have had their businesses suffer irreparable damage because they brought in an “industry outsider” to run their operations.
Pastor Lopez, the new CEO of PEMCO World Air Services, is not that person. He has the credentials, experience and insight that a major MRO and aircraft conversions provider like PEMCO needs to continue to grow in a highly competitive, global industry.
Aviation Maintenance recently had the pleasure of interviewing Mr. Lopez – “call me Pastor…” to learn more about the man and his vision for PEMCO.
AM: Tell us a bit about your background in aviation.
Lopez: I began my aviation career in 1986 with Cleveland Pneumatic (now UTX) in Miami, FL. In 1989, I became Lead Engineer at AAR Landing Gear Services. I worked my way up through various Engineering and Quality positions and became Vice President, Quality in 1999. I established new quality control systems and metrics to improve production and products to meet changing global regulatory requirements including FAA, Chinese CAAC, Saudi Arabia PCA and others. My team also implemented ISO 9001 and AS9000 quality systems in only three months.
In 2002, I was appointed Vice President and General Manager of AAR Landing Gear Services, responsible for their Miami and Malaysian facilities.
Last year, I joined PEMCO as the company’s CEO. It’s a very exciting opportunity for me. PEMCO has a long history of MRO excellence and innovation in the air transport cargo conversion business. In addition, leadership’s emphasis on employee values was definitely a plus. This coupled with the fact that I can now make full business decisions on a fast-paced environment were really attractive propositions.
As for my educational background, I have a bachelor’s in Business Administration from Florida International University, an MBA (finance concentration) from the University of Miami, and Lean Sig Sigma Black Belt Certificate from Villanova University.
AM: What is the current state of PEMCO’s MRO business?
Lopez: We have great employees with terrific technical depth and airline backgrounds. Our customer base is well diversified with four major customers operating Boeing 737s and Airbus A320s. This fleet similarity has allowed us to become very efficient with our inspections and maintenance services on these platforms. We have developed over 100 FAA/EASA/CAAC/JAA-approved STC’s for major modifications to these and other popular aircraft models. Combine that with a history of exemplary ratings on regulatory audits and numerous FAA Diamond training awards and it’s easy to see that PEMCO’s future looks great.