Engines
Pratt & Whitney feeling the thrust
The life of a component supplier is a difficult one in the aerospace and business aviation industries.

The life of a component supplier is a difficult one in the aerospace and business aviation industries. Being dependent on the airframe manufacturers for business severely limits a company’s ability to expand to new markets. But at least one engine manufacturer is having a good go of it these days. Pratt & Whitney’s sales increased 20 percent between 2005 and last year, and according to company executives, this type of growth will extend well into the future.

The Hartford, Conn.-based engine supplier that began life making radial piston engines has existed in recent years mainly for the purpose of building turbine engines for the airline and military markets. But that balance has shifted as Pratt
& Whitney Canada (P&WC), the company’s smaller-engines commercial aviation division, continues expanding at a rapid rate.