Aircraft Engine Manufacturer Plans Georgia Expansion, Taxpayer-Funded Incentives Unclear

by T.A. DeFeo

 

A company specializing in aircraft and helicopter engines plans to expand its Columbus operations, but it’s not clear how much the state offered in taxpayer-backed incentives.

Pratt & Whitney expects to spend $206 million on the expansion, which should create 400 jobs. The company’s Columbus facility, which opened in 1984, includes the Columbus Engine Center at 8987 Macon Road and Columbus Forge at 8801 Midland Road.

The expansion, expected to be completed by 2028, will include new machinery and add 81,000 square feet to the Columbus Engine Center, increasing its overhaul capacity.

A spokeswoman for the Georgia Department of Economic Development told The Center Square that the project is “still active.” The designation allows state officials to decline to release details about tax incentives the state offered to entice a company to locate in Georgia.

The state did include Georgia Quick Start workforce training as part of its deal with Pratt & Whitney.

“Information regarding Quick Start’s offer to provide comprehensive, customized training services designed to prepare new employees with the skills required to perform successfully at Pratt & Whitney in Columbus will be available when agreements are finalized,” the source said in an email.

The Columbus Engine Center maintains Pratt & Whitney GTF engines for the Embraer E-Jets E2, Airbus A220 and Airbus A320neo aircraft and F117 and F100 military engines. Columbus Forge produces components for Pratt & Whitney’s commercial and military engines, including compressor airfoils.

“Pratt & Whitney has been doing business in Georgia for nearly 40 years, and in that time, our Columbus business has grown from a small manufacturing facility to a large, state-of-the-art manufacturing and overhaul center, where we employ approximately 2,000 employees,” Shane Eddy, president of Pratt & Whitney, said in an announcement.

“We remain committed to supporting manufacturing jobs in Georgia and see an incredible opportunity to expand our workforce and our company’s capabilities in Columbus, aligned with our Industry 4.0 strategy,” Eddy added. “This investment will help ensure that we have the infrastructure, machinery, and equipment upgrades in place to provide the best products and services to our customers worldwide.”

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T.A. DeFeo is a contributor to The Center Square. 
Photo “Pratt & Whitney Engine” by Pratt & Whitney.