A Canadian manufacturer of bespoke storage inserts that keep crystal, crockery and flatware safe and secure while 30,000 feet in the air will be promoting its solutions at Ebace 2016.

The 2016 edition of the premier European business aviation show will be held at the Palexpo exhibition centre in Geneva, Switzerland, from May 24 to 26.

Owners of executive aircraft frequently require an element of customisation in the cabin interior, and whilst manufacturers generally offer a range of defined options the very nature of the business results in satisfying individual tastes or mission requirements. 

The interiors of private jet, especially of those in the Gulf, are of the finest quality with the leading connectivity and inflight entertainment systems, soft furnishings consist of the finest materials, and crystal, crockery and flatware that will have invariably been tailor-made and custom produced to suit the owner’s specific requirements. 

Objets-d’art will define the style with handcrafted one-of-a-kind items adding the individual touch.

Responding to the demand for handcrafted storage solutions to protect these fragile items Montreal-headquartered MSB Design, a Sogeclair Aerospace company, has built a reputation for its precision engineering, attention to detail and uncompromising quality.  

“As bespoke engineering experts our technicians use a selection of skills to produce tailor-made crystal, china and flatware inserts (CCF), in addition to a wide range of Hi-Lo tables, and customised cabinet kits,” explains Shannon Gill Business Development Director for MSB. 

The CCF inserts are quite a simple concept, she continues, but they require skill, craftsmanship and accurate application to ensure effectiveness and compliance to the complex aviation regulations. 

The inserts are designed to ensure fragile items are carefully stowed throughout flight, but are easily accessible to crew so they can provide service on demand. If not carefully stowed items can chip, break or just be irritatingly noisy.  

Each insert is made of lightweight but strong, precision cut high-density foam that has been fully certified for aviation use. Meticulous attention is given to ensuring the foam is cut to match the contours, surface and shape of the dishes, glasses, and cutlery, in addition to the dimensions of the cabinets, drawers and monuments where the dining ware is stowed. 

The process begins when three of each item - for example a china plate or crystal glass - is measured using a precision laser. The average measurement is then used to create a snug fitting insert.  This ensures total protection, safe storage and drastically reduces the noise of the items rattling during take off, taxi, turbulence and landing. The insert is then completed with a variety of finishes. 

Customers can select from a range of existing designs, colour and texture combinations, or choose their own preferred style to reflect their family colours, corporate colours, logo, interior styling or branding. 

As part of the service MSB will consult with the client to create ergonomic, functional, secure inserts that match the interior of the aircraft and meet the requirements of the crew and passengers, even to the point of advising the most appropriate way to store fragile works of art, paintings or other valuable pieces. 

The recognition of the MSB’s expertise is expanding and demand for its customised products is growing, says Gill, adding that its client portfolio now reaches far and wide with the inserts being delivered to companies in New Zealand, Austria, and Brazil, not to mention across the length and breadth of the North Americas.

Customers include OEMs, private individuals and increasingly VIP completion centres. 

Orders from the VIP market may require more than 100 units to outfit one aircraft, each of which has to be precision engineered. 

“We are delighted to be working with more and more VIP completion centres,” says Gill. “We have strong relationships with a number of OEMs but recognise that completion centres often have very specific design requirements, particularly in the Middle East. We are seeing more orders coming from this region and work with a number of companies whose clients value the option to have their valuables safely protected.” 


ON THE TABLE 

MSB also offers a range of tables specifically designed for the executive jet market, and like the CCFs the real engineering value of the Hi-Lo tables is unseen, says Gill. The latest MSB products, which will be promoted at Ebace, incorporate a number of innovations. A much slimmer pedestal creates more foot room, whilst a carpet pinch beauty ring ensures the table fits stylishly to the cabin floor.  In addition to the manual options the MSB table can incorporate an electric pedestal that can be operated by Bluetooth, in two stages, changing its use from dining to coffee table mode. 

Flight attendants can control the table from any area of the aircraft. Tables are also available in a variety of shapes with clever shrouds offering oval round, or square shape options. 

The tables are precision engineered to be adaptable, easy to use and incredibly stable. One range has been designed to withstand 600 lbs of load in the deployed position and to survive 1400 lbs of weight while being stable enough to remain safely stowed. 

“We’ve designed our tables to be incredibly strong and reliable. They are extremely solid with an intelligent infinite locking feature. This removes concerns about the product breaking if someone is leaning, sitting, sleeping, or displaying heavy items, no matter which height it is set at,” says Gill. 

“Experience has taught that a combination of finish, reliability, appearance and operation, in addition to size, noise and weight reduction are all key considerations in table production. We have listened to our customers and hopefully created a customised product that they value.”

The latest designs have already been made available as an initial specification option on the Gulfstream G500 and Gulfstream G600 family of aircraft. 

“Our tables are designed to be ergonomically and practically functional, to the point that passengers may not notice their chameleon like changes from coffee to dining table. The tables are engineered to be stowed or deployed silently, and when you sit at them there is so much space around the pedestal that you don’t notice it. The CCFs are hidden away in drawers and cabinets yet reduce cabin noise significantly and keep the fine dining items, and precious articles safely stowed. I think our business is extremely unusual in that our core competency is to create products that go unnoticed,” finishes Gill.