Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is investing over $1 billion in research and development (R&D). The company made the announcement in both its Longueuil (Quebec) and Mississauga (Ontario) facilities. The investment will span over the next 4.5 years to develop the next generation of high-performance aircraft engines.
The investment includes a $300 million repayable contribution from the Government of Canada under the Strategic Aerospace and Defence Initiative (SADI) program.
The Government of Canadas investment enables P&WC to invest over $1 billion overall to pursue its long-standing legacy of innovation and sustain its engineering and manufacturing Centres of Excellence in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia, said John Saabas, President, P&WC.
Our governments top priorities are the economy, and supporting jobs and opportunities for Canadian families through innovation. This investment will support over 6,000 high-quality Canadian jobs and countless others across Canada, said Minister of Industry James Moore. We are proud to support the aerospace industry and will continue to create the right economic conditions for Canadian companies.
This announcement will support jobs and economic growth for Quebecers. Our government is proud to make smart investments that support high-quality jobs across the country, said the Honourable Denis Lebel, Minister of Infrastructure, Communities and Intergovernmental Affairs and Minister of the Economic Development Agency of Canada for the Regions of Quebec.
P&WC is currently investing $275 million over five years in cutting-edge technologies and upgrades to its facilities, including the creation of a world-class Centre of Excellence for intelligent manufacturing in Longueuil. This Centre of Excellence will feature three new intelligent production lines dedicated to manufacturing highly complex key components for the new-generation family of PurePower engines. It is expected to be fully operational in 2015.
Pratt & Whitney Canada leads the industry in developing the next generation of high-performance and sustainable technologies, said Saabas. Our latest R&D programs include cutting-edge materials such as composites and advanced alloys to improve engine weight, a high-efficiency compressor technology to enhance engine performance and reduce fuel consumption, and further improvements to our combustion systems to reduce engine emissions. We are also implementing advanced technologies and intelligent cell concepts to bolster our manufacturing capabilities in Canada. This investment will ensure that we remain technology-ready to support our customers in the years ahead.
Continued Commitment to R&D
This R&D investment will also strengthen P&WCs long-standing collaboration with major universities and suppliers across Canada. Every year, we invest $10 million in projects with close to 20 Canadian universities to develop new engine technologies for the next generation of environmentally-friendly and fuel-efficient aircraft, said Saabas. To date, hundreds of students have worked on more than 800 projects in collaboration with P&WCs engineering team. We are proud to contribute to the development of future engineers and technicians.
This important announcement is a testament to the Government of Canadas pledge to support homegrown R&D through effective industry-university collaboration, said Sheldon Levy, President and Vice-Chancellor, Ryerson University. Added Suzanne Fortier, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of McGill University.
Pratt & Whitney Canada has long been active in promoting collaborative aerospace R&D as a founding member of the Consortium for Research and Innovation in Aerospace in Quebec (CRIAQ) and more recently, the Consortium for Aerospace Research and Innovation in Canada (CARIC).
P&WC is currently working with approximately 1,300 Canadian suppliers which in turn helps them develop their own cutting-edge skills and expertise and maintain their own competitiveness.
With an average $450 million in annual R&D investments over the past 10 years, it ranks among the top Canadian R&D investors. Continuous R&D investments have allowed the company to certify more than 100 engines over the past 25 years, a benchmark in the aerospace industry.
Investing in Canada
Pratt & Whitney Canada has a strong presence across the country, with major facilities in Alberta, Ontario, Quebec and Nova Scotia employing more than 6,000 people, including approximately 1,400 professionals in engineering at its R&D facilities in ontario and Quebec.
P&WC is a global company whose roots have been firmly established in Canada for more than 85 years, concluded John Saabas. The investments announced today demonstrate our long-standing commitment to innovation and our ongoing determination to improve our technologies. They also emphasize P&WCs commitment to being a leader in the design, manufacture and maintenance of high-performance engines.
SOURCE Pratt & Whitney
