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Pratt & Whitney Canada launches second phase of $45M investment in Halifax

March 26, 2008, Halifax, N.S. - Pratt & Whitney Canada is today launching the second phase of a $45 million investment program designed to increase the long-term competitiveness of its Halifax facility.


March 26, 2008  By Carey Fredericks

March 26, 2008, Halifax, N.S. – Pratt & Whitney Canada is today
launching the second phase of a $45 million investment program designed
to increase the long-term competitiveness of its Halifax facility. The
company will transform it into a world-class, high-technology assembly
and test aerospace centre. Pratt & Whitney Canada (P&WC) is a
United Technologies company.

Since 2006, P&WC has invested $21 million in its Halifax facility
to install state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment and to begin
sub-assembly of engine components. P&WC will now build a modern
engine assembly line and test cell at the facility for an additional
investment of $24 million. Starting in the fall of 2009, the new engine
centre will have the capability of assembling and testing small to
medium-sized turbofan engines. These engines embody the latest
materials, fuel efficiency and environmental technologies available.

The new assembly and test line will require advanced training for about
60 employees and create up to 25 new positions in Halifax. The facility
currently employs about 360 full time P&WC employees.

"This investment to give the Halifax facility an advanced technology
mandate reaffirms our commitment to Nova Scotia for years to come,"
said Benoit Brossoit, Senior Vice President, Service Centres &
Operations, P&WC. "It will also bring important new technologies
and skill sets to the province and create exciting opportunities for
the local aerospace sector. It will position our Halifax facility as a
centre of excellence in aerospace engine manufacturing while
strengthening Nova Scotia's positioning in the global aerospace
industry."

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The Government of Nova Scotia and P&WC will share the new assembly
and test line investment. The provincial portion totals a maximum of
$12 million and is payable from the Nova Scotia Industrial Expansion
Fund.
"This will be the first jet engine assembly and testing facility to be
built in Atlantic Canada, an important milestone for the Nova Scotia's
growing aerospace and defence sector," said Premier Rodney MacDonald.
"We are investing in a world-class facility that will help maintain and
grow Pratt & Whitney Canada's presence in Nova Scotia."

"This joint investment with the Nova Scotia government will play an
instrumental role in providing highly skilled employment opportunities,
while increasing the high-technology content of the work we perform in
Nova Scotia," said Brossoit. "We also intend to step up our
collaboration efforts with local universities, such as Dalhousie
University, on targeted research projects that will help prepare the
next generation of highly-skilled aerospace workers here in this
province."

The first engine to be assembled and tested, when production begins,
will be the PW617 engine. By incorporating the latest innovations in
design technology, the PW600 family is opening new possibilities in
business travel with the goal of saving time and money, while
minimizing the impact on the environment.

Pratt & Whitney Canada, based in Longueuil, Quebec, is a world
leader in the design, manufacture and service of aircraft engines
powering business, general aviation and regional aircraft and
helicopters. The company also manufactures auxiliary power units and
industrial gas turbines. United Technologies, based in Hartford, Conn.,
USA, is a diversified company providing high technology products and
services to the global aerospace and building industries.

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