Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, commenced construction of its 154,000 square metre Seletar Campus located at Singapore's Seletar Aerospace Park.
Total investment in the Rolls-Royce Seletar Campus is reportedly exceeding 300 million pounds. It will create approximately 500 new jobs when fully operational, bringing the number of people employed by the Group in Singapore to around 2,000.
Mike Terrett, Rolls-Royce Chief Operating Officer, commented "Singapore is an important regional hub for Rolls-Royce and we are very pleased to be expanding our presence here. The establishment of our Seletar Campus represents an important step forward as we increase our capacity and capability to meet the growing needs of our global customer base. Singapore offers highly competitive skills, a business-friendly environment conducive to high value-added manufacturing, a strong focus on research and innovation, and proximity to our growing customer base in the Asia Pacific region."
To Singapore's Minister for Trade and Industry, Lim Hng Kiang, the decision affirms the country's vision to be a global aerospace hub, with Seletar Aerospace Park as a cornerstone.
"I wish Rolls-Royce every success in this project and look forward to the first 'Assembled-in-Singapore' aero-engines," Lim said.
The Rolls-Royce Seletar campus will comprise a Trent aero engine assembly and test facility, a wide chord fan blade (WCFB) manufacturing facility as well as a regional training centre and Advanced Technology Centre (ATC), an integral part of the Rolls-Royce global network for technology research.
The Trent aero engine facility will assemble and test large civil engines, starting with the Trent 1000 for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. It will be the most modern Rolls-Royce production engine assembly and test facility for large commercial aero engines, and the Group's first in Asia.
The WCFB facility will be the Group's first outside the UK to manufacture Rolls-Royce hollow titanium WCFBs, a unique capability and technology which has played a key role in the success of the Trent engine family.
Singapore is a key business hub for the group. It is home to the global headquarters of the group's marine business and the regional headquarters of its Asian Energy business. The group's Advanced Technology Centre and Procurement office is also located in Singapore and handles the management of suppliers in South Korea, Taiwan, Malaysia, India and Southeast Asia.