'Facility Of The Future' Will Build, Test Large Turbofans

This week, Rolls-Royce took the first step towards its $225 million Trent aero engine facility in Singapore, with a groundbreaking ceremony at the new Seletar Aerospace Park. The Facility of the Future will be the most modern Rolls-Royce production engine assembly and test facility for large commercial aero engines, and its first in Asia.

Rolls Royce tells ANN the facility will operate on lean assembly and flowline operating principles developed by Rolls-Royce over the last decade. This will result in significant operational efficiencies and improved service quality.

In addition to its technological advances, the facility will be built according to the ‘Green Mark’ standard, the benchmark set by Singapore’s Building and Construction Authority to recognise best practices in environmental design and performance, reducing potential environmental impact and improving sustainability.

Engines for large commercial aircraft will be assembled and tested in Singapore before being sent to Boeing and Airbus for installation on aircraft.

Scheduled for completion in 2009, the Facility of the Future will produce engines in the Trent series, the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 (shown below) and the Trent XWB for the Airbus A350 XWB. The facility, the development of which was announced in November 2007, also enables Rolls-Royce to be closer to its long-term partner Singapore Airlines, whose fleet will now include engines assembled in Singapore.

"Our world-class Facility of the Future at Seletar Aerospace Park will break boundaries in terms of operational and environmental efficiency and be our distinctive showcase in Asia," said Sir John Rose, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive.

The announcement is a significant boost for the aerospace industry in Singapore where Rolls-Royce currently accounts for 15 per cent of the country’s aerospace output and five per cent of the total aerospace industry workforce. Rolls-Royce currently employs over 1,200 people in Singapore, and expects to hire another 330 staff for the facility.

"I am delighted that Rolls-Royce has selected Singapore for this significant project, which is not only a first for Singapore but also a first for Asia. This is the first time ever that large civil aero-engines will be manufactured in Asia," said Minister for Trade and Industry Mr Lim Hng Kiang. "This is therefore a landmark project for Singapore and marks a major breakthrough for our aerospace industry."

This investment will also help Rolls-Royce meet growing global demand. Rolls-Royce announced a record order book of $90 billion at its preliminary results earlier this month. The Asian and Middle East component of the order book is $40 billion... equal to the total Group order book just four years ago.

FMI: www.rolls-royce.com