PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va.--Rolls-Royce has begun construction at Crosspointe, its new aerospace facility in Prince George County, Virginia. Crosspointe is the first Rolls-Royce manufacturing facility built from-the-ground-up in the US. Located on over 1,000 acres, it is the largest Rolls-Royce site by area in North America with ample space to accommodate suppliers' and partners' co-location in the future.
Initial Rolls-Royce investment in this site is $170 million. Over time, the company anticipates total investment of approximately $500 million in Virginia. The first phase of work will support roughly 140 jobs; the company expects future growth in Virginia to generate some 500 jobs in the coming years.
"Rolls-Royce is investing in America,' said James M. Guyette, President & CEO, Rolls-Royce North America. "This is a historic day for us as we begin construction on our first manufacturing facility built from-the-ground-up in the US. Crosspointe will be a flagship operation for Rolls-Royce, and the significant investment we are making here will enhance our competitiveness in global markets and position us for future growth.'
The Crosspointe campus will accommodate the Commonwealth Center of Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM), a unique higher education partnership founded by the Commonwealth of Virginia, the University of Virginia, Virginia Tech, Rolls-Royce and other partners. The vision for CCAM is to become a world-class research facility delivering a step change in design and manufacturing technologies. In addition, the Commonwealth Center for Aerospace Propulsion Systems (CCAPS), a virtual research and technology center of excellence established by the same partners, creates a framework in which to tackle the technology challenges of today and tomorrow and is also closely linked to Crosspointe and CCAM and shares the same collaborative vision.
At Crosspointe, Rolls-Royce will manufacture, assemble and test a range of aerospace components and products. The first building on site will be a 140,000 square foot disc manufacturing facility. Discs, the part of a turbofan engine that contains the blades, are considered one of the most critical components of the engine. Discs manufactured at Crosspointe will be used in some of the company's newest civil aerospace products ' the Trent 1000, Trent 900 and Trent XWB ' optimized for the Boeing 787, Airbus A380 and A350 XWB respectively. Disc production at Crosspointe will begin as soon as the site is operational, currently expected in early 2011.
Plans are also proceeding for the second building on site, a blisk manufacturing facility. Blisks, or bladed discs, incorporating fan blades and discs into a single piece, are designed for use in the next generation of gas turbine engines. Blisks manufactured at Crosspointe will be used in the F136 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, the world's largest ever fighter program.
In addition to Crosspointe, Rolls-Royce has invested in three new sites in the US this year: an On-Wing Care facility in Indiana serving the Corporate and Regional aircraft markets, and Marine Service Centers in Texas and Washington state. The company has also made significant investments to enhance or upgrade manufacturing facilities in Indiana and Ohio.
Rolls-Royce: www.rolls-royce.com
For a complete version of the BUSINESS WIRE press release: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20091019005240/en
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