SHAH ALAM, 18 February 2016–UMW Aerospace has signed a 25-year agreement with an option for a 5-year extension with Rolls-Royce Plc in August 2015, to manufacture and assemble fan cases for Rolls-Royce’s aero engines. Further to this agreement, UMW Aerospace Sdn. Bhd. has identified 30 acres of UMW land in Serendah, Selangor for the construction of its manufacturing plant to produce fan cases for Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 aero engines. This facility shall act as the anchor tenant to UMW’s proposed Aerospace Hard Metal Manufacturing Park in Serendah.
UMW Aerospace has secured the required manufacturing license from Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA) to start the production activity. The earthwork on site is progressing as planned and UMW is currently on course to deliver its first unit of Trent 1000 fan case aero engines to Rolls Royce’s assembly facility in Seletar Aerospace Park, Singapore upon receipt of the first purchase order targeted for October 2017. The Trent 1000 engines power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Rolls-Royce’s strategy to create a world-class, competitive global supply chain in the region coincides perfectly with Malaysia’s plans to establish a strong aerospace industry, as envisaged by the National Aerospace Blueprint 2016-2030. The deal includes a manufacturing know-how and technology sharing programme with Rolls-Royce engineering team in the United Kingdom.
To boost its capabilities, UMW will build a pre-production and technology development centre adjacent to UMW’s fan case manufacturing facility in Serendah, Selangor. The pre-production facility will support UMW’s innovation objectives by exploring future manufacturing processes and automation technologies.
“Despite the current unfavourable economic conditions, we are positioning ourselves into the field of High Value Manufacturing. We believe that the fan case project will enable UMW to strengthen its engineering capabilities and establish a strong platform for delivering future value creation for the Group”, said Badrul Feisal Abdul Rahim, President & Group CEO, UMW Holdings Berhad.
UMW Aerospace, the first Malaysian-based company to become a Tier 1 supplier to Roll-Royce, will also manufacture the Trent 7000 fan case upon the commencement of the program. Trent 7000 is the seventh generation of the market-leading Trent family of civil large engines and is the exclusive engine for the Airbus A330neo.
