Rolls-Royce Power Systems opens remanufacturing center in US

Opening of the Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center in Aiken (Photo: Rolls-Royce)

Rolls-Royce Power Systems division has opened a new Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center on its mtu Aiken campus in South Carolina. Specific details covering the investment supporting the project were not published.

Connected to the existing manufacturing operation, the new 69,000 square foot (6,400 square meter) facility, the project was first announced in 2021. It brings formerly outsourced workshop and warehouse operations in-house, while expanding those services to deliver remanufacturing and overhaul services for the mtu Series 2000, Series 4000 and Detroit Diesel two-cycle engines and related components, plus internal and external rework services.

With an initial focus on parts remanufacturing for aftersales support, the facility will target remanufacturing 20,000 parts per year once fully operational.

Dr Jörg Stratmann, CEO, Rolls-Royce Power Systems, said: “We have more than 150,000 engines in the field and our service business is growing. Service is not just maintenance and repair, but also upgrades, remanufacturing and digital services for predictive maintenance. Our customers trust us, and we want to fulfil this trust throughout the product lifecycle and into the next. To achieve this, excellent service is essential – and our Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center in Aiken will be a main pillar for serving our customers in the Americas.”

Aiken Plant, highlighting new addition to campus (Photo: Rolls-Royce)

Remanufacturing is described as a lifecycle investment, returning equipment to like-new condition and resulting in lower acquisition, maintenance, and operation costs. It also supports sustainability by reusing existing equipment and components to save on raw materials and energy consumption compared to new engine manufacturing. It creates a circular economy, where instead of disposing of an engine or component at the end of its useful life, they are overhauled giving them a second or even third life.

Stratmann continued: “Remanufacturing is yet another part of our energy transition and sustainability story. With engines approved to run on sustainable fuels, we are significantly reducing emissions, and with remanufacturing we can get a second, third or even fourth lifetime from basically the same raw materials. It’s a total story of emissions and consumption reduction.”

The new Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center in Aiken follows on from established plants such as the location in Magdeburg, Germany. This very thorough process ensures used engines and assemblies are fully disassembled, cleaned and inspected. This is followed by rework and reassembly using new or remanufactured parts.

With the onsite Research and Development Center being joined by the new Remanufacturing and Overhaul Center, the mtu Aiken campus covers the full working life of a mtu engine – from concept to second life.