TechFocus Member Spotlight – Universal Avionics

It’s no secret that every industry has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the aviation industry is no different, but how Universal Avionics adapted to it is.

Moderated by Linda Drake from Michael Beach Coaching & Consulting, this episode of TechFocus features Universal Avionics CEO Dror Yahav.

Yahav discusses how Universal Avionics survived in an industry that was heavily impacted by the pandemic.  They took immediate action, avoided layoffs and furloughs, cut costs and focused on specific domains.  In April 2020, the company opened space at their Tucson headquarters to the non-profit HOPE to manufacture medical masks and shields for health care workers and first responders.

In addition, Yahav shares how Universal Avionics employees now, more than ever, are “connected and committed to the company.”  Productivity is up even with a majority of its workforce working from home.  He attributes the success to the fact that executives have been transparent with their employees through the entire ordeal, by sharing “the plan moving forward”, leading by example on how they react to the crisis, and by supporting their employees and their families.

Universal Avionics was founded in 1981 as a private family-owned business focused on serving the business aviation market, government and military aviation, airline (both regional and commercial) and helicopter market.  In 2018, Universal Avionics became a wholly-owned subsidiary of Elbit Systems Ltd.

“The transition has worked out better than we had hoped,” Yahav said.  “Together we have become a very innovative state-of-the-art company that is truly unique in the marketplace.”

Yahav predicts post-pandemic that the airline transport industry will thrive and commercial aviation will be safer, more in demand, and become more efficient, including work on autonomous piloting.

Universal Avionics is a leading manufacturer of innovative avionics systems offered as retrofit and forward-fit solutions for the largest diversification of aircraft types in the industry. Markets served include Business, Special Missions, Government / Military, Airline (regional / commercial), Helicopter and OEM. In business for over 30 years, Universal Avionics has expanded its product line and delivered breakthrough technologies to the industry that offer incredible safety improvements, situational awareness and operational benefits for operators. Visit https://uasc.com/ to learn more about Universal Avionics.