Rolls-Royce announces investment in large engine assembly, test and shop visit capacity

Rolls-Royce is investing in its assembly, test and shop visit capacity in the UK and Germany to address growing long-term demand for new civil large engines and improve customer aftermarket support services for its global Trent fleet. As outlined at last year’ Capital Markets Day, Rolls-Royce expects an annual increase of 7 - 9% of Rolls-Royce powered aircraft in service for the remainder of the decade and forecasts engine flying hours to reach 120 - 130% mid-term compared to 2019 levels. 

Rob Watson, President – Civil Aerospace, Rolls-Royce, commented: "These latest investment in our engine build and services capacity is further proof of our commitment to deliver both excellent products and services to our global customer base. We are ready to support our continued growth in the widebody market – delivering even greater availability, reliability, and efficiency.”

To prepare for this growth, Rolls-Royce is investing £55m and recruiting more than 300 front-line operations roles, split between its operations in Derby, UK, and Dahlewitz, Germany. About half of the investment and about two thirds of the jobs will be created in Derby. 

The investments include:

•  Expansion of engine build capacity in Derby to deliver over 40% more new engines per year from 2025 – compared with average deliveries over the last 10 years - and increase of services capacity. 
•  Utilisation of already existing engine test capability for civil large engines in Dahlewitz to support near term services demand before transitioning to assemble and test new Trent XWB-84 engines in 2026.

These investments follow last month’s announcement to invest £1bn in a continuous improvement programme for the Trent engine family.