Pratt & Whitney to invest $4.7 million In Springdale plant

Pratt & Whitney recently invested $4.7 million into a 7,000-square-foot expansion at its Springdale plant as part of a more than $100 million project to increase the maintenance, repair and overhaul capacity for commercial and military aircraft engine case repairs.

A business of Arlington, Va.-based aerospace and defense company RTX Corp., Pratt & Whitney is expanding its plants and capacity amid efforts to ramp maintenance capacity for the Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine.

The 7,000-square-foot expansion at the Springdale plant provides additional space for commercial and military engine case repairs. The plant also added new equipment to enable GTF additive-manufacturing repairs, which will reduce process time by more than 60%, the release shows.

Built between 1993 and 1995, the 145,240-square-foot Springdale plant at 275 E. Robison Ave. (U.S. Highway 412) comprises five single-story industrial buildings, a single-story warehouse and a two-story office building on 16.01 acres, according to property records. The Springdale plant has over 200 staff.

Other projects in the expansion include a $78 million investment in Irving, Texas, and a $20 million investment in West Palm Beach, Fla.

“These investments demonstrate Pratt & Whitney’s continued commitment to lifting our airline customers’ GTF fleets,” said Rob Griffiths, senior vice president, commercial engines operations, Pratt & Whitney. “Across these three U.S. facilities, we are investing to increase throughput of GTF engines and parts, adding repair capabilities and deploying new technologies to return engines to our customers as quickly as possible.”

According to the company, its GTF engine has up to 20% lower fuel consumption, 75% smaller noise footprint and reduced emissions compared to previous-generation engines. More than 2,700 GTF-powered aircraft have been delivered to over 90 customers worldwide, with 13,000 engine orders and commitments in total across all platforms.