Fergus Lopez on leading APS Malaysia, and why communication is linked to safety

Aircraft Propeller Service (APS), a leading aerospace company which focuses on turboprop propeller maintenance, airframe trading and aerospace manufacturing, is currently expanding its global reach.

Established over 70 years ago, with headquarters in Lake Zurich, Illinois, APS launched its first international presence in Brazil in 2016. Almost a decade later, it has reached another milestone: opening a facility in Malaysia, their first in the Asia Pacific (APAC) region.

A December 2024 market analysis report by consulting company Skyquest showed a promising forecast for the APAC area. While North America currently dominates the propeller aircraft market, the Asia-Pacific region emerged as the fastest-growing market for aircraft propeller systems.

According to the report, rapid economic growth, increasing air travel and expanding regional connectivity fuel the demand for both commercial and general aviation aircraft within the APAC region.

“As governments and airlines in Asia-Pacific strive to enhance air transportation infrastructure, there is a substantial surge in the procurement of turboprop aircraft to meet the rising demand for reliable and cost-effective aircraft solutions,” the report said.

In the midst of this growth, Fergus Lopez, an experienced figure within the aerospace industry, joined APS as its Managing Director for the APAC region.

Fergus Lopez, Managing Director for APS Asia PacificIn an exclusive interview, AeroTime sat down with Lopez to discover how he established the APS Malaysia facility, how he developed his leadership and communication style, and how his varied life and work experience prepared him for this role.

From aircraft technician to Managing Director: Coming full circle

Early days as an aircraft technician. Fergus Lopez working on a C130 in 1987. Photo courtesy of Fergus Lopez.

For Malaysian-born Lopez, fulfilling his current role as Managing Director for APS Asia Pacific is a “full circle” moment, and the culmination of years of global leadership experience in the aerospace industry.  He shared details of his humble origins with AeroTime.

A licensed pilot who flies recreationally, Lopez began his aviation journey in Singapore, when he entered an apprentice program for an aerospace maintenance company.

“I started off turning wrenches fixing airplanes,” Lopez said, describing how during the day he worked for the company, learning the trade as an aircraft technician while attending technical school in the evenings.

Upon graduation, he emigrated to Canada in the late 1980s, to start his technician career with independent Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) provider StandardAero in Winnipeg. At age 28, he quit his job and returned to university full-time, graduating with an Honours degree in business from the University of Manitoba and also becoming a proud Canadian citizen. 

Eventually returning to Standard Aero, Lopez progressively filled various positions of increasing responsibility within the company. He held several global roles within the company that took him to the Netherlands,  USA, Australia, Malaysia and eventually back to Singapore. 

He eventually left Standard Aero while in Singapore and subsequently worked in leadership positions with other major Aerospace OEMs and MRO companies, most notably Meggitt, Parker Aerospace, and GKN.  While taking a short sabbatical, he was on a beach in Malaysia learning to scuba dive when he received a call from Dan Colbert, President and CEO of APS recruiting him to lead APS’ Asia Pacific Operations.

It’s been more than two years since that fateful call, and now Lopez has proudly launched the official opening of APS’ Asia Pacific Regional HQ and MRO operations located in Shah Alam, Malaysia.

Setting up APS Malaysia: 39th time’s the charm

While Lopez has a regional leadership role for all aspects of APS’ business in Asia Pacific, his immediate task was to find a home for APS’s regional HQ and MRO Operations. Understanding the business needs of APS and what was on offer from a variety of countries in the region, he eventually settled on recommending Malaysia as a location.   

“The first thing on my mind was, ‘how do I start this up with the right talent and people so that it can be an absolute success in the shortest possible time?’,” Lopez said.

#image_titleBecause of his extensive background and work experience in Southeast Asia, Lopez considered talent not just from Malaysia but also from Indonesia, Singapore and Vietnam.

Two weeks after joining APS, Lopez hired the first two members of his team: the company’s HR Manager and Director of Operations. Together, the trio began the stringent process of hiring the remaining office support team and MRO technicians.  Today, APS is 100% powered by proud Malaysians.

The next task for Lopez was finding the perfect location. Because there were no obvious industrial spots within Kuala Lumpur that had the right size for aircraft maintenance, the team had to look more broadly within a 20-30 kilometer radius around the Malaysian capital.

#image_titleLopez and his core leadership team looked at a total of 38 building sites. “We wanted a site that projected professionalism, and could also accommodate growth,” he said.

