Hand-out RTX
Employees at the North American Technology Accelerator examine a part during the development of an advanced of an advanced repair process
Employees at the North American Technology Accelerator examine a part during the development of an advanced repair process.
Pratt & Whitney, an RTX business, has unveiled the latest details relating to its new centre of excellence, the North American Technology Accelerator (NATA). Based in Florida, the centre will operate as a base for commercial and military aftermarket operations. The building will feature dedicated floor space, equipment, and resources that specialise in the development and industrialisation of technology insertion programs.
The opening of the new centre will support Pratt & Whitney’s global maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) network. According to the aircraft engine and auxiliary power unit specialists, NATA will focus on material restoration and process automation, including the following applications:
- Advanced repairs.
- Digital inspection.
- Adaptive processing.
- Coating and masking for compressor and fan parts, blades, cases, and more.
By supplying these services, Pratt & Whitney can save money, reduce material demand, minimise negative environmental impacts, decrease turn times, and improve throughput. The repair technology is forecasted to recover $100 million in parts over the next five years to support the GTF MRO ramp.
“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.
NATA will be the second centre of excellence opened by Pratt & Whitney, the first being the Singapore Technology Accelerator (STA), which was established in September 2022. The STA focuses on advanced inspection, robotics, connected factory and shop digital twin. Combining both centres, Pratt & Whitney is expecting to save at least $24 million annually.