Rolls Royce jobs boost as turbine centre is opened

Business Minister Matthew Hancock praised the “ingenuity and brilliance of men and women in Yorkshire” when he attended the official opening of Rolls-Royce’s £110m Advanced Blade Casting Facility (ABCF).

When fully operational in 2017, the 150,000 sq ft (14,000 sq m) facility in Rotherham will employ 150 people and have the capacity to manufacture more than 100,000 turbine blades a year.

These blades will feature in a wide range of aero engines including the Rolls-Royce Trent XWB, which powers the new Airbus A350 XWB.

The blades produced in Rotherham operate in the hottest part of the engine, at temperatures up to 200 degrees above the melting point of their alloy.

Mr Hancock said: “This new facility will house the most advanced blade casting facility in the world and is a truly remarkable feat of engineering.

“Our aerospace growth partnership has put in place a long-term industrial strategy for the whole aerospace industry, and this investment by Rolls Royce in new technology and modern manufacturing processes is testament to the ongoing strength of this sector.

“Continuing to back leading companies like Rolls Royce, and supporting the UK’s manufacturing sector is part of the Government’s long-term economic plan.”

Mr Hancock said the facility would bring highly skilled and well paid jobs to Yorkshire, and the Government’s apprenticeship programme was at the heart of its drive to tackle skills shortages.

Gareth Davies, the Rolls-Royce executive vice president for turbines, said: “Rolls-Royce is committed to investing in innovative technology and world-class facilities to help us deliver our record £73.7bn order book.”