|
Volume
7, Issue
2
November 12, 2008
|
|
Rolls Royce Transforms Advanced Manufacturing
Jet engine facility to tap research, train highly-skilled workers
by
James A. Bacon
Just south of Hardware Drive in Prince George County a little east of Petersburg, tree cutting machines are helping prepare a 60 acre tract of piney woods in the Crosspointe Center industrial park.
Next spring, ground will be broken on the first of three new factory buildings that will help transform Greater Richmond into a major venue for advanced manufacturing.
In 2010, 2011 and finally, in 2014, state-of-the-art aerospace factories will go up. By then, Rolls-Royce, the venerable power systems and service provider plans to be turning out compact RB 282 jet engines for mid-sized business jets built by Dassault Aviation in France.
The London-based company with operations in 50 countries will also have on hand 940 acres more of land that can be eventually transformed into additional aerospace manufacturing capacity. Nearby rail lines and Interstates 95, 295 and 64 will whisk products throughout the U.S. and to the port of Hampton Roads for export. “In all, the three plants will cost $500 million and we’ll get jet engines with great performance, fuel efficiency and a smaller carbon footprint,” says Bob Stoddart, executive vice president Crosspointe, for Rolls-Royce.
|
 |
Bob Stoddart, executive vice president of Crosspointe, stands beside a blueprint for Rolls Royce planning. |
Education outreach is a major part of the project. As envisioned, engineering professors and students from Virginia Tech and the University of Virginia will take part in a plethora of activities related to Rolls-Royce’s factories. For example, professors may take year-long sabbaticals while graduate students work hands-on research at the facility for their masters or doctoral papers. Their efforts will be coordinated at the new Commonwealth Center of Advanced Manufacturing (CCAM) that will be built on the Rolls-Royce land at Crosspointe Center.
Community college students in Greater Richmond will use the factory and the CCAM to help them win associate engineering degrees so they can transfer to four-year colleges. Others will take classes to help them participate in two year training programs Rolls-Royce plans to help develop its sophisticated, blue collar workforce. As many as 500 highly-skilled workers will be needed to handle the advanced machine tools and other devices used to make jet engines according to very precise tolerances. More.
Filtrona plans to reorganize, acquires Lendell Manufacturing
Local plant
makes most of
North America
's HomeWrap
By
Peter Galuszka
Richmond.com
Filtrona, Plc, a British firm with operations in Richmond, has announced a major acquisition and a corporate reorganization.
The firm, which makes cigarette filters, wicks for pens and household and medical products, is buying Lendell Manufacturing, a maker of water-soluble, polyurethane foams that is based in Saint Charles, Mich.
The acquisition will involve a reorganization that renames Filtrona’s Bonded Fiber Components Division as the Porous Technologies Division. It will be based in Richmond. More.
Mazda up and running
A new engine remanufacturing facility that handles rotary engine rebuilds from throughout Canada, the U.S. and Mexico is now up and running in Chesterfield County. More.
