Rolls-Royce Plans $136M Plant on Prince George Campus

By Adrian Maties, Associate Editor

Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, has revealed plans to build a $136 million advanced manufacturing facility at Rolls-Royce Crosspointe in Prince George County.

Dubbed the Advanced Airfoil Machining Facility, the 90,000-square-foot plant will produce turbine blades and nozzle guide vanes for engines like the Trent 900, Trent 1000 and Trent XWB. Those components are used on commercial aircraft, including the Boeing 787 Dreamliner, Airbus 380 and Airbus 350. Rolls-Royce expects to complete the new facility by the end of next year and start production in late 2014.

 Crosspointe, Rolls-Royce’s 1,000-acre manufacturing and research campus located just south of Richmond, is also the home of the firm’s Rotatives manufacturing facility, which opened in May 2011, and the recently opened Commonwealth Center for Advanced Manufacturing. A joint effort of government, university and business dedicated to advanced manufacturing research and technology, the Commonwealth Center is regarded by its sponsors as the only institution of its kind in North America.

 “Rolls-Royce is making significant investments in the United States and around the world to ensure we have the capacity to deliver on our promises to customers.” said James M. Guyette, chairman, president & CEO of Rolls-Royce North America. “With a mixture of manufacturing and research facilities, Crosspointe is a center of excellence for precision engineered, high tech components. The expansion will help attract suppliers to Crosspointe, creating an advanced manufacturing hub in Prince George County and driving job creation.”