Frank Solano
Grapevine,TX
Summary
Mechanical Engineer with 5+ years in aviation, from MRO to OEM, specializing in materials management, repairs, warranties, tooling, and ground support equipment. Expertise in end-to-end supply chain optimization, restructuring processes to improve efficiency, reduce costs, and enable smarter planning. Focused on advancing aviation operations through automation, digital tools, and continuous improvement, combining technical depth with a strategic mindset.
Overview
6
6
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Fleet Support – Demand & Forecast
Boeing
Dallas, Texas
02.2025 - Current
- Subject Matter Expert (SME) for fleet support demand and forecasting, advising 8 program managers and the Fleet Chief Office on planning and replenishment strategies for critical and incident-prone parts.
- Inventory Management: Oversee global inventory health across the distribution network, ensuring availability of stocked parts to minimize Aircraft on Ground (AOG) and hard-grounded aircraft situations.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Partner with supply chain, program management, and engineering teams to design strategic solutions that strengthen supportability, and reduce operational disruptions.
- Process Optimization: Lead projects to streamline asset manager workflows, reducing transactional tasks by implementing automation, digital tools, and AI-driven practices.
- KPI Development: Define and monitor key performance indicators for core planning team, driving accountability, and continuous improvement in demand planning.
- Automation and AI Initiatives: Act as a liaison with IT to develop and implement automation tools, analytics, and AI solutions that enhance demand forecasting accuracy and planning efficiency.
- Strategic Supply Chain Support: Integrate production and aftermarket insights to build more resilient planning strategies that improve part availability and lifecycle support.
Asset Manager – Non Metallics (All Fleets)
Boeing
Dallas, TX
08.2024 - 02.2025
- Inventory Management: Oversaw global inventory health across the distribution network for stocked and non-stocked non-metallic parts, spanning both production and non-production fleets.
- MRP & Replenishment: Managed Material Requirements Planning (MRP) capabilities to balance inventory levels and ensure effective replenishment strategies.
- Business Alignment: Coordinated with program management and finance teams to align inventory plans with business objectives and financial performance goals.
- Automation & AI Initiatives: Developed and implemented AI-driven tools and automation practices to streamline planning workflows, reducing transactional tasks and improving forecasting accuracy.
- Analytics & Process Optimization: Leveraged analytics capabilities to automate internal processes, enabling planners to focus on higher-value analysis and decision-making.
- Critical Part Management: Identified and managed critical parts using Management Control and Inventory Reserve strategies to protect AOG and high-priority orders.
- SIOP Contribution: Served as a key contributor to the Sales, Inventory, and Operations Planning (SIOP) process, ensuring robust inventory planning and supply chain resilience.
Sr Analyst, Repair & Warranty Administration
Frontier Airlines
Denver, Colorado
03.2023 - 06.2024
- Fleet Repair Oversight: Managed repair orders and high-dollar approvals across all ATA chapters for Frontier’s fleet, ensuring compliance, cost control, and quality standards.
- Engine & Component Movements: Oversaw engine logistics, verifying documentation and approvals prior to shipment to MROs, minimizing operational risk and delays.
- Contracted Exchange Program: Administered and optimized exchange programs across all ATA chapters, tracking expenditures and identifying cost-saving opportunities.
- Supplier & Repair Negotiations: Partnered with contracting teams and external FAA Part 145 repair stations to develop new capabilities, negotiate fixed pricing, and secure cost reductions without compromising quality.
- Process Optimization & Automation: Designed and implemented automated workflows for repair order creation and follow-ups, significantly reducing manual effort and improving turnaround time.
- Leadership & Mentorship: Acted as department’s Acting Manager during final 3 months, training and mentoring new analysts, as well as guiding the Tooling Manager in establishing the tooling department.
- CAPEX & Tooling Oversight: Directed tooling capital expenditures, repair cycles, and vendor capability development to strengthen department efficiency and reliability.
- Data & Performance Management: Developed KPIs and metrics for repair orders, exchanges, and TAT performance, driving supplier performance improvement plans to enhance operational readiness.
- Cross-Functional Collaboration: Worked closely with material planning and services teams to align repair activities with supply chain goals, supporting Frontier’s operational performance.
- Warranty Management: Ensured warranty claims were tracked, validated, and fully recovered from suppliers.
Repair Administrator Tool & GSE (Lead)
Aeroman – MRO Holdings
San Luis Talpa, El Salvador
07.2022 - 02.2023
- Team Leadership: Led repair administrators and analysts across 6 hangars, mentoring 5 engineers and 5 mechanics in the creation of the tooling and GSE department.
- Preventive Maintenance & Calibration: Directed planning and execution of calibration and preventive maintenance for 7,000+ tooling assets supporting 45+ heavy maintenance lines for Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer fleets.
- Repair Order Management: Evaluated external repair shop capabilities, requested lead times and cost estimates, and ensured timely completion of work to avoid production stoppages.
- Performance Metrics: Developed KPIs and reports for repair orders, leases, turnaround time (TAT), repair diagnoses, and common failures of tooling and GSE.
- Tooling & GSE Expansion: Managed replenishment and expansion of tooling inventory, aligning capacity with production demands across multiple fleets.
- Local Manufacturing: Spearheaded local manufacture of aeronautical tooling, coordinating measurements, CAD modeling, certification, and engineering approvals (EA).
- Capability Development: Enhanced shop capabilities to expand local calibration and maintenance, reducing reliance on external vendors and improving turnaround times.
Inventory Planning Analyst
Aeroman – MRO Holdings
San Luis Talpa, El Salvador
02.2020 - 07.2022
- Inventory Planning & Optimization: Managed planning of materials and tooling at optimal inventory levels to ensure seamless execution of heavy maintenance checks for multiple airline clients. Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.
- Client Coordination: Acted as liaison with Aeroman’s airline customers, coordinating requirements and the movement of repairable and rotable materials.
- Applicability & Equivalency Analysis: Identified applicability and equivalents in materials and tooling across various maintenance checks, ensuring flexibility and efficiency in operations.
- Bill of Materials Leadership: Led the creation of bills of materials (BOM) and tooling packages for new heavy maintenance programs, supporting Airbus, Boeing, and Embraer fleets.
- Database & Systems Management: Created and maintained inventory databases and tracking systems to improve accuracy and reliability of material planning.
- Procurement & Logistics: Oversaw purchase orders, vendor coordination, and shipment tracking for materials and aeronautical tooling, ensuring timely availability and compliance.
Maintenance Supervisor
Hanes Brand
San Luis Talpa, El Salvador
09.2019 - 02.2020
- Preventive & Corrective Maintenance: Directed preventive and corrective maintenance activities across production equipment to ensure operational continuity.
- Failure Analysis & KPIs: Conducted root cause analyses and tracked maintenance KPIs (MTBF, MTTR) to monitor and improve equipment performance.
- Continuous Improvement: Reduced corrective maintenance by 16% through Lean Six Sigma–driven projects, boosting reliability and efficiency.
- Cost-Saving & Sustainability Initiatives: Designed and implemented energy efficiency and cost-reduction projects supporting corporate sustainability goals.
- Team Leadership: Supervised a team of 36 technicians, conducted weekly check-ins, and guided employee development — enabling 3 team members to advance into leadership roles.
Education
MBA - Project Management
CEREM
Spain03-2021
Master of Science - International Senior Management
Complutense University of Madrid
Spain03-2021
Bachelor of Science - Mechanical Engineering
Central American University Jose Simeon Cañas
El Salvador10-2019
Skills
- Demand forecasting
- Process optimization
- Automation tools
- Supply chain management
- KPI development
- Problem solving
- Strategic planning
- Team leadership
- Continuous improvement
- Data analysis
- Cross-functional collaboration
- Conflict resolution and negotiation techniques
- Project management
Languages
English
Native/ Bilingual
Spanish
Native/ Bilingual
Certification
- • MOS 77-728 Excel Expert (2019)
• Management Skills – Universidad José Matías Delgado (2020)
• Power BI (Intermediate – Advanced)
• Power Automate (Advanced)
• SQL (Intermediate – Advanced)
• Python for Beginners
• Verified International Academic Qualifications – Credly Badge - WES
Timeline
Fleet Support – Demand & Forecast
Boeing
02.2025 - Current
Asset Manager – Non Metallics (All Fleets)
Boeing
08.2024 - 02.2025
Sr Analyst, Repair & Warranty Administration
Frontier Airlines
03.2023 - 06.2024
Repair Administrator Tool & GSE (Lead)
Aeroman – MRO Holdings
07.2022 - 02.2023
Inventory Planning Analyst
Aeroman – MRO Holdings
02.2020 - 07.2022
Maintenance Supervisor
Hanes Brand
09.2019 - 02.2020
MBA - Project Management
CEREM
Master of Science - International Senior Management
Complutense University of Madrid
Bachelor of Science - Mechanical Engineering
Central American University Jose Simeon Cañas