Pratt & Whitney to pump $65 million into its Columbus Engine Center

Aerospace company Pratt & Whitney said Thursday it is investing $65 million into an overhaul of its Columbus Engine Center on Macon Road.

The company, which has operated in Columbus for about three decades, said it is retrofitting and installing new equipment to handle maintenance on its “PurePower Geared Turbofan” engine. Pratt also has a parts forging facility and an operation called PCI on the site in east Columbus.

“Pratt & Whitney has been committed to Columbus, Ga., for the past 30 years, having provided thousands of jobs for our residents and tremendous corporate support to our community,” said Mayor Teresa Tomlinson. “We believe with today’s significant investment announcement that they will be providing more opportunities to our city and region for the next 30 years.”

Brian Anderson, president and chief executive officer of the Greater Columbus Chamber of Commerce, also applauded the announcement by Pratt & Whitney.

“We knew this new engine could mean additional opportunities for the Columbus facility, so we worked diligently to make sure we were a preferred location for the repair work we knew would be necessary as they rolled out the first of what will be thousands of Geared Turbofan engines,” he said.

Pratt & Whitney employs about 1,100 people at its sprawling complex at 8801 Macon Road, along with a satellite facility it opened in 2014 in Muscogee Technology Park, a short distance from the mother plant.

The PurePower Geared Turbofan engine was researched, designed, developed and tested over 20 years by Pratt & Whitney, with it having the benefits of burning less fuel and having less emissions, along with lower operating costs and less noise when they are running.

A company website says the family of engines powers several aircraft, including Mitsubishi regional jets MRJ70 and MRJ90, the Bombardier CSeries 100 and 300, the Irkut MC-21, the Airbus A320neo and the Embraer E-Jet E2.

“As the GTF engine continues to enter into service, it is critical that we have a strong maintenance, repair and overhaul network in place to support these engines,” said Joe Sylvestro, vice president over aftermarket operations at Pratt & Whitney. “The Columbus Engine Center draws on decades of high-volume engine maintenance experience and is well positioned to provide the highest quality service to our GTF engine customers.”

Pratt & Whitney worked with both the state of Georgia and Columbus economic developers on the project, with the payoffs a long-term commitment to the city and the company’s well-paying jobs. The state’s customized Quick Start training program will be used as the retrofit ramps up in the coming months. The effort will include construction on facilities, improvement of infrastructure and new equipment.

“We appreciate Pratt & Whitney’s continued investment in the state of Georgia, and we look forward to working with our economic development partners in Columbus to support the company in future growth,” said Chris Carr, commissioner of the Georgia Department of Economic Development.

“We’ve been working with Pratt & Whitney for some time on this project and know how important it is to the long-term success of their operations here in Columbus,” said Russ Carreker, Chair, Development Authority of Columbus.

Pratt & Whitney, a subsidiary of conglomerate United Technologies Corp., said the Columbus Engine Center is the first site in the world to handle maintenance of the PurePower engines, also referred to as PW1000G engines. Other engines it is performing maintenance chores on include the PW1100G-JM, the PW1500G, the V2500, the PW2000, the F117 and the F100.

Construction begins this year in Columbus on a new engine test facility that will complement the existing test area, the company said. Work on the center will include disassembly of jet engines, inspection of them, reassembly and testing. The company noted it has invested several times in recent years in its Columbus operation.

“The Pratt & Whitney Columbus Engine Center has become the company’s engine overhaul center of excellence in North America due to its skilled workforce, proven track record for performance and potential for growth,” Sylvestro said. “The tremendous support we receive from the community and state have contributed to the success of this business.”

Pratt & Whitney is headquartered in East Hartford, Conn., while United Technologies is based in Farmington, Conn. Aside from Pratt, its businesses include Otis Elevator Co., UTC Aerospace Systems, UTC Climate, Controls & Security, and Carrier, the heating and air conditioning equipment manufacturer.

This story was originally published June 30, 2016 at 9:12 AM with the headline "Pratt & Whitney to pump $65 million into its Columbus Engine Center."