Rolls-Royce Facility of the Future for Trent engines will be ‘Double First’ for Singapore and Asia

Rolls-Royce today took the first step towards its S$320 million (US$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.

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.

The facility will be a breakthrough for the aerospace industry in Asia. 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 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.

Sir John Rose, Rolls-Royce Chief Executive, said: “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.”

A tree was planted to signify the commitment of Rolls-Royce to the environment. The event was attended by John Horsburgh, Chief Operating Officer (Aerospace Singapore), Rolls-Royce and was presided over by Minister for Trade and Industry, Mr Lim Hng Kiang.

“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.”

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.

This investment will also help Rolls-Royce meet growing global demand. Rolls-Royce announced a record order book of £45.9 billion (US$90 billion) at its preliminary results earlier this month. The Asian and Middle East component of the order book is £20 billion (US$40 billion), which is equal to the total Group order book just four years ago.


Note to Editors

1.

Rolls-Royce, a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, has over the last ten years established a strong position in fast growing global markets - civil aerospace, defence aerospace, marine and energy.
2.

The Group has businesses headquartered in the UK, US, Canada, Germany, Scandinavia and China. This global presence allows the Group to access long-term international growth opportunities with its technology, presence, partnerships and people.
3.

Rolls-Royce employs around 39,500 people in 50 countries. Around 23,300 are employed in the UK, 8,300 in North America, 2,300 in Germany, 3,400 in the Nordic countries, about 680 in Asia (with an additional 2,000 working in joint ventures) and about 1,520 in the rest of the world.
4.

Annual sales were £7.4 billion in 2007, of which 88 per cent were to customers outside of the UK. The firm and announced order book at the end of 2007 was £45.9 billion, of which aftermarket services represented around 25 per cent, providing visibility of future levels of activity.
5.

Rolls-Royce invests in core technologies, products, people and capabilities with the objective of broadening and strengthening the product portfolio, improving efficiency and enhancing the environmental performance of its products. Capital and IT investments made by the Group over the last five years exceeded £1.0 billion.
6.

Rolls-Royce is working hard to improve the environmental impact of its products. Each year Rolls-Royce, in collaboration with its partners, invests around £820 million on research and development, two thirds of which has the objective of reducing the environmental impact of its products. This technology investment is primarily aimed at reducing noise and emissions.
7.

The Group has a total of 54,000 gas turbines in service worldwide, which generate demand for high-value services throughout their operational lives. It has a broad customer base comprising 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 120 countries.
8.

Rolls-Royce has a 50 per cent share of the modern wide-body commercial aircraft market, with its Trent engine having been selected to power a broad range of new civil airline programmes, including the Trent 900 on the Airbus A380, the Trent 1000 on the Boeing 787 and the Trent XWB on the Airbus A350 XWB.
9.

Rolls-Royce is the leading provider of engines for today’s business jets, with a 34 per cent share of the market. The number of business jet applications powered by Rolls-Royce, including joint-venture engines, has increased from one to 13 over the last decade. The Company and its partners now power the world’s fastest, longest range, largest and lightest business jets, plus a corporate jetliner. They include aircraft built by Airbus, Bombardier, Cessna, Embraer, Gulfstream, Raytheon and Sino Swearingen.

Singapore

1.

Rolls-Royce is already a major player in Singapore’s aerospace industry, accounting for over 15 per cent of the country’s aerospace output. Singapore Airlines (SIA) has been a major Rolls-Royce customer for Trent engines since 1995 and Singapore-based BOC Aviation, Silkair and all the budget carriers operating out of Singapore use the V2500 engine for their A320 fleets.
2.

Through the company’s joint ventures with key local industry partner, Singapore Airlines Engineering Company and activities in the Energy and Marine sectors, Rolls-Royce currently employs over 1,200 people in Singapore. Rolls-Royce has established relationships with Singaporean suppliers and manufacturers, including the sub-contracting of aero-engine component manufacture to Singapore Aerospace Manufacturing (SAM), a subsidiary of Accuron Technologies.
3.

Rolls-Royce is also engaged in research and development activities in Singapore. Together with the Singapore consortium Enertek, the Company is investing US$100 million in developing a commercially viable power system based on fuel cell technology.

For further information on Rolls-Royce, visit www.rolls-royce.com

For more information about Rolls-Royce in Singapore visit: http://www.rolls-royce.com/singapore/default.htm

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