Second center of excellence to advance MRO technologies
and performance
CHICAGO, April 9,
2024 /PRNewswire/ -- (MRO Americas) Pratt &
Whitney, an RTX (NYSE: RTX) business, today announced details of
its North American Technology Accelerator (NATA), a commercial and
military aftermarket operations center of excellence based in
Florida. The NATA will have
dedicated floor space, equipment and resources for the development
and industrialization of technology insertion programs that will
support the company's global maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO)
network.
The accelerator projects in Florida are primarily focused on material
restoration and process automation including advanced repairs,
digital inspection, adaptive processing, and coating and masking
for compressor and fan parts, blades, cases, and more. The benefits
of these technologies will reduce cost, material demand, and
environmental impact, while decreasing turn times, improving
throughput, and delivering value to customers.
"NATA combines data science with people know-how and
state-of-the-art automation to help address customer pain points
such as inventory management and part availability, while
accelerating our improved repair capabilities and efficiency to
better serve our customers," said Kevin
Kirkpatrick, vice president, Aftermarket Global Operations
at Pratt & Whitney.
Key projects include additive repairs for critical GTF engine
components. With this new additive repair technology alone, Pratt
& Whitney expects to recover $100
million worth of parts over next five years to support GTF
MRO ramp.
NATA complements Pratt & Whitney's fully operational
Singapore Technology Accelerator (STA), which was established
in September 2022 with a focus on
robotics, advanced inspection, connected factory and shop digital
twin. STA has since delivered over 30 innovations which will
maximize the productivity in MRO processes. Both
accelerators leverage other RTX research and development expertise
to enhance automation, connectivity, analytics and intelligence to
benefit aftermarket operations. Combined annual savings of at
least $24 million is expected from
Pratt & Whitney's accelerator programs.
NATA and STA are part of Pratt & Whitney's Industry 4.0
transformation, enabled by its Customer Oriented Results and
Excellence (CORE) operating system which is at the foundation of
the business' technology accelerator strategy. CORE provides a
common language, toolset, and methodology for delivering on
customer commitments. The CORE system assesses and pinpoints
critical areas and provides a framework from which to
execute.
About Pratt & Whitney
Pratt & Whitney is a world leader in the design, manufacture
and service of aircraft engines and auxiliary power units. To learn
more, visit www.prattwhitney.com.
About RTX
With more than 185,000 global employees,
RTX pushes the limits of technology and science to redefine how we
connect and protect our world. Through industry-leading businesses
– Collins Aerospace, Pratt & Whitney, and Raytheon – we are
advancing aviation, engineering integrated defense systems, and
developing next-generation technology solutions and manufacturing
to help global customers address their most critical challenges.
The company, with 2023 sales of $69
billion, is headquartered in Arlington, Virginia.
For questions or to schedule an interview, please contact
corporatepr@rtx.com.
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SOURCE RTX