Rolls-Royce Breaks Ground on Jet Engine Test Facility

June 18, 2012

Bay St. Louis, Miss. (June 18, 2012) – Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, today broke ground on a new $50 million jet engine test facility at the company’s outdoor testing site on NASA’s John C. Stennis Space Center, Mississippi. When fully operational, the facility is expected to create 35 highly skilled jobs.

This forms part of a global program of investment in new, world-class facilities that will help Rolls-Royce to deliver its record order book.

“This state-of-the-art test facility will play a key role in our commitment to deliver excellence to our customers by developing the world’s cleanest and quietest engines,” said James M. Guyette, Chairman, President & CEO, Rolls-Royce North America. “We are enhancing our global capabilities, including making investments in Mississippi, the United States and around the world.”

The Mississippi Development Authority (MDA) is helping to support construction and workforce training at the facility, with additional support provided by Hancock County Port and Harbor Commission.

“I am delighted Rolls-Royce is breaking ground on its new outdoor jet engine testing facility in Hancock County,” said Brent Christensen, Executive Director, MDA. “MDA is proud to assist the company in further growing its Mississippi operations. We value this global industry leader’s contributions to the Mississippi Gulf Coast and the state as a whole and applaud Rolls-Royce for providing additional high-paying job opportunities for state residents.”

The new jet engine test facility is the company’s second outdoor jet engine test facility to be built-from-the-ground-up in the U.S. It has been designed to support specialist engine testing and will be used to conduct research, development, crosswind, thrust reverse, cyclic and endurance tests on all Rolls-Royce Civil Aerospace engines.

Notes:

Rolls-Royce is a world-leading provider of power systems and services for use on land, at sea and in the air, and has established a strong position in global markets – civil aerospace, defense aerospace, marine and energy.
As a result of this strategy, Rolls-Royce has a broad customer base comprising more than 500 airlines, 4,000 corporate and utility aircraft and helicopter operators, 160 armed forces, more than 4,000 marine customers, including 70 navies, and energy customers in more than 80 countries.
Annual underlying revenue was $17.5 billion* in 2011, of which more than half came from the sale of aftermarket services. The firm and announced order book stood at $96.4 billion* at December 31, 2011, providing visibility of future growth.
Rolls-Royce employs over 40,000 skilled people in offices, manufacturing and service facilities in over 50 countries. Over 11,000 of these employees are engineers.
In 2011, Rolls-Royce invested $1.4 billion* in research and development, two thirds of which had the objective of further improving the environmental performance of its products, in particular reducing emissions.
Rolls-Royce supports a global network of 28 University Technology Centers, which connect the company’s engineers with the forefront of scientific research.
The Group has a strong commitment to apprentice and graduate recruitment and to further developing employee skills.
The Rolls-Royce Outdoor Jet Engine Testing Facility at Stennis first opened in October 2007. It is the exclusive outdoor test site for Rolls-Royce; one of only three of its kind in the world. Rolls-Royce employs nearly 150 people in Mississippi, 35 of which are based in Stennis.
In the United States, Rolls-Royce employs more than 7,700 people in 66 locations in 26 states, and a further 1,600 people in seven locations in six Canadian provinces.
In the U.S., Rolls-Royce operates 15 manufacturing, assembly or test facilities in 10 states including California, Indiana, Louisiana, Maryland, Massachusetts, Mississippi, Ohio, Texas, Virginia and Washington.

* Assumed exchange rate: £1.00= $1.55

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