An official of the McDonnell Douglas sub-assembly aircraft plant in Salt Lake City honored another company for being a dependable supplier, but in the end he also drew praise for sending a majority of his business to Utah companies.
"We try to work as much as possible with Utah companies," Al Egbert, general manager of the McDonnell Douglas plant, said after a supplier excellence plaque went to Gunter Oeser, president of Anodizing and Metals Coatings Co., 1163 S. 2250 West.Oeser's company supplies specialized protective coatings for aircraft parts and in one instance purchased expensive new equipment to handle some of the large parts McDonnell Douglas is now assembling.
Egbert said A&MC has been easy to work with and Oeser and his sons "have been willing to expand their product lines at any time to meet our needs. The company has provided products with top quality and zero defects."
Of the 700 parts that go into the floor assembly of the MD-80, a twin-engine short- to medium-range airliner, A&MC puts protective coatings on about 30 percent, Egbert said.
Oeser said working with McDonnell Douglas has been a positive experience because of the "team concept. Because of the McDonnell Douglas contract, we have expanded out work space from 10,000 to 15,000 square feet and our work force by 30 percent," he said.
Employees at the Salt Lake McDonnell Douglas plant are manufacturing a major section of the fuselage for the MD-80s, along with other sub-assemblies and components. By the end of 1991, they will be building all four sections for the fuselage, which will be shipped to Long Beach, Calif., where the assembly is completed.
Stanley B. Parrish, executive director of the Utah Department of Community and Economic Development, said A&MC's success sends two important messages to businesses in and out of Utah.
First, it encourages Utah companies to do business with companies like McDonnell Douglas and second, it tells companies outside Utah there is a good business environment that can support large industry with a network of local suppliers who can provide top quality products.
Egbert periodically presents similar awards to other suppliers. "This is not a philanthropic operation," he said. "We are here to make money and Utah is a good place to do that and at the same time we are providing some high-paying jobs and helping support local companies."