Pratt & Whitney’s 1.2 million square foot turbine airfoil production facility in Asheville is almost near completion. The company is expecting to finish the work and achieve the initial operational capability by Q2 of 2023. Pratt has invested around $650 million and is expected to create 800 new jobs through 2027.
Shane Eddy, president of Pratt & Whitney, said: “Pratt & Whitney’s new Asheville facility is a cornerstone of our industrial transformation and a key investment that will support growing demand for GTF engine-powered aircraft and for the F135 engine, which powers the F-35 Lightning II. It represents the harmonized execution of our CORE Operating System and fully integrated Industry 4.0 capabilities designed around our people and processes that add value to our products. It is an honor to celebrate the ribbon cutting of this facility in the state that was first in flight.”
The Asheville facility will house an advanced casting foundry and conduct machining, coating, and finishing of airfoils onsite thus complementing the existing turbine airfoil work that is currently done across Pratt & Whitney’s facilities, said the company.