US-based aircraft engine maker Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has commissioned a new fan blade manufacturing facility at the company’s AutoAir plant site in Lansing, Michigan.
The 93,000ft² facility will produce fan blades for P&W’s PurePower Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine programme and has been added to the company’s existing GTF fan blade production line in Lansing.
It has joined a global network of 30 manufacturing, production and assembly sites that develop various parts and components of the GTF engine programme.
With the latest addition, P&W expects to meet its goal of delivering between 350 and 400 GTF engines this year.
The expansion is also set to triple the production capacity at the AutoAir plant.
P&W operations vice-president Shane Eddy said: “P&W's $97m investment in the production of fan blades for the GTF engine at our AutoAir facility is part of our more than $1.3bn investment in 21st century manufacturing technology to transform our footprint worldwide.
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By GlobalData“This expansion is part of our strategy to handle delivery demands on our backlog of more than 8,000 firm and option engines on order.”
P&W has also increased its workforce at the AutoAir plant from around 200 to nearly 700. The site has also seen a tenfold increase in production over a period of 20 months.
Apart from producing GTF fan blades, P&W’s AutoAir facility is engaged in the testing of nacelle composite repairs.
P&W currently operates four maintenance and repair operations (MRO) facilities to service GTF engines.
