East Hartford jet-engine maker Pratt & Whitney on Monday unveiled its newly renovated engineering center in Puerto Rico for more than 800 employees there.
Pratt, a subsidiary of Farmington’s United Technologies Corp., said it renovated the 104,000-square-foot Pratt & Whitney Puerto Rico Aguadilla Engineering Center for $14 million. The space provides aerospace defense design and support for Pratt’s fleet of commercial and military gas turbine engines, including the geared turbofan (GTF) engine.
Officials said the engineering hub was revamped in partnership with the Puerto Rico Industrial Development Company (PRIDCO) and now has the capacity for another 400 workers.
Pratt & Whitney Puerto Rico Inc. will operate the space formerly called Infotech Aerospace Services (IAS).
Pratt and India-based engineering and consulting firm Cyient Ltd. established IAS in 2003 and the jet-engine maker bought out the remaining stake in the joint venture in Sept. 2017.
Pratt officials inaugurated the renovated engineering center at a ceremony on Monday attended by UTC officials, Puerto Rico Governor Ricardo Rossello and representatives from PRICO.
The celebration also included a $500,000 donation by Pratt to the University of Puerto Rico at Mayaguez for an aerospace teaching laboratory to train mechanical and electrical engineers.
In other news Tuesday, Pratt said it inked a 12-year agreement with Philippine Airlines to service its fleet of Airbus A321neo aircraft.
The jet-engine maker said it will service the airline’s fleet of 15 aircrafts, which are powered by Pratt’s geared turbofan (GTF) engines.Â
Under the service, Pratt will provide engine fleet data analytics and real-time intelligence to predict and prevent engine disruptions. It will also offer new technology and other resources.
Officials said Pratt and Philippine Airlines have worked together for several decades.Â
