SAESL expands into new facilities to capture MRO growth with advanced technologies

• US$180 million investment will increase SAESL’s capacity by 40%
• Memoranda of Understanding signed with the Singapore Economic Development Board, JTC Corporation, Employment and Employability Institute and NTUC LearningHub
• 500 high-skilled professionals to be hired over the next five years
  

Singapore Aero Engine Services Private Limited (SAESL), one of the world’s largest Rolls-Royce Trent engine maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) organisations, announces its expansion with new facilities and advanced technologies to capture rising engine MRO demand and cement its position as a global leader in engine MRO.

SAESL is a joint venture between Rolls-Royce and SIA Engineering Company Limited (SIAEC) incorporated in 1999 as an ongoing collaborative partnership.

With the aerospace sector rebounding post-pandemic, demand for MRO services is expected to grow significantly over the coming years. In 2024 alone, the Asia-Pacific region is forecasted to account for one-third of total global demand, which is expected to grow by 2-3% to US$657.23 billion¹ .

The US$180 million investment for the expansion will increase SAESL’s capacity by 40%. It will enable SAESL to expand its engine strip-and-build module repair and component repair capacity. It will also help SAESL to drive transformation through technology by developing new MRO processes, core digital technology and Industry 4.0 capabilities.

Building new facilities; integrating advanced technologies

The expansion involves the addition of new facilities with a combined footprint of over 50,000m² . This comprises building a new 26,000m² facility at JTC’s Loyang estate, adjacent to the current SAESL campus at Calshot Road; and SAESL’s expansion into the Rolls-Royce campus in JTC’s Seletar Aerospace Park. The current facilities, across five buildings in Calshot and Loyang Road, will undergo major transformation and be reconfigured to meet the expected increase in production capacity.

The new facility to be built at Calshot Road will focus on engine inductions, and utilise state-of- the-art logistics solutions to optimise engine parts management. The operations in the Seletar Campus will focus on large component repair, several commodity centres of excellence, and low- pressure turbine repair. SAESL will establish an Advanced Repair Cell (ARC) that will focus on industrialising three core technologies – additive remanufacturing, adaptive machining and non- contact measurement systems. The ARC will be an agile and novel process-led cell; highly automated, harnessing the latest adaptive machining, 3D scanning, additive and digital technologies tuned to the modern generation of gas turbine engines. With the anticipated portfolio of new repair capabilities for certain Rolls-Royce’s high value engine components, SAESL is set to become the focal point for Rolls-Royce’s global MRO network in industrialising additive and adaptive repairs.

SAESL’s expansion programme is planned to be progressively completed from 2026 onwards.

MOUs signed with leading agencies and partners

To solidify its support of Singapore as an aviation hub and ecosystem, SAESL will also be signing Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs) with several agencies and partners over two days at the Singapore Airshow.

• On 21 February 2024, SAESL will sign MoUs with the (1) Singapore Economic Development Board (EDB) and (2) JTC Corporation to enter into discussions to facilitate SAESL’s expansion of its MRO operations in Singapore. 
• On 22 February 2024, SAESL will sign MoUs with the Employment and Employability Institute (e2i) and NTUC LearningHub (NTUC LHUB) to embark on initiatives to promote and generate awareness about 500 new engineering career opportunities. These positions are required to be filled by 2028 to support SAESL’s expansion plan to grow its capacity by 40%. The partnerships will focus on encouraging upgrading of skillsets, supporting transformative growth in advanced repair, additive remanufacturing, non-contact measurement, automation and digital technology and facilitating career advancement for individuals seeking to join the dynamic field of aerospace engineering. Beyond training the new hires to fill the positions, NTUC LHUB will also be appointed as the preferred training partner of SAESL.

Smart Manufacturing Joint Lab partnership with A*STAR

With SAESL’s expansion, productivity improvements continue to be a key focus. The Smart Manufacturing Joint Lab, part of SAESL’s tripartite partnership with Rolls-Royce and the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) will continue to support this.

The projects in SMJL which include developing core capability in machine learning, automation and visual recognition, are currently industrialising and driving productivity improvements in SAESL.

The substantial investment will drive transformation through technology, driving a step change in productivity, job skill development, ambitious Industry 4.0 transformation agenda and most importantly, investing in talent. It will furthermore elevate Singapore’s status as a global aerospace hub by progressing new innovations and spearheading talent development for the wider industry.

¹ MRO Forecast for 2024 (mrobusinesstoday.com)