Speech by Minister Lim Hng Kiang at the Opening Ceremony of Pratt & Whitney’s Engine Component Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul & Engineering Facility at Seletar Aerospace Park

Mr Paul Adams, President, Pratt & Whitney

Mr William Kircher, President, UTC Aerospace Singapore

Distinguished guests,

Ladies and gentlemen,

Good afternoon.

Opening Remarks

Thank you for inviting me to join you this afternoon at the opening of Pratt & Whitney’s new repair and engineering facility at Seletar Aerospace Park.

Pratt & Whitney has had a longstanding presence in Singapore. This relationship began when Pratt & Whitney Canada established its repair operations for small engines at Seletar Airport in 1983. The facility later expanded and moved to Loyang. Over the past three decades, Pratt & Whitney continued to invest in new facilities and capabilities here, and Singapore is now home to Pratt & Whitney’s largest commercial engine overhaul and repair operations outside the United States.

Today, we welcome Pratt and Whitney back to Seletar with this new facility, which will add to Pratt & Whitney’s diverse range of Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) capabilities in Singapore. This facility will be Pratt & Whitney’s MRO centre for aero-engine components and will also house the company’s regional office and engineering arm – Global Services Engineering-Asia (or GSE-Asia).

Strong Growth in Asia-Pacific

Pratt & Whitney’s confidence in Singapore bears testament to the exciting times ahead for the aviation industry, particularly in the Asia-Pacific region. 

Economies around the world are showing signs of recovery. Here, in the Asia-Pacific region, the growing middle class is fuelling demand for air travel. Asia-Pacific cities are becoming more interconnected with the increasing liberalisation of air services. Over the next two decades, the region is expected to account for a third of all new aircraft deliveries, tripling the fleet of aircraft in the region. This growth will drive demand for aftermarket services with Asia expected to be the world’s largest MRO market by 2023.

Singapore – The Leading Aerospace Hub in Asia-Pacific

Singapore is well-positioned to help companies capitalise on this growth, and seize growth opportunities ahead. Recognising the pivotal importance of international connectivity, we have made strategic investments in our airport infrastructure to leverage upon our central location in the heart of Asia-Pacific. Today, Changi Airport serves over 100 international airlines flying to some 250 cities around the world. It is also linked to 28 cities in China alone – more than any other airport in Southeast Asia.

We have also invested efforts on efficient customs and a strong compliance to the rule of law that assures companies, like Pratt & Whitney, that their intellectual property rights are well protected while facilitating the smooth flow of goods and services across our borders.

All these initiatives have enabled Singapore to lay a robust foundation for a strong and sustainable aerospace cluster. Today, Singapore is the leading aerospace hub in Asia-Pacific. We have over 100 aerospace companies offering a broad suite of aviation services, ranging from manufacturing, engineering, R&D, to comprehensive aftermarket services such as nose-to-tail MRO, pilot training and aircraft leasing.

For instance, in the small engine segment, established players such as Pratt & Whitney Canada, Standard Aero, ST Aerospace, Turbomeca, and soon, Airbus Group subsidiary Vector Aerospace, provide engine MRO services for business, regional and rotary aircraft.

I am also heartened to note that the top three OEMs in the world for commercial aero-engines have a significant presence in Singapore today, and their presence continues to grow.  This includes Pratt and Whitney Manufacturing Singapore just next door, where construction works are ongoing. This includes Pratt and Whitney Manufacturing Singapore just next door, where construction works are ongoing. That facility, which opens this year, will manufacture fan blades and high pressure turbine disks for Pratt & Whitney’s new generation Geared Turbofan (GTF) engine. It is Pratt and Whitney’s first manufacturing investment in Singapore, its first Asian manufacturing facility for the GTF, and a further example of the strong and growing Pratt and Whitney – Singapore partnership.

Key Ingredients to the Future of Singapore’s Aerospace Industry

Infrastructure Investments

The Singapore Government is committed to the aerospace industry and will continue to dedicate resources to supporting the industry’s continued growth. Changi Airport will be undergoing a 1,000-hectare expansion, which will be completed in the mid-2020s. Under the expansion plans, we will dedicate land to airframe MRO activities, and this will in turn create downstream spinoffs for the rest of our MRO industry.

The Seletar Aerospace Park is also another key element of our industrial strategy for the aviation sector. In the span of a decade, the Seletar Aerospace Park has transformed from a sleepy neighborhood into the regional centre for many of the world’s leading aerospace companies.

Firms can look forward to further improvements to the Aerospace Park in the coming years. Infrastructure works for Phase Three have commenced, which will provide another 60 hectares of industrial land for investors when completed. We will also be upgrading the Seletar Airport to allow all-weather and night flight operations, with a new instrument landing system.

Grooming of Homegrown Talent

Our efforts to support the growth of the aerospace industry are not confined to infrastructure investments alone.  Talent is a critical ingredient for success. On this front, our schools will continue to work closely with industry in equipping our students with industry-relevant skill-sets. Our Institute for Technical Education (ITE), for instance, is equipped with an array of engines and aircraft which are used to train our students.  Pratt & Whitney and other partners also work closely with our polytechnics and universities to offer internship and learning opportunities for our students.

With the continued expansion of the aerospace sector in Singapore, our young Singaporeans can look forward to attractive careers in this sector.

Pratt & Whitney itself is an excellent example. For instance, GSE-Asia, its regional headquarters and engineering arm, was first established as a 25-person engineering centre in 2005, and provided support to the company’s MRO entities in Singapore. Over the years, GSE-Asia has grown significantly to a 100-person outfit and has groomed Singaporeans such as Mr Adrian Wee to take up leadership roles within the outfit.  Mr Wee has risen from a Principal Engineer when he joined GSE-Asia in 2005, and now has become the Airline & Overhaul Repair Manager at the company, supervising a team of 30 team leaders and engineers.

Pratt & Whitney also invests in the career development of their   technical   staff. Take Mr Hon Lit Choon, a technician in Pratt & Whitney Component Solutions, for example.   Mr Hon has been selected for the company’s Employee Scholar Program. He receives support from the company to pursue a degree course in Aviation Maintenance to broaden his knowledge and skills in the Aerospace MRO sector. 

Conclusion

Singapore values our long term partnership with Pratt & Whitney, and we look forward to working with Pratt & Whitney to deliver “dependable engines” to the rest of the world. We also look forward to more opportunities to partner you in developing and introducing new capabilities to the aerospace sector in Singapore, be it in developing advanced manufacturing technologies, or deepening repair development capabilities.

Let me thank Pratt & Whitney once again for your continued confidence in Singapore. We have had over 30 years of partnership, and we look forward to many more years to come. To the management and staff of Pratt & Whitney, I offer my heartiest congratulations on the opening of your new facility.

Thank you.