PartsToGo hires Pärtel-Peeter Kruuv to lead aerospace AM qualification push

PartsToGo has appointed Pärtel-Peeter Kruuv as head of its aerospace business unit, tasking him with bridging the gap between additive prototyping and certified production of flight-ready parts. Kruuv, who previously held roles at AM Craft and Magnetic MRO, brings hands-on experience in maintenance, production workflows, and quality management systems for regulated aviation environments. The move signals that PartsToGo is shifting from a generalist service bureau model toward a vertically focused operation capable of navigating the documentation, traceability, and certification demands of aerospace OEMs and their supply chains.

This hire is a direct response to the aerospace qualification grind — the long, capital-intensive process of moving AM parts from technical feasibility to certified serial production. PartsToGo is betting that dedicated leadership with MRO and regulatory process experience can compress that timeline for its customers, particularly for interior components and non-structural flight parts where certification pathways are more established. The move also reflects a broader industry pattern: as metal and polymer AM service providers mature, they increasingly differentiate not on machine specs but on their ability to manage quality systems, audit trails, and supplier qualification — the invisible infrastructure that turns a printed part into a deliverable part. For PartsToGo, this means competing less on speed or price and more on the repeatability and documentation rigor that aerospace buyers require.

Kruuv's success will hinge on whether PartsToGo can convert its existing customer relationships into repeat production contracts, not just one-off prototyping jobs. The company must demonstrate that its quality management system can scale across multiple OEM programs without ballooning overhead. For buyers evaluating AM service providers for aerospace, the practical question is no longer whether the part can be printed, but whether the supplier can deliver a fully documented, auditable process chain that survives first-article inspection.