Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) received a prestigious award last night in Ottawa. Their operations team, led by Benoit Beaudoin, Vice President, Operations, received the James C. Floyd Award by the Aerospace Industries Association of Canada (AIAC) for their exceptional contributions to Canadian aerospace innovation and leadership in advanced manufacturing and workforce development. Mr. Beaudoin and his team have led the development of next-generation advanced manufacturing facilities and processes, making Pratt & Whitney Canada more competitive and creating new opportunities.
The industrialization of the Mirabel Aerospace Centre and the Advanced Manufacturing Centres (AMCs) in Longueuil and Halifax was initiated with the launch of the Pratt & Whitney Pure Power (GTF) engine family. The AMCs are machining centres which manufacture highly complex engine components, integrating advanced machining, automation, machine intelligence and logistics technologies. The Mirabel Aerospace Centre (MAC), which we visited in April 2016, is an impressive 300,000 square foot, LEED Gold certified engine assembly and flight test facility for engines including the PW814GA which powers the Gulfstream G500 and the PW1524G Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine which powers the Bombardier C Series.
From our perspective, P&WC is deploying the right manufacturing technologies and positioning itself for growth in the coming decades, having produced over 100,000 engines and with an impressive lineup including the PW800 business jet engine about to enter service, plus recently-announced plans to complement the existing PT6 with integrated electronic engine and propeller control, and new 2,000 SHP engine. Also the tentatively named Next Generation Regional Turboprop (NGRT) will offer better fuel efficiency for the next generation passenger regional aircraft. Let’s not forget their impressive helicopter engines portfolio, including the new PW210.
In this competitive engine landscape, many engine manufacturers are making a lot of noise. Having followed P&WC’s activities closely and interacted with their executives over the past several years, we are betting on P&WC’s continuing and increasing successes.