By Guy Norris Norris at Farnborough air show
The spat between CFM International and Pratt &Whitney over parts manufacturer approval (PMA) spares for the CFM56-3 intensified at Farnborough, where new P&W-made parts were displayed for the first time.
P&W launched its CFM56-3 PMA gambit in February, becoming the first original equipment manufacturer (OEM) to offer parts for a competing engine. Its Global Material Solutions (GMS) operation expects to be delivering the first "gas path" parts to launch customer United Airlines in 2007.
P&W says the first parts, many of which are blades and rotors for the high-pressure (HP) compressor and turbine, should receive US Federal Aviation Administration certification in two phases, with around half being certificated by the end of this year.
GMS vice-president Matthew Bromberg says: "Our parts are fully interchangeable and will have no impact on type certification. No-one will know they're there apart from the chief financial officer of the airline. On warranties P&W stands behind these parts, and we are on track with the programme."
Certification for the remaining parts is expected to follow next year. Deliveries are expected to begin in early 2007, and the GMS unit will be fully operational in early 2008, says Bromberg.
The PMA activity is expected to become an important element of P&W's growing GMS portfolio, which it hopes will generate $500 million annually in five years, around double the revenue posted in 2005. More than 4,000 CFM56-3 engines are in service worldwide.
The overall maintenance, repair and overhaul market generates about $12 billion revenue annually, adds P&W, which has trade-marked the new title OEMRO (OEM/maintenance repair overhaul) to reflect the fact that more than 50% of its revenues ($9.3 billion in 2005) now come from aftermarket sources rather than equipment sales.
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| P&W expects PMA approval by year-end for its CFM parts, including blades |
CFM executive vice-president Bill Clapper says: "We've competed with PMA for a very long time and seen a lot of rhetoric and little impact. On the -3 we have 153 million hours of experience and I don't think there are many PMA parts that have anything near that level of experience."
Adding that CFM's role as original equipment manufacturer makes it preferable to "look-a-likes", Clapper says customers "who use PMA parts will be supported in a different way".
Source: Flight International
