(Image source: GoDirect Trade)

Honeywell Aerospace launches B2B e-commerce site for aerospace components

2019-01-09 William Kucinski
It’s like eBay, but for aircraft maintainers.
Honeywell Aerospace, a division of Honeywell International, has rolled out a new business-to-business (B2B) e-commerce platform for buying and selling aerospace components. The new platform, GoDirect Trade, improves access to new and used aircraft parts for airlines, air transport, and business aviation customers by offering clear pricing and direct inventory access.

Before 2019, if an aerospace company was interested in purchasing components such as avionics or auxiliary power units, they would have to call around to several suppliers, wait for a week to confirm pricing, and potentially purchase from a company that did not have the part in stock. GoDirect Trade, while still in beta testing, is the first e-commence platform of its kind in the highly competitive aerospace industry.

GoDirect Trade operates like a normal e-commerce platform like eBay or Amazon and uses blockchain technology to ensure that every listing includes the proper images and quality documents for the exact part being offered for sale. This is particularly important with maintenance history documents attached to serviced or aftermarket parts.



Honeywell Aerospace Trading is currently the only seller on the GoDirect Trade beta version. One of their listings include an overhauled Honeywell Aerospace VALVE OUTL, OVERRIDE, part number 3204908-5. (Image source: GoDirect Trade)


Additionally, every part on GoDirect Trade is guaranteed for immediate sale and shipping availability.

"GoDirect Trade represents an evolution in our market and being backed by a major equipment manufacturer brings the confidence we need to be one of the early adopters," says Thomas Noonan, director of material and part sales, StandardAero Total Aircraft Spares. "This technology will help propel the aviation industry forward into the realm of other e-commerce sites that many of us use each day without a second thought."



"Currently, less than 2.5 percent of all transactions in this space are done online," says Lisa Butters, who is leading the new Honeywell Aerospace venture. That’s out of a $4 billion aircraft part market.

"Up until now, the ability to shop for spare parts online with prices, product images, and quality documentation all in one place was unheard of for the aviation industry," continues Butters.

Building upon experience from the Honeywell Aerospace Trading business, GoDirect Trade aims to build stronger connections between buyers and sellers through direct messaging on the platform, in the hopes that the two parties can streamline the process for a satisfying transaction. And just like other e-commerce platforms, online reviews of both buyers and sellers are encouraged.



So far, Honeywell Aerospace Trading is the only storefront owner in the GoDirect Trade platform space; however, Dassault Falcon Jet Corp. of Paris-based Dassault Aviation SA; H+A Aviation of Portsmouth, United Kingdom; Turbo Resources International of Chandler, Arizona; and WG Henschen and StandardAero – both of Scottsdale, Arizona – are listed as early GoDirect Trade collaborators with storefronts expected this month. (Image source: GoDirect Trade)


By the end of 2019, Honeywell Aerospace goal is to have upwards of 100 companies buying and selling on the new marketplace.

While about two dozen other companies operate e-commerce sites for aerospace components, the comprehensive data, transparent pricing, and detailed images allows GoDirect Trade to stand apart.

"We are the first marketplace to enable customized seller storefronts, and we are the first to leverage blockchain technology to build trust between the buyer and seller," Butters says. "All of these firsts will bring us into a new era focused on the buyer's experience while enabling sellers to grow globally. Our platform and mindset will change the way the industry does business."

GoDirect Trade is part of Honeywell's GoDirect family — a group of more than 50 value-adding aviation services and applications that provide operators, flight crews, and maintenance teams with critical information to control their services and network.
 

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William Kucinski is content editor at SAE International, Aerospace Products Group in Warrendale, Pa. Previously, he worked as a writer at the NASA Safety Center in Cleveland, Ohio and was responsible for writing the agency’s System Failure Case Studies. His interests include literally anything that has to do with space, past and present military aircraft, and propulsion technology.

Contact him regarding any article or collaboration ideas by e-mail at william.kucinski@sae.org.
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