P&WC focused on strength

By: Matt Thurber

October 22, 2009
Business Aviation

John Saabas, president of engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC), is focused on strengthening the company so that, he said, “we come out of this downturn stronger than we were coming in. We want to keep investing in the core of the business and reduce costs in areas we can and keep investing in new products.” During the past year, total revenues have dropped about 25 percent, according to Saabas.

Major P&WC programs continue unabated, he said, including the PW307B for the upcoming Learjet 85, the PW210 for the Sikorsky S-76D and the PTC-67E for Eurocopter’s EC 175. Work continues, too, on the PW800 core for the engine that would have powered Cessna’s canceled Columbus large-cabin jet. “We want to be ready for something else that may show up,” Saabas said.

Another strong area of investment is customer service, under P&WC’s Customer First initiative. With 90 percent of its 10,000 customers operating just one or two aircraft, P&WC has to spread its service resources across the globe, including both factory-owned and authorized partners.

“We’ve done our best to be close geographically with parts, hot-section and overhaul capability and mobile repair teams,” he said. “We challenge ourselves with 24-hour return to service, if it doesn’t require engine removal. We’ve made significant progress toward that.”

At the NBAA show, P&WC announced a new option for operators that want to enroll in the Eagle Service Plan hourly maintenance cost program. The new Flex option allows operators to enroll in-service engines (for a limited time) while deferring “payment for the majority of hours flown prior to enrollment to any convenient time in the future,” according to the company, “including up to the scheduled engine overhaul event.” Here at NBAA, P&WC (Booth No. 5711) is celebrating the Eagle Service Plan’s 20th anniversary. 

Back

Cessna V-p: We Must Continue Bizav Evangelism March 11, 2010 Cessna vice president of corporate communication Robert Stangarone, on Tuesday, at the British Business and General Aviation Association (BBGA)... [more]
Report Puts Pre-owned Bizjet Market Under Microscope March 04, 2010 Pre-owned business jet prices are down 40 percent from the heights of 2008 and are now on average 15 percent below “market value,” AircraftPost... [more]
D.C. Federal District Court Removes the BARR March 02, 2010 A federal judge for the District of Columbia has ruled that aircraft tail numbers submitted for blockage under NBAA’s Block Aircraft... [more]
Foley: India a Growing but Low-volume Bizav Market March 02, 2010 On the eve of the India Aviation Conference on Civil Aviation, business aviation market advisor Brian Foley said business jet deliveries in... [more]
Industry sees signs of slow recovery March 01, 2010 There have been signs lately that the business aviation industry is experiencing a recovery. However, there have also been signs that a true... [more]