OREANDA-NEWS. Rolls-Royce today marked the official opening of its ?30m Production Facility extension to its Derby Assembly & Test Facility with a ceremony conducted by Business Secretary Sajid Javid. The 2867m2 extension will increase capacity to assemble Trent civil aero engines and become the production hub for the Trent XWB, the world's most efficient large aero engine and the fastest-selling widebody engine in history.

Rolls-Royce has installed new equipment and is making use of advanced manufacturing processes helping to boost productivity in order to meet customer demand. Over the next two to three years, Trent XWB production will grow to more than 300 engines a year – the equivalent of one every working day. The engine is expected to be in service for many years, creating an annuity of aftermarket services that will generate revenues for decades to come.

Business Secretary Sajid Javid said: “The opening is great news for the company, its workforce, and the UK. Aerospace is a great British success story. I want to capitalise on our world-leading capability so that we can win a big share of the ?3.5 trillion market for new aircraft which will be needed over the next 20 years.”

Rolls-Royce Chief Executive Warren East said: “It was a great pleasure to welcome the Business Secretary to open our new Production Facility extension. We are transforming our global industrial base and investing in innovative technology to help us deliver our record ?76.5 billion order book. Our world-class Assembly & Test Facility in Derby will deliver a wide range of Trent civil aero engines including the Trent XWB. The Trent XWB engine is fundamental to the future growth of Rolls-Royce.”

The production of Trent XWB engines is the culmination of a decade of hard work by Rolls-Royce employees, partners and suppliers around the world. The new extension also includes a new employee canteen and over 1600m2 of office space.

Some facts about the Trent XWB:

  • Each Trent XWB is made up of more than 39,000 parts
  • The fan case of the Trent XWB, at just under 10ft in diameter, is wider than the fuselage of Concorde
  • The fan blades at the front suck in up to 1.3 tonnes of air (more than a squash court) every second at take-off
  • The force on a fan blade at take-off is equivalent to a load of almost 90 tons, the same as nine London buses hanging off each blade
  • More than 1500 orders from 41 customers in 30 countries