TOKYO -- Japan's IHI is boosting its capacity for servicing jet engines as demand from low-cost carriers soars, following a trend set by engine builders turning maintenance into a key profit source.
As a start, the company is investing 1 billion yen to 2 billion yen ($9.15 million to $18.3 million) to launch full-scale maintenance service for small-jet engines at its Mizuho plant in Tokyo this month. The facility will service American partner Pratt & Whitney's PW1100G-JM engines, disassembling them and making the necessary repairs or swapping out parts before sending them back to customers. About 70 people will be transferred to the facility from an Aichi Prefecture plant for offshore structures whose shutdown was announced earlier this year.
