Forbes Magazine, Lexington Institute Highlight Pratt & Whitney as Example of Successful U.S. Manufacturing

An article in Forbes Magazine and a narrative published by the Lexington Institute recently examined the state of U.S. manufacturing today and highlights the transformation of Pratt & Whitney's manufacturing strategy as successfully positioning the company for its impending engine production ramp.

"The New Landscape in American Manufacturing, What It Takes to Succeed Today," a narrative by Loren Thompson of the Lexington Institute, highlights the changing landscape in American manufacturing and the requirements to stay competitive in a globalized and digitized economy. This study is about the steps that U.S. manufacturers are taking to stay ahead, using "the experience of 90-year-old aircraft-engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney to illustrate how the world has changed and how an industry-leading company is responding."

"Pratt & Whitney … now stands poised to execute a surge in production of new propulsion technology that will transform the commercial-transport and military-aviation sectors," Thompson wrote.

The Forbes article, "Gamechanger: How Pratt & Whitney Transformed Itself to Lead a Revolution in Jet Propulsion," calls out how "Pratt & Whitney belongs to a small fraternity of American manufacturers such as Boeing and General Motors that have managed to remain on top since the early decades of the 20th Century (the "American Century") by continuously adapting to changing markets and technology."

The article goes on the highlight the transformation of Pratt & Whitney's manufacturing strategy. "The challenge was figuring out how to remain price-competitive as an American manufacturer while meeting ever-rising customer expectations for cutting-edge technology, superior quality, and timely delivery. The answer, as it turned out, lay in two emerging management concepts: core competencies and lean manufacturing," Thompson wrote.

Click here to read the summary of the narrative, or read the full narrative here.

Click here to read the Forbes article.