Rolls-Royce engine repair specialist N3 Engine Overhaul Services says high and sustained maintenance demand for Trent engine services were key drivers behind its recently announced plans to expand its Germany-based MRO facility.
In late 2023, the MRO provider announced plans to grow its site in Arnstadt, located in the Thuringia region in central Germany. The Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa Technik joint venture partner plans to invest €150 million ($167.3 million) into the expanded operation, which started main construction earlier this month.
“We are doubling our process capacity with the expansion of the cleaning line for engine parts and are also building a wastewater treatment plant, which allows us to save energy and reduce up to 90% fresh-water consumption,” says Carsten Behrens, director and general manager at N3 Engine Overhaul Services.
The site’s production capacity is set to be doubled by around 19,700 ft.2 and Behrens says this will lead to larger volumes for its on-site machining center, technical processing centers and assembly areas. Behrens says the company has had expansion plans in the pipeline for several years which were thwarted by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.
“The construction of a new logistics complex, starting in autumn, also includes automated storage systems,” Behrens adds. “Not only because this is up-to-date technology, but even more to cope with the challenging labor market situation.”
Last year, N3 conducted around 160 engine overhauls and predicts 2024 will see around 200 overhauls conducted. Longer term, as part of a 2022 company strategy, it plans to increase this to 250 engines annually.
N3 services five Trent engine models in total, comprised of the Trent 500, Trent 700, Trent 900, Trent XWB and Trent 1000. Behrens has seen sustained demand for the Trent 700, powering the Airbus A330, and the Trent XWB, the engine option for the A350.
More surprisingly, in recent years, Behrens notes an upturn for the Trent 900 engine—one of the options for the A380 superjumbo which is seeing a decline in its global fleet numbers. “The Trent 900 engine had almost been retired from our portfolio but has been back in the shop with increasing numbers since 2022,” he says.
In late 2022, the company gained approval from Germany’s regulator for repair services on the Trent 1000, an engine option for the 787. “The necessary equipment for the electric start of the engine has been added to our test facility,” Behrens says. Meanwhile, N3 continues to service the Trent 500, built to power A340-500/600 aircraft variants, with selected repairs and engine tests.
Behrens says the labor market is a major constraint to growth and the MRO business generally, in addition to a spare parts supply chain being “severely affected by the energy crisis and international conflicts.”
Nevertheless, he says N3 plans to grow its workforce to more than 1,100 people in the near future. Behrens says the maintenance provider will look to do this through several routes.
First, N3 has set up qualification programs for experienced workers getting into the industry without an aviation background.
Second, it has also tailored its training functions to existing aviation professionals. “Vocational training as an aircraft mechanic specializing in engine technology is also an important pillar in the recruitment of qualified employees,” Behrens says.
It has also looked outside of Germany to maintain a talent pipeline. “International recruitment is becoming increasingly important to us, and we help foreign professionals with relocation and integration services,” he adds.
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