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Rolls-Royce to build $320m facility at Seletar Aero+sPace
Large-scale engines for the Boeing and Airbus will soon be made and rolled out from Singapore.
British power systems and engines giant Rolls-Royce will be injecting $320 million to build a modern “factory of the future” at Seletar Aero+sPace.
To be located on an 8-hectare site, the facility will assemble and test large civil engines, starting with the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 and the Trent XWB for the Airbus A350 XWB.
The facility will be fully operational by the end of 2009 and is expected to employ up to 300 people.
Rolls-Royce’s decision to invest in the new facility in Singapore is in light of the company’s success in the modern wide-body aircraft market and the need to develop increased capacity to meet its growing customer base around the world. The Singapore facility will complement the company’s existing facility in Derby, United Kingdom, which remains the centre of expertise for large civil engines. Besides Singapore, the company will also invest in another aero engine facility in Virginia, United States (US).
The company said that three strategic considerations have driven its decision to invest in the new facilities in the US and Singapore: the attractions of locating major facilities close to customers in two of the largest and fastest growing aerospace markets in the world; the business continuity benefits that will arise from locating the assembly and test of Trent engines on two continents; and a reduction in the company’s exposure to the dollar.
The Singapore facility – a first for Asia – will go a long way in boosting Singapore’s aerospace industry. The Republic’s aerospace industry has grown rapidly over the last decade, making Singapore the most comprehensive aerospace Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul hub in the Asia Pacific. To support its growth, the Seletar Aero+sPace is being developed.