Global aircraft engine manufacturer Pratt & Whitney has big expectations about its new Northeast Logistics Center (NELC) in Londonderry, New Hampshire, that opens this month under a logistics outsourcing contract with UPS.
The manufacturer said the NELC “marks a new chapter for material flow and introduces a significant process change in how logistics is managed at Pratt & Whitney”. Over the next few months, material will transition from Pratt & Whitney facilities to the NELC and company suppliers will begin shipping directly to the new facility, with full operation expected by this fall.
Pratt & Whitney last year announced the expansion of its third-party logistics relationship with UPS, which committed to opening the 600,000-square-foot NELC to serve as a distribution hub for Pratt & Whitney. The new facility will process Pratt & Whitney's production and development hardware for distribution to Pratt & Whitney manufacturing sites and engine centres around the world.
"To support a ramp-up in engine production the company hasn't seen in more than two decades," said Earl Exum, Pratt & Whitney's vice president of Global Materials & Logistics, "we have committed significant resources to modernising our manufacturing processes and expanding assembly operations – moving from one site in Middletown, Connecticut, to multiple global sites. We recognise the need to focus on a common set of logistics processes throughout the globe."
"The NELC is a wonderful achievement for both of our companies," said Stan Deans, UPS president of Global Logistics and Distribution. "This is an opportunity for us to do what we each do best: UPS providing top-quality supply chain and logistics services, while Pratt & Whitney focuses on manufacturing its game-changing engines."
He added: “The aerospace industry is very important to UPS. We collaborate with aerospace companies of all sizes and offer specialized services that provide them with competitive advantages.”
