Aeronautics: Pratt and Whitney to build new facility in Morocco
Morocco has attracted a new heavyweight investor to its burgeoning aerospace ecosystem thanks to its political stability, geostrategic position, modern infrastructures, skilled manpower, tax incentives and free-market economy.
On Tuesday, Pratt & Whitney, an American aerospace manufacturer with global service operations, announced at Paris airshow that it will build a facility in Casablanca to manufacture detailed static and structural machined parts for various engine models.
Construction works will start in Q4 2023. The Pratt & Whitney Maroc (PWM) plant is expected to be operational in 2025.
The North African Kingdom was selected after a global benchmarking exercise due to its growing hub of aerospace companies, cost of business and trained, available talent, said Pratt & Whitney.
“Morocco offers many benefits for aerospace manufacturing,” said Maria Della Posta, president, Pratt & Whitney Canada. “The growing aerospace community in Casablanca ensures a highly valuable talent pool, a positive economic environment, and the support from Morocco’s government”, she stressed.
“P&W investment in Morocco will strengthen our aerospace ecosystem by fostering innovation, research, and the development of new technologies,” said the representative of the Moroccan Ministry of Investment, noting that the new plant will create job opportunities, foster knowledge transfer and promote collaboration between local and international stakeholders.
This 130,000-square-foot new greenfield facility will be built with lean principles and CORE methodology to drive efficiency and quality and reduce costs.
This investment is a vital part of the company’s ability to produce engines to meet strong demand and brings Pratt & Whitney closer to its African customer base and partners, which allows it to further support the aerospace growth in this region.
