Quick Answer: There's no single number, since it depends on whether the part still exists anywhere or has to be built from scratch. When Avanti Power Components reverse-engineered obsolete GE Frame 5 fuel nozzles for a plant in Glenwood, NY, the turbine was running again within two weeks. A MOOG hydraulic actuator rebuild, in another case, took two months and still met the customer's outage deadline. The real risk isn't the timeline itself. It's waiting to start until the outage window is already closing.

What has Avanti Power Components actually delivered under outage-deadline pressure?

Two documented cases, both real, both against a real deadline. Obsolete GE Frame 5 fuel nozzles: no parts existed anywhere, so Avanti Power Components measured and machined factory-exact replacements, and the turbine was back online in two weeks. A MOOG hydraulic actuator with a bad leak: no parts existed for it either, so Avanti Power Components rebuilt it using original AutoCAD drawings, replaced the servos and solenoids with modern components, and returned it in time for reinstallation on a steam turbine, meeting the outage deadline. Full details in Our Work.

What determines how long it takes to source or replace an obsolete part?

Mainly one question: does the part exist anywhere as stock, or does it have to be rebuilt or reverse-engineered? If a distributor or another shop has it sitting on a shelf, sourcing can be fast. If the part was discontinued years ago and nobody stocks it, the timeline shifts to however long it takes to reverse-engineer and machine a replacement, which is exactly what both cases above required.

What if the part isn't available from the OEM or anywhere else?

That's not a dead end, it's the specific situation reverse engineering exists for. Avanti Power Components works from original drawings when they're available, or measures and machines a replacement to factory-exact spec when they aren't. Both cases above started from exactly that position: no OEM source, no distributor stock, no existing drawings in one case.

How far ahead of an outage should you start sourcing parts?

As soon as you know a part might be a problem, not after the outage window opens. The earlier Avanti Power Components hears about a part, the more options are still on the table: checking for existing stock, sourcing an aftermarket equivalent, or starting a reverse-engineering project with enough runway to do it right instead of rushed. Request a quote the moment a part looks questionable, even weeks before the outage is scheduled to start.