With a thousand helicopters in service, 400 customers, and three subsidiaries in Brazil, Mexico, and Chile, Latin America is a very important market for Eurocopter.

Latin America is also the part of the world where the satisfaction level of Eurocopter customers, in constant progression over a number of years, is one of the highest - with an average of nearly 8 out of 10.

“There are three major reasons for this phenomenon,” explains Mesrob Karalékian, the KRM(1) for the area.
“Firstly, the efforts made by Eurocopter to improve the availability rate of spare parts and reduce repair and overhaul times have had a significant effect.
But the most important factor is the presence of three Eurocopter subsidiaries in this region: this provides our customers with the quality and proximity of service they need to keep their fleet airworthy.
Nothing can replace knowledge of the customer culture and the ability to speak their language.”

Although the results obtained during the last customer satisfaction survey were satisfactory, Eurocopter is doubling its efforts through its three local subsidiaries.
In Brazil, where the three armed forces (Army, Air Force, and Navy) are important Helibras customers, a KAM(2) will be introduced for each of these services.
The KAM will be the preferential contact for all of the activities linking the armed force to the subsidiary.
In Mexico, the technical teams in the field have been bolstered to improve technical support and the reengineering of the logistics process, and to reduce the processing time for warranty claims.
And, finally, in Chile, the commercial and technical teams are going to be reinforced.

In addition to its three subsidiaries, Eurocopter is also relying on its network of distributors and maintenance workshops, which are spread all over Latin America.

A Long-Standing Presence
“Latin America is following the world trend, and the demand of the market is very strong there,” continues Mr. Karalékian. “Fleets are being renewed and new helicopters are being purchased.
The oil, corporate, and parapublic sectors are booming, and EMS(3) requirements are steadily growing: our long-standing presence should help us capture a large share of the market.”

In fact, Latin America is an area where Eurocopter decided to set itself up almost 30 years ago: Helibras was created in 1978 and Eurocopter de Mexico opened in 1982.
Eurocopter is the only manufacturer based in Brazil, where an Ecureuil assembly line was set up, and this helicopter has therefore become a pure Brazilian product, a fact that is particularly appreciated by customers.
Eurocopter is also the only helicopter manufacturer to be present in Mexico and Chile in its own right. “This distinctiveness sets us apart and is something we want to preserve and develop in the future,” concludes Mr. Karalékian.