Pratt & Whitney has announced a $20 million investment to increase GTF MRO capacity at their West Palm Beach Engine Center in Florida. By the end of 2025, the expansion will accommodate a 40 percent capacity increase.
On Wednesday (April 10, 2024), Pratt & Whitney announced a $20 million investment to increase the GTF maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) capacity at their West Palm Beach Engine Center in Florida. When completed in the second half of 2025, the expansion will accommodate a 40 percent increase in capacity. To support the planned growth, the facility will increase their workforce by 25 percent over the next year, and critical equipment will be added in areas such as machining, test, clean and warehousing. The expanded facility will also include transformative technologies developed at the recently announced North American technology Accelerator.
In Wednesday’s announcement, Pratt & Whitney’s VP – Global Aftermarket Operations, Kevin Kirkpatrick, said,
“The expansion at West Palm Beach is the latest example of our global investment to support the GTF fleet. We remain steadfast in our commitment to support customers and maintain their trust as we carry out the GTF fleet management plan.”
In mid-2021, Pratt & Whitney’s West Palm Beach Engine Center was transformed into a fully-capable GTF MRO center. It was also the company’s first facility to adopt an automated system that assembles the high-pressure compressor (HPC) rotor and a refined engine handling system. This has resulted in an HPC rotor yield improvement of over 25 percent, and a 50 percent reduction in turnaround time. Last year, Pratt & Whitney announced three GTF MRO expansions, and five shop activations in support of the growing fleet of GTF engines, with another three expected to come online by 2025.
A division of Raytheon Technologies Corporation (NYSE: RTX), Pratt & Whitney is a global leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft and helicopter engines and auxiliary power units (APUs) for commercial, military, regional, business and general aviation aircraft. Pratt & Whitney is known for their innovative technologies such as the Geared Turbofan (GTF) commercial aircraft engine and the PW800 business jet engine. Arlington, Virginia-based RTX is the world’s largest aerospace and defense company, employing over 185,000 team members worldwide. The company’s industry-leading business units include Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney and Raytheon. In 2023, RTX generated sales totaling $68.9 billion.
Source: Pratt & Whitney, an RTX company