Pratt & Whitney Expands Manufacturing in Singapore
The engine developer follows others such as Rolls Royce in developing capacity
in the Malay city-state.
On January 31, 2013, Pratt & Whitney Singapore Manufacturing broke ground on a new facility at the Seletar Aerospace Park, according to a press release. This production facility will manufacture fan blades and high pressure turbine disks for Pratt & Whitney's PurePower Geared Turbofan engines. This new 180,000 ft2 (16,000 m2) facility will border Pratt & Whitney's existing flagship facility at Seletar – Pratt & Whitney Singapore Component Repair. The company has invested nearly $110 million in the development of these two new facilities.
This brings the total of businesses in Singapore to nine for Pratt & Whitney Singapore Manufacturing. With the construction of this new facility, Pratt & Whitney's work force in Singapore is expected to increase to more than 2500 people over the next five years, according to the press release.
The new Pratt & Whitney Singapore Manufacturing facility is projected to be complete by 2014, and it will begin producing commercial engine fan blades in 2015 and high pressure turbine disks by 2016, according to the company. Pratt & Whitney is also in the final stages of completing its existing 160,000 square foot Singapore Component Repair facility in the Seletar Aerospace Park, slated for initial production to begin by the end of 2013.
Source: Pratt & Whitney
Singapore News (1/31, Neo) reports that the Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) believes “this bodes well for Singapore as demand for regional air travel grows. Singapore's aerospace industry already saw a 10% on-year growth to S$8.7 billion in 2012. This was despite the global economic downturn in recent years.” The article also reported that Pratt & Whitney said they expect to see Singapore's manufacturing unit contribute 50% of its global volume output by 2020. “Rolls-Royce opened its $700 million campus last year, housing R&D, training, assembly and manufacturing operations. Fokker Services Asia, too, opened a new facility for regional aircraft heavy maintenance and support in February last year.”