Rolls-Royce opens state-of-the-art Mechanical Test Operations Centre in Germany

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today officially opened its new, state-of-the-art Mechanical Test Operations Centre (MTOC) in Dahlewitz, Germany. Germany’s Home Secretary, Dr Thomas de Maizière joined Brandenburg’s Minister-President Matthias Platzeck and Sir John Rose, Chief Executive of Rolls-Royce during the opening ceremony.

MTOC will be a global centre of excellence for Rolls-Royce and will set new industry benchmarks for testing and evaluating gas turbine components, supporting future development of the Group’s world-class products. MTOC is the Group’s latest investment in modern test facilities and will provide comprehensive materials and component testing capability, in one location, supporting the entire life cycle of gas turbines for all Rolls-Royce business sectors.

Dr Michael Haidinger, President Rolls-Royce Deutschland and COO Corporate & Regional Engines, Rolls-Royce, said, “Rolls-Royce has been active in Germany for 20 years and we have invested significantly and continuously in technology and infrastructure to expand the scale of our operations. MTOC is the next stage in this development and we are very pleased to locate another centre of excellence for our global business here in Germany. The facility is equipped with state-of-the-art equipment and the test results will support our efforts to continuously improve performance, efficiency, environmental impact and life of all our products.”

Germany’s Home Secretary, Dr Thomas de Maizière, said, “The Rolls-Royce Mechanical Test Operations Centre in Dahlewitz will have a significant technological impact on the entire region, which has one of the highest concentrations of aerospace activities in Germany. It testifies to the success of the industrial policy pursued in the eastern federal states. Here companies like Rolls-Royce are doing outstanding work. As a business location Germany needs such shining beacons because they give us further forward momentum and promote our cause internationally.”

Matthias Platzeck, Minister-President of Brandenburg, added, “The new Rolls-Royce test centre does not only strengthen the business location Dahlewitz, it is also a valuable addition to the aerospace industry in the Brandenburg region. I’m convinced that MTOC will considerably add to the technology potential of the State of Brandenburg.”

MTOC will employ around 70 highly skilled people using world-class equipment and techniques to cover a range of 40 different tests. Test techniques to test components also for new generation engines, such as the Trent XWB.

1. Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has established a strong position in global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2. As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce today has a broad customer base comprising more than 600 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 2,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in nearly 120 countries, with an installed base of 54,000 gas turbines.
3. Rolls-Royce employs over 38,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in 50 countries. The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment, and to further developing employee skills.
4. In 2009, Rolls-Royce invested £864 million on research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental aspects of its products, in particular the reduction of emissions.
5. Annual underlying revenues were £10.1 billion in 2009, of which about half came from services revenues. The firm and announced order book stood at £58.3 billion at 31 December 2009, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
6. At it Rolls-Royce Deutschland sites Dahlewitz near Berlin and at Oberursel near Frankfurt/Main Rolls-Royce employs around 3,000 people in Germany.
7. The 7,000 sqm MTOC facility will cover a range of 40 different tests, ranging from special spin testing to fatigue tests, vibration and materials testing (e.g. composites), fan-blade-off-tests and impact tests.
8. MTOC will create synergies for Rolls-Royce by integrating the existing mechanical, vibration and materials test capabilities, historically spread over different sites and businesses, into one facility.
9. MTOC is the latest significant investment by Rolls-Royce in a series of modern test facilities which include the twin 57/58 Test Bed complex in Derby, UK and the outdoor test stand at NASA’s John C Stennis Space Centre in Mississippi, USA.
10. Ground breaking for the €65 million test centre took place in November 2008 and MTOC will be fully operational in 2011.
11. Accounting for a third of MTOC’s investment is the Large and Specialist Spinning Facility (LSSF) which is unique in its range of testing. With its 14 metre long vacuum chamber and a motor producing drive power equivalent to 30 family cars, the LSSF sits on a 1,600 ton ‘seismic’ concrete foundation.