Rolls-Royce to expand mtu Aiken Plant to add remanufacturing and overhaul capabilities

• New regional center to leverage existing infrastructure at plant to offer expanded services to meet growing demand from customers in the Americas
• Planned 109,000-sq-ft expansion part of the company’s continued investment in the mtu Aiken campus to remanufacture mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines  

Rolls-Royce has announced a $17.4 million investment at its mtu Aiken manufacturing facility in Graniteville, S.C. for the addition of a new Remanufacturing and Overhaul Regional Center. The planned 109,000-sq-ft expansion project will provide dedicated and streamlined remanufacturing and overhaul operations to support growth based on customer demand. It will also result in the addition of about 20 new jobs.

To be built next to the mtu Aiken plant’s existing engine manufacturing operations, the new center will bring currently outsourced workshop and warehouse operations in-house and expand them to provide remanufacturing of mtu Series 2000 and 4000 engines and components, the overhaul of mtu brand and customer owned engines, plus internal and external rework services to help customers and distributors fine-tune maintenance and performance metrics.

Remanufacturing offers a wise lifecycle investment for customers, returning equipment to like-new condition and resulting in lower acquisition, maintenance, and operation costs. Already performed at select global plant locations, the Rolls-Royce remanufacturing and overhaul process is designed to ensure optimal performance and durability, where used engines and assemblies are fully disassembled, cleaned and inspected, and then reworked and reassembled using all new parts to replace any outdated, worn, or damaged components.

“Investing in a remanufacturing and overhaul center in the United States is the next milestone in implementing our global strategy to optimize the value of our installed base, with regional centers and supporting workshops offering the best support for our customers,” said Dr. Otto Preiss, Chief Operating Officer at Rolls-Royce Power Systems.  

“The new center will fulfill regional and local customer needs using the global network and processes, following the remanufacturing and overhaul Lead Plant located in Magdeburg, Germany,” added Marc Goldschmidt, Global Vice President Remanufacturing and Overhaul.

The facility at Aiken will feature distinct work areas to carry out the remanufacturing and overhaul process: core management; cleaning and disassembly; measuring and inspection; rework; reassembly; test; painting and packaging. Upon start-up, the center will remanufacture all applications of mtu Series 2000, Series 4000, and Detroit Diesel 2-Cycle engines. The future aim is to add capabilities to support the company’s sustainable solutions such as battery containers, along with natural gas engines and systems.  

“It’s exciting to see and be a part of starting up and establishing the Remanufacturing and Overhaul Regional Center here in Aiken, which is a great addition to our existing capabilities of machining and producing new products,” said Steve Blaszczak, Senior Manager, Remanufacturing and Overhaul – US. “Our goal is to provide customers and distributors with solutions to reduce their costs while providing high-quality products and services, using many of our existing processes, machinery capabilities and standards.”

“Our investment in remanufacturing and overhaul solutions is also in line with our initiatives toward more environmentally-friendly solutions,” Blaszczak continued. “By remanufacturing and overhauling engines, we are able to extend their useful life while also bringing them to the latest emissions standards. This benefits our customers as well as the environment.”

Since its opening in the fall of 2010, the mtu Aiken Plant has been the site of continuous innovation, investment, and expansion. What began with the production of Series 2000 and Series 4000 engines, has grown to include the assembly of military engines, the machining of parts and even the production of energy through its solar field and microgrid. With an onsite research and development center and now a new Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center, the mtu Aiken Plant covers the full circle of life for an mtu engine – from concept to second life (i.e. overhaul).

Construction of the new center is scheduled to begin later this year, with operations expected to begin in early 2023.

About Rolls-Royce Holdings plc    

1. Rolls-Royce pioneers the power that matters to connect, power and protect society. We have pledged to achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions in our operations by 2030 [excluding product testing] and joined the UN Race to Zero campaign in 2020, affirming our
   ambition to play a fundamental role in enabling the sectors in which we operate
   achieve net zero carbon by 2050.
2. Rolls-Royce Power Systems is headquartered in Friedrichshafen in southern Germany and employs around 9,000 people. The product portfolio includes mtu-brand high-speed engines and propulsion systems for ships, power generation, heavy land, rail and defence vehicles and for the oil and gas industry as well as diesel and gas systems and battery containers for mission critical, standby and continuous power, combined generation of heat and power, and microgrids.
3. Rolls-Royce has customers in more than 150 countries, comprising more than 400 airlines and leasing customers, 160 armed forces and navies, and more than 5,000 power and nuclear customers.
4. Annual underlying revenue was £11.76 billion in 2020 and we invested £1.25 billion on research and development. We also support a global network of 28 University Technology Centres, which position Rolls-Royce engineers at the forefront of scientific research.