Doncasters Seals RR Trent 1000 Deal with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries for Boeing 787 Dreamliner
20 June 2005
The Doncasters Group Ltd, a leading global manufacturer of precision components and assemblies for the aerospace industry, has entered into a partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) to manufacture turbine blades for the Rolls-Royce Trent 1000 engine – the new aero engine for the Boeing 787 Dreamliner. The agreement will be worth in excess of $10 million.
Doncasters will manufacture the directionally solidified low pressure turbine pressure blades at its Precision Castings facility in Bochum, Germany. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries is a risk and revenue sharing partner (RRSP) with Rolls-Royce and is responsible for the manufacture of the combustor module and low pressure turbine blades for the Trent 1000 engine.
Eric J. Lewis, CEO of The Doncasters Group, comments, “We are delighted to have secured this long term partnership with Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The agreement is another example of how we are harnessing our diverse capabilities to deliver exacting solutions for today’s major aero engine programmes.”
The first castings are scheduled to be delivered in September 2005. Development testing on the Trent 1000 will start in Spring 2006, followed by engine certification by the airworthiness authorities in 2007. The Trent 1000 will enter service in 2008.
Doncasters has already entered into an alliance with Hamilton Sundstrand to manufacture turbo-machinery for the Boeing 787 auxiliary power unit, the APS5000.
