P&W to establish tech accelerator in Singapore
Aerospace manufacturer Pratt & Whitney (P&W) has announced plans to establish a ‘technology accelerator’ in Singapore, in collaboration with the country’s Economic Development Board (EDB)
The accelerator will support the development and deployment of ‘technology insertion projects’ at its ‘four Singaporean maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) sites over the next five years’.
The projects, expected to be worth a combined S$31 million (US$22 million), will focus on the fields of automation, advanced inspection, connected factory and digital twin technologies, with the aim of improving connectivity and efficiency across P&W’s MRO operations.
P&W added that technologies developed in Singapore will subsequently ‘be applied across [its] global MRO footprint’.
The technology accelerator will be based at the Seletar Aerospace Park, and is expected to be ready for full occupation in the fourth quarter of this year. It will create 16 new positions, which the company plans to fill with ‘local, full-time employees’.
Speed and scalability improvements
“The push for digitalization is underway across our facilities in Singapore, and the technology accelerator will increase the speed and scalability of these technology projects. The mission of the accelerator nicely aligns with Singapore’s push to digitalize the economy,” said Gilbert Sim, Director of Aftermarket Global Operations Technology and CORE, Pratt & Whitney.
Kevin Kirkpatrick, Vice President of Aftermarket Global Operations at Pratt & Whitney, explained that the choice to open an accelerator was driven by the role the company’s Asia-Pacific MRO facilities have played in driving innovation, ‘including developing the first-in-MRO application of 3D printing for aero-engine component details, pioneering robotics in the sector and launching an industrial simulation software pilot’.
Pratt & Whitney (P&R) Canada also selected Swiss battery developer H55 to support its hybrid-electric flight demonstrator program in May 2022.