Rolls-Royce Opening of Scottish flagship facility sets new global standards
Posted: 27 October 2004
The official opening of the new £85 million state-of-the-art Rolls-Royce production facility in Inchinnan, Glasgow, took place on Tuesday, October 26, by Scotland’s First Minister Jack McConnell.
Inchinnan’s advanced facilities, machine tools and processes, coupled with the introduction of modern working practices, are expected to significantly reduce manufacturing costs while further enhancing the working environment for employees.
The flagship plant is a direct replacement for Rolls-Royce’s 65-year-old site at nearby Hillington and safeguards the jobs of almost 1,000 highly-skilled Scottish workers. The final transfer of production will be completed early next year.
The skills, experience and commitment of the company’s Scottish workers were deciding factors in the selection process. Inchinnan was chosen from a shortlist of nine potential sites, including locations overseas.
The official opening of the new facility brings the total Rolls-Royce investment in its Scottish operations over the past two years to more than £130 million, following the announcement in August that the company is to invest £45 million in a replacement Aero Repair and Overhaul facility in East Kilbride.
Both projects have received the financial support of the Scottish Executive. Regional Selective Assistance grants – of £15 million and £8 million respectively to the Inchinnan and East Kilbride developments – have been made available through Scottish Development International, the Scottish Executive and Scottish Enterprise joint venture organisation.
Mike Lloyd, Director, Gas Turbine Operations, Rolls-Royce, said: “Inchinnan is our global centre of excellence for compression system components. It provides employees with a modern, clean, low-noise facility and sets new manufacturing standards by embodying best practice principles of the Rolls-Royce production system.
“Inchinnan will help us to remain internationally competitive for years to come and our continued investment in Scotland reaffirms the company’s commitment to the high-level skills of our Scottish workforce.”
The First Minister met workers and senior managers at Inchinnan before touring the new plant. He also met local schoolchildren who were commissioned by Rolls-Royce to produce artwork and a sculpture commemorating the facility’s official opening.
Mr McConnell was joined by Rolls-Royce Chairman Lord Moore of Lower Marsh, Chief Operating Officer John Cheffins, Mike Lloyd, Director Gas Turbine Operations, Royan Anthony, Managing Director Compression Systems and Paul McFarlane, General Manager, Inchinnan.
The brownfield site at Inchinnan had lain dormant for 25 years before it was selected for development by Rolls-Royce in consultation with Scottish Enterprise and Scottish Development International.
Work on the facility began in late 2002, the first in a series of milestones met on schedule, including the completion of steelwork at the beginning of 2003 and the transfer of the first production cell in the spring of last year. In June 2003, the company celebrated completion of the first production component at Inchinnan.
The Rolls-Royce Compression Systems business manufactures components used in the majority of the company’s gas turbines for the civil aerospace, defence, marine and energy markets.
Posted by Alexander Lindsay, Editor Pipeline Magazine
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