They finally found the ideal spot on the 39th site. “I immediately saw the potential of the building. It was still under early stages of construction when we found it, but I liked the surroundings, how it sat on the base of a hill with much greenery behind the building and was scalable.” Lopez recalled.

“It’s also close to a logistics park and away from heavy traffic. Everyone gave the thumbs up, and we soon negotiated for the building and started designing the build out.”

The facility, located in Shah Alam, Selangor, will start with propeller system maintenance for ATR 72 and Airbus C295 aircraft, with plans to expand its MRO capabilities over time.

On June 24, 2025, APS officially opened its Malaysia facility, to serve the Asia Pacific region.

APS CEO Daniel Colbert joined Lopez at the opening ceremony, along with special guests and officials such as Chief Minister of Selangor, YAB Dato’ Seri Amirudin bin Shari.

For Lopez, the facility’s grand opening was a celebration and gathering of incredible APS people from around the globe.

“The team exceeded expectations on all fronts, from hiring and qualifying trained technicians, building a state of the art facility and achieving all necessary aviation regulatory certifications in good timing,” he said.

People skills in a technical space

While Lopez has now been in leadership roles for a long time, he very much appreciates his time fixing airplanes as a technician. His lived experiences as a technician have helped him hone his leadership and interpersonal skills, especially within the MRO environment that the majority of his growing team operates in at work.  

Citing the 3P method of ‘Production Preparation Process’ in designing the facility, Lopez suggested that a fourth essential ‘P’ should be included: People.

A great proponent of training and development, Lopez supported APS Malaysia’s team of aircraft technicians to be flown to Lake Zurich, Illinois in the USA, and Atibaia, São Paulo in Brazil, for four-week intensive training, in addition to the on-site training held at the Kuala Lumpur facility.

APS Malaysia currently has a team of 22 aircraft technicians, ranging in experience from two to 15 years. This pioneer team will eventually grow in multiples as more capabilities are introduced. 

According to Lopez, the company is a relatively flat organization by nature, and he encourages and fosters open communication. All technicians have his number, and they can contact him directly when needed. “I walk around the facility often for safety checks and to catch up or chat with the team,” he said.

These walks, he suggested, give the team an opportunity to talk to him directly about ideas or issues. Lopez utilizes those moments to connect and communicate deeper and see the technician’s logic behind the issues they may be experiencing or explore ideas for better operations.

APS Malaysia aircraft technicians in a paper airplane competition during team-building activitiesHe also understands that open communication, especially in Asia, is not always direct, and stressed the importance of adapting one’s communication and listening skills to a region’s culture. “Asians are generally shy and do not like speaking up in a group scenario or authoritative setting,” Lopez said, adding that this often means ideas and messages are “whispered” rather than directly said.

“What I find encouraging is that people will talk quietly, whisper something, but with this style of communication, you have to give the message an opportunity to float up to the surface,” he added.

“Team members need to know that, even if they are shy to speak up in front of a crowd, there are still other avenues for their ideas to be heard.”

Open communication, albeit indirect, is crucial to safety and quality in the aerospace industry so that employees feel comfortable reporting concerns, leading to proactive hazard identification and prevention.

Lopez’s biggest hope for his team

However, one should not mistake Lopez’s openness and patience in communication style for leniency. In a recent safety day event, the APS Asia Pacific team adopted “No Compromises” as its safety tag line. 

One thing that he doesn’t tolerate is intentional lapses in safety or quality at work. “In the aerospace industry, making mistakes has consequences. Maybe not now or tomorrow, but the consequences are guaranteed to surface at some point,” Lopez said.

“If you want to work in an organization like APS, you must have a good sense of safety and quality within you. We, as a team, must have zero tolerance when it comes to safety and quality deficiencies, and I tell that to my team day in and day out.”

Lopez’s uncompromising rules in work quality also come with fervent hope for his team. 

With his team’s continuous learning and development, he is confident their growth – in both numbers and skills – will prepare them for leadership and conquering bigger challenges.

As a former technician himself, Lopez reckoned that his experience is essential and relevant to his role as Managing Director. “I see a lot of goodness in my current team members at APS and hope that I can inspire them to be the best of the best, and one day lead APS Asia Pacific.”.

Lopez and his team during Aviation Maintenance Technician Day on May 24, 2025

The post Fergus Lopez on leading APS Malaysia, and why communication is linked to safety appeared first on AeroTime.

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