Derby’s sprawling Rolls-Royce campus, employing 15,000 people, has been at the cutting edge of British industry for more than a century.
And it is in a 1920s block at the heart of the vast site that the FTSE 100 giant’s recent recovery has taken flight.
Rolls-Royce turned to the building, derelict for decades, when the firm’s Trent 1000 engines suffered major problems resulting in cracks and erosion.
Millions of pounds of investment later – but with its century-old roof and gantries still intact – the hangar was retooled for use in a major programme of engine upgrades as the company battled to fix the issue and restore its reputation.
It is the oldest part of the Derby site but symbolises Rolls-Royce’s stunning recovery as a powerhouse of UK industry under hard-charging chief executive Tufan Erginbilgic, who took over in 2023.
After its near-collapse during the pandemic, Erginbilgic has powered the group back to profitability. And today its core civil aviation business is not only seeking to shore up its relationship with airlines affected by the Trent 1000’s problems but seeking – and winning – new carriers as customers.
Masterminding: After its near-collapse during the pandemic, Erginbilgic has powered the group back to profitability
At the heart of the renaissance are new aero turbine blades redesigned to keep them cool amid the intense heat and pressure required to power an airliner’s engine – and therefore able to endure much longer time ‘on wing’ before needing to be replaced.
That has been done by changing the patterns of tiny holes on the 68 blades of the turbine, as well as subtly reshaping them, with the aim of maximising the cooling air that flows through.
Such is the effectiveness of the system that engineers say a block of ice in a 200C oven would be kept intact by its cooling effects.
‘These components are in the hottest part of the engine,’ explains Rachel Walker, Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 programme director. ‘They endure some of the most strenuous stresses.
‘This blade will endure the force equivalent to around a double-decker bus hanging off the end of it while it’s spinning round in the engine. It’s pretty phenomenal what it can withstand.’
Rolls-Royce says that its redesign improves the cooling of the blade by 40 per cent.
The company has now replaced older blades on nearly half of its Trent 1000 engines. And a further redesign has reshaped the blade to reduce stresses, further extending its lifespan.
Ultimately it will mean time ‘on wing’ is tripled compared with what it was before both phases of improvement, Walker said.
Replacing the blades was the reason for Rolls reopening its historic 1920 hangar in 2022.
Here, amid a whiff of kerosene, The Mail on Sunday watched as an engineer pulled out fuel pipes from a barrel-sized high-pressure system as part of the work of refurbishing one turbine, its blades browned by wear and tear of its time in the skies. This work can be a matter of days.
> Rolls-Royce shares: Check price data and the latest company reports
In charge: Tufan Erginbilgic is the chief executive of Rolls-Royce
On the other side of the campus in another vast hangar, bigger engine overhauls – part of the regular maintenance of aircraft engines – take place.
This work can take longer – sometimes months – as engineers strip down turbines and assess the work that needs to be done. Parts are taken out, fixed, and cleaned in baths of chemicals.
Then refurbished engines are finally taken to ‘test beds’ – towering concrete warehouses – where they are fired up for six or seven hours to replicate a flight. Engineers stay at a distance, monitoring remotely to avoid being exposed to the unearthly roar.
And for the huge turbines, enormous trailers are needed to transport them around the site. These trailers are named after their colours – the ‘green monster’ and ‘burgundy beast’.
All of this work is a round-the-clock undertaking – or almost.
It is 24 hours a day, for six and a half days, with Saturday night off. An exception has been made for the World Cup, with workers spared two hours to watch England in the football tournament. The catch is they have to make up for it before or after the game.
And of course engines need testing in the air. A highly modified, Rolls-Royce-branded Boeing 747 jumbo named Spirit of Excellence was until last year used to test new engine technology, including the Trent 1000 engine.
The scale of the processes demonstrates how an engine maker’s job goes on far beyond the moment their handiwