Rolls-Royce is to expand its civil aircraft engine testing capabilities in the UK with a new facility at its Derby base.
The new testing facility will be able to accommodate various engines including the Trent XWB developed for the Airbus A350 family. It will also provide extra testing capacity for future powerplant programmes.
It will account for the majority of a £150 million ($195 million) investment by the manufacturer to support production ramp-up at its UK operations.
Rolls-Royce says it is intending to double engine production. The manufacturer not only supplies the Trent XWB but also provides Trent 1000s to the Boeing 787 and Trent 900s for the A380.
It produces Trent 700s for the A330 and will exclusively supply the Airbus A330neo with the Trent 7000.
Rolls-Royce ended its last financial year with a civil aerospace order book of £71.4 billion, following notable supply agreements with Norwegian, Garuda Indonesia and Virgin Atlantic.
Alongside the new test facility Rolls-Royce's investment will also cover its Derby maintenance centre for large engines as well as manufacturing operations in Derby and Hucknall.
Rolls-Royce adds that it has backed away from closing a machining facility in Derby and has instead "committed to retaining" the site.
"Constructive dialogue with our senior union representatives in the UK has underpinned the decision to invest in Derby," says the manufacturer. The Unite union signals that the investment has been secured after negotiations on productivity improvements.
Source: Cirium Dashboard
