Gore Design Completions of San Antonio, Texas officially changed its name to GDC Technics here at EBACE 2014, where it has a prominent booth (No. 603). The announcement was made by Mohammed Alzeer, general partner of Malzeer, an investment group that bought Gore Design one year ago. Alzeer said the name change reflects a new strategy of expanding the business beyond its VIP completions roots to providing a broad range of aircraft modification services, including engineering solutions, STC development and customized modifications on civilian and specialized platforms.

Alzeer said the new owners had set three goals at the time of purchase: to complete the projects inside the hangar; to restructure the business internally; and finally to redesign the image and business direction of the company, “which is what we’re announcing today.” He said the company also spent time preparing for arrival of its first Boeing 787 completion project, taking delivery of the aircraft this past February. The completion is scheduled to take 36 months, which Alzeer admitted is “a bit long,” but necessary to become acquainted with the new-generation aircraft.

“We look at the 787 as a gate to the future, with the challenges of a composite fuselage and digitized systems, and being on the forefront of that change is extremely exciting to us.” The new owners have invested $20 million toward preparing for that challenge. A second 787 is scheduled to arrive at the completion center in the third quarter of this year.

Going forward, GDC Technics, currently managed by MAZ Aviation, will open satellite facilities in Europe, the Middle East and Africa to maintain more contact with customers. “San Antonio is a wonderful city, but way off the beaten path when it comes to VIP aircraft,” Alzeer said. “Supporting our clients on a daily basis has always been a challenge” but, he said, “San Antonio will continue as the permanent home.”