Rolls-Royce Opens Another Indiana Plant
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowRolls-Royce has taken the wraps off its 12th location in the state. Ceremonies have taken place to mark the opening of a $42 million engine compressor parts plant in Indianapolis. The facility will have more than 100 high-tech workers when fully operational. November 4, 2013
News Release
(Indianapolis, Ind.) – Rolls-Royce has opened an advanced production facility to manufacture components for some of the world’s most sophisticated military and commercial jet engines.
The innovative $42 million facility is designed specifically to manufacture engine compressor parts, and is the latest example of Rolls-Royce investment in Indianapolis and across the United States.
More than 100 high-tech positions will be based in the facility when it is fully operational in 2014.
John Gallo, Rolls-Royce, President, Defense Programs, said, “This new production facility represents our future. Unique both in what it does and how it does it – from cutting-edge manufacturing techniques to modern operating agreements with our workforce – this facility will help us improve our competitive performance and reduce costs for our customers. This new, stand-alone production capability was awarded to Indianapolis by Rolls-Royce following a global competition for the business.”
Senator Joe Donnelly said, “I congratulate Rolls-Royce on opening another advanced manufacturing facility in Indianapolis. These high-tech jobs will help strengthen our state’s economy by providing opportunities for Hoosier workers and demonstrating that Indiana is a great place for manufacturers to do business.”
Rep. Andre Carson said, “It is wonderful news for Indianapolis that Rolls-Royce is opening a new facility with 100 high-tech jobs. Advanced manufacturing remains the backbone of Indiana's economy. I'm very encouraged that Rolls-Royce continues to grow and make vital investments in Indianapolis and our local Hoosier talent.”
Parts known as banded stators will be manufactured at the facility; these are key components that guide and regulate air flow within the compressors of jet engines. Using a unique production technique known as “hot upset,” production employees will join small airfoils to a metal framework that will then be assembled in the compressor. During flight, incoming air is squeezed at very high pressures within the compressor, and directing the air efficiently through the banded stators is crucial to the engine’s operation. The facility is already manufacturing banded stators for Rolls-Royce T56 engines and the Series 3.5 program, for C-130 and P-3 aircraft in use by multiple armed forces in the US and around the world.
In future years, it will manufacture parts for a wide range of commercial and military engines for assembly around the world.
Located near the Indianapolis International Airport, and the newest Rolls-Royce facility in Indiana, the 81,500-square-foot facility underscores the company’s global strategy of providing customers with state-of-the-art, advanced manufacturing capabilities in multiple locations around the world.
The new facility is the 12th Rolls-Royce location in Indiana and the second facility designed to focus on specific production capabilities. The first was the Rolls-Royce LiftFan Factory, which opened in Plainfield, IN, in 2010.
Indianapolis was awarded the work based on industry-leading engineering expertise and a proven track-record of operating a cost-competitive structure for the manufacture of these components. The new facility will be optimized for low unit cost, using lean operating principles. It will be expandable for future additional workload, as needed.
Source: Rolls-Royce