'ACE-ing' Readiness: How ACE Tools are Preparing Pratt & Whitney to Support the Geared Turbofan™ Engine's Aftermarket Business

Pratt & Whitney's Aftermarket organization is committed to readying all aspects of customer support for day one of the PurePower® Geared Turbofan™ (GTF) engine's services business. Recently, a cross-functional team of 20 people conducted a Production Preparation Process (3P) event. The event optimized a training area that will be used to prepare employees for the induction, disassembly and assembly of GTF engines.

The team, led by ACE lead Jonathan Fowler, represented various departments such as Engineering, Facilities, Operations and Training. External tooling suppliers and benchmarking attendees also participated.

Team members used a cardboard engine that was built to scale to accurately simulate work flow. Space requirements were determined for submodule, super module and engine level processes. The mockups were fully compatible when assembled.

The event improved awareness of GTF engine requirements and helped better plan the training schedule. The team also identified required resources, such as tooling, technical manuals, equipment and supplies needed to support the new engines.

Anthony Sniadach, support equipment project manager, Military Customer Support & Services said, "The team worked together to review over 1,000 PW1100G-JM engine tools, providing vital details to ensure the correct tool was delivered at the right time to match the latest technical manuals."

Aftermarket technical data concerns were also addressed at the event according to Matthias St. George, operations manager, Columbus Engine Center.

"This 3P event helped organize the technical data structure and identify improvements to be implemented for the assembly and disassembly processes," said St. George.

Kip Wyman, vice president, Operations & Aftermarket Quality, noted the significance of the event in generating several immediate and long-term solutions.

"This milestone event is a perfect example of Pratt & Whitney's commitment to customer-focused quality in our Aftermarket business for the GTF engine," said Wyman.