“There has to be a better way.”

That’s what Brian Middleton told himself after seeing the same scene repeated over and over: Your OEM makes a change, you don’t know about it, and now there’s a looming issue no one will discover until it’s too late, which means you’ll be looking at overtime and expedited shipping – on your nickel.

Brian knew the key was getting the right information, and at the right time. He also knew that parts manufacturers struggle with getting to their OEM portals on a regular basis and finding what they need easily and quickly. So he created the minMAXimizer^TM, or “MAX.” Custom software logic developed precisely for aviation manufacturers, MAX analyzes your OEM’s portal data to extract and report just what you need (and nothing you don’t), so you can react today, not a month from today. Several aviation parts manufacturers are already using MAX, and Brian is hands on as more shops are realizing how much time, money, and headaches MAX can save.

“We created MAX to help our customers with their VMI challenges,” explains Brian Middleton, creator of minMAXimizer™.

“Building things is fun. And, rewarding.”

As with most career aviation guys, Brian has loved airplanes since his youth. Combine that with a natural curiosity for machines and how they work, and you have a bona fide aviation inventor, if you will. In fact that’s how Aero-Spaces began. Brian saw a hole in the supply chain: machine shops were having to send out parts for finishing, marking, quality inspection and warehousing. Then, the parts would be shipped back, awaiting their third and (maybe) final shipping to the OEM. Instead, Aero-Spaces provides logistical services on the supplier’s behalf, which saves them time and money (and makes their OEM happier, too).

"Nothing gets sold unless a problem gets solved."

Ask Brian and he’ll tell you that he loves solving problems, especially if they’re hard. His adage “nothing gets sold unless a problem gets solved” sums up his approach to business, and has ever since he joined D&O Engineering 36 years ago. D&O, a manufacturers’ representative firm serving the aerospace industry throughout the Midwest and South, exemplifies Brian’s philosophy of adding value through problem solving.

As an IFR-rated pilot with an A&P license and a degree in aviation science, Brian’s resume matches his passion. A voracious reader of topics from physics to self-reliance, Brian’s known for losing sleep simply because a new idea has him too excited. His favorite activity is to talk shop. Try him out on yours.