14 GROUND SUPPORT WORLDWIDE FEBRUARY 2016
COVER STORY
resources and manpower to. That person
was Akinleye.
But the investment and attention has helped.
The process of educating the user base and
supporting customers through proper main-
tenance and service availability has gone a long
way in rehabbing the brand. And the manpower
has helped new and old customers understand
what JetPorter does.
"This Softcapture mechanism that we
have is a patented product," Iddon says. "It's
completely unique in the marketplace, but if
you had talked to most people about it, about
JetPorter, they may or may not have known
about the Softcapture. They certainly didn't
realize how unique it was."
The JetPorter Softcapture technology is cer-
tainly clever. So clever, in fact, that Ground
Support Worldwide awarded Tronair the 2013
Ground Support Product Leader award for it.
"It's much better on the landing gear,
which is the last thing you want to damage
on a regional carriers schedule is to mess
up your landing gear," Iddon says. "We had
that, but nobody knew."
The challenge now, with a full portfolio of
GSE, is to make sure the troubles of the past
don't return to haunt the future.
"The integration is happening truly at that
top-line level and we'll see how it plays out,"
Kaplan says. "I mean, quite frankly, I've made
no bones about it: There's not enough space
here. Tronair doesn't have enough space. We're
only an hour apart. So halfway is a nice place.
We might just set up a friendly competition
between Ohio and Michigan and see who wins."
AviationPros.com/10017637
JetPorters will retain their
"Tronair blue" color scheme
under the Eagle banner.
Eagle Tugs will continue to operate
and manufacture in Taylor, MI for
the forseeable future.