News: Rolls-Royce set for green light in Rotherham

Plans for a new multi-million pound factory in Rotherham from world-renowned engineers, Rolls-Royce are set to approved next week.

Members of the planning board at Rotherham Council are being recommended to approve the planning application for the 14,900 sq m factory on the Advanced Manufacturing Park that will produce a specific portfolio of civil aerospace parts using advanced manufacturing techniques and an increased level of automation.

It will be home to the first 180 employees of an initial 360 Rolls-Royce staff in Rotherham.

The Advanced Blade Casting Facility is to be built as a sister factory to an existing operation in Derby. Designed by Sheffield architects, Bond Bryan, it will be in the Rolls-Royce corporate style of metallic silver and include a "elegant and gently curved roof profile."

Approval would come with a number of conditions relating to hours of operation and noise levels, drainage and landscaping. The applicants are also set to resubmit a travel plan that would meet the Council's target for car-sharing.

Work is expected to start on site soon and it is anticipated that building works will extend over a 12 month period.

The new foundry will be used for Rolls-Royce's pioneering work in the manufacture of single crystal (SX) turbine blades. It is developing new, high-productivity manufacturing processes to create these important and highly complex aero engine components. Turbine blades are required to withstand centrifugal loads of up to ten tonnes while operating at temperatures in excess of the melting point of the alloy.

The factory will manufacture advanced turbine blade castings for the company's most modern, high-thrust engines.

Recruitment for staff is already underway with Rolls-Royce looking for a proof inspector responsible for the proof inspection of turbine castings, fixtures and associated equipment, working to component, tooling, and manufacture, drawings; and a trained machinist to help develop the automated finishing process using a combination of machining and advanced measurement techniques.

The company has outline planning permission for three facilities in Rotherham including a 21,000 sq m "Project PoWeR" facility for manufacturing and assembling power vessels for the next generation of nuclear power stations and a 8,800 sq m building which could be for another Rolls-Royce facility or for one of their suppliers. Together, they could create 360 jobs initially.

Rolls-Royce website

Images: Bond Bryan / rolls-royce.com