Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has commemorated the start of construction for a new London Heathrow Service Centre with a groundbreaking ceremony today. The new facility will provide specialist maintenance and support services for commercial aero engines.

Russell Buxton, Rolls-Royce, President – Civil Large Engines Fleet said: “The London Heathrow Service Centre will form an integral part our global network of service centres, and will enable us to deliver truly world class support for our customers. Rolls-Royce continuously invests in technology and infrastructure to expand the scale and efficiency of our operations to enhance the services we deliver to our growing customer base.”

When fully operational, the new facility will employ up to 80 people, with 40 transferring from the existing Rolls-Royce Heathrow facility, which it will replace. They will service cutting edge Trent aero engines providing round-the-clock support to customers.

The facility will include two new buildings, including a state of the art engine workshop, which will total nearly 95,000 square feet. This is four times larger than the existing facility, enabling teams to work on up to 13 aero engines at any one time, double what was previously possible.

A Rolls-Royce powered aircraft takes off or lands every 2.5 seconds. Over 90% of Trent engine orders have included TotalCare® services support, with a programme of engine support aligned to each customer’s operation.

The new service centre is expected to commence operations in early 2013.

Rolls Royce press release