GE Aviation is forming a joint venture with Praxair Surface Technologies Inc. to develop and produce specialty coatings for current and future turbofan jet engines developed by GE and its joint-venture subsidiary, CFM International. Pierre Lüthi, president of Praxair, promised that PG Technologies LLC (as the joint venture is named) would “take the leadership role in the next generation of coating technology applications, and will invest in new coating production capacity to meet the needs of the burgeoning aviation sector.”
The coatings will be custom-developed for the current and future LEAP engines, a CFM International engine produced by GE Aviation for the Airbus A320neo and 737 MAX aircraft; and the GE9X engine, which recently completed its first ground tests. It is destined to power the Boeing 777 wide-body jets.
GE Aviation is managing a multi-year backlog of engine orders related to the production requirements of Airbus and Boeing, in particular for the narrow-body A320 and 737 programs.
CFM International is a joint venture of GE Aviation and the French company Safran Aircraft Engines.
PG Technologies will supply coatings to GE Aviation from plants in Ellisville, Miss., Indianapolis, and Singapore. Those PG Technologies services will be supplemented by Praxair’s global operations.
“PG Technologies will play an important role in GE Aviation’s engine manufacturing system,” said Colleen Athans, GE Aviation’s v.p. and general manager for Supply Chain. “With engine production volume levels growing, GE’s need for specialized coatings will also increase, and this joint venture will ensure we meet our commitments on the performance and durability of our engines.”
The two partners declined to indicate their respective ownership stakes in PG Technologies, though Praxair is the majority shareholder. GE Aviation and CFM International will hold the lesser stakes.
