Rolls-Royce opens new assembly line for Turboshaft engines

Sunday, 24 February 2008

Rolls-Royce has opened a new, state-of-the-art Small Engine Assembly Line (SEAL) to assemble and test the company’s Model 250 and RR300 turboshaft engines. The new line, at its Indianapolis, Indiana facilities, will also have the capacity to meet the anticipated market demand for these products over the next decade.

The Model 250 powers more than 170 helicopter and fixed-wing applications in both the civil and military markets. The RR300, the newest member of the Rolls-Royce Helicopter family of engines, will power the R66, a Robinson Helicopter Company five-seater rotorcraft.

Ken Roberts, Acting President of the Rolls-Royce Helicopter business, said: “Rolls-Royce has invested around five million US dollars into the SEAL project and, through the hard work and dedication of a cross-functional team, had the line up and running in just 14 months.

It incorporates all of the latest lean technologies including built in error-proofing, Foreign Object Damage (FOD) preventative processes, direct part marking, electronic build instructions and smart tools. Overall, we anticipate a reduction in a total engine build time and improved quality of the finished products.”

The Small Engine Assembly Line occupies an area of approximately 24,000 square feet, including its support function area. It consists of 16 individual workstations, each designed to maximize the quality and efficiency of a specific assembly function. In addition, two new automated test cells, capable of running all RR300 and Model 250 variants, are now operational.