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On the Record with
ALAIN BELLEMARE, PRESIDENT, PRATT & WHITNEY CANADA
Recovery is under way in the business and general aviation sectors,
and interest is picking up too in regional turboprops. That's the
view from Pratt & Whitney Canada (Hall 4, Stand F9). where production
volumes are up more than 25% from a year ago.
"We're seeing a recovery driven by an improved economy, a reduced
availability of used aircraft on the market, and a shrinking in
inventory at the OEMs," P&WC president Alain Bellemare told
Show News. "Plus we have increased our market share in specific
segments" such as with new customer Dassault for its Falcon Jets.
Despite the downturn, P&WC has maintained its R&D spending
on technology and is ready to compete for new business when airframers
define a requirement. On the horizon are Bombardier's proposed 100-passenger
regional jet (where Pratt Canada will work with big Pratt &
Whitney), and a next-generation PW200 turboshaft engine for future
medium or heavy twin helicopters. No specific engines are in the
works, but the technology is ready. "We are flexible," said Bellemare.
The combination of Kaizan, Lean and Six Sigma processes over the
last few years have reduced lead times and enable Pratt to respond
quickly when the need arises.
Major milestones at P&WC over the last year include:
- PW600. The 1,350-pounds-thrust PW615F for the Cessna
Mustang began flight test on a Citation in April; the 900-pounds-thrust
PW610F for the Eclipse first ran in May and will fly in the third
quarter on Pratt's Boeing 720 testbed. Orders exceed 2,000 aircraft
before either has flown; Pratt is giving itself "a lot of margin
in terms of capacity" should more airframers sign up.
- PW200. The turboshaft has a 70-75% share in the market
for light twin helicopters, which itself has picked up some 35%
from a year ago. Pratt has now delivered 1,000 engines that have
racked up their first one million hours.
- PW300 family. Deliveries of the 7,000-pounds-thrust PW308Cs
for the Falcon 2000EX are well under way. The first set of new
6,100-pounds-thrust PW307A engines for the Falcon 7X have been
shipped to Dassault "on schedule, on spec and on performance,"
said Bellemare. And the 306C will enter service in the third quarter
on the Cessna Sovereign.
- PW500 family. The PW545B will enter service in the third
quarter on Cessna's updated Citation XLS. "They pushed the refresh
button on that aircraft at just the right time," said John Wright,
VP for business aviation and military engines at P&WC.
- PW980. The first APU for the Airbus A380 will be delivered
in August, with qualification due next April. The APU is roughly
the same size as a single engine from an Embraer Brasilia.
—John Morris
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Unprecedented challenges face Pratt & Whitney Canada
as the Cessna Mustang and Eclipse 500 light business jets
move toward reality. Both are powered by variants of the new
PW600, and delivery of just 500 aircraft a year means Pratt
must gear up to deliver 1,000 of the tiny engines every 12
months.
That works out to one engine every eight hours, every day,
seven days a week, assuming Pratt brings on a third shift.
With just two shifts and a five-day week, Pratt must turn
out one engine every four hours.
With the Eclipse priced at just on $1 million, one can see
the engines can't command that high a price. Indeed, margins
are razor thin and profit depends on volume and keeping costs
in check.
"Cost is very, very critical," P&WC president Alain Bellemare
told Show News. "Production at those volumes using
traditional methods would be very inefficient." The answer?
Pratt is developing a lean program from start to finish for
the PW600 involving suppliers and partners, engineering, manufacturing
and testing, to ensure profitable production. "There is no
time for rework, or retest," said Bellemare. "For the customer
an engine will arrive just in time all the time, when they
need it, without a buffer, without inventory" no matter how
many airplanes they are building.
—John Morris
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Pratt & Whitney Canada has won no fewer than 27 new applications
for its engines since 2007, for entry into service by 2007.
"And we've certificated 45 new engines in the last 10 years,"
President Alain Bellemare told Show News. Applications
range from helicopters to light jets, from business aircraft
to UAVs. "We're gaining momentum," he said. The company has
38,000 engines in service with 8,000 customers worldwide.
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