Rolls-Royce is yet to commit to a firm start date for its planned Trent engine assembly factory in Singapore after A380 and 787 delivery delays pushed back the previously expected production ramp-up for its large turbofan family.
The Derby, UK-based manufacturer announced in November 2007 plans to build the Singapore factory, pledging to spend S$320 million ($220 million) on a facility that would be operational by the end of 2009 and be capable of shipping 400 Trent 1000s and XWBs a year, for the Boeing 787 and Airbus A350 XWB, respectively.
"We are still trying to decide exactly what the start date is," says Rolls-Royce civil aerospace president Mark King. "We decided [in 2007] that it was clear we were going to go beyond 300 Trent engines per year. The cap we have [in Derby] is probably 250-300 per year and rather than continue to just grow one site, for good business continuity reasons and being close to the customer, and various other efficiency reasons, we wanted two Trent assembly sites.
"Then there was the 787 delay which clearly pushed the volume forecast back a little bit, the A380 to some degree, and now of course there some uncertainty," he adds. "Essentially we've just put the pause button on there."
Singapore has been particularly hard hit by the global economic downturn, which has resulted in more competitive bids for the construction of the factory, says King.
"We are just left to deciding now exactly when do we need the factory to be operational and it's a judgement as to what point we think we will break through the capacity limit [at Derby]," he says.
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Source: Flight Daily News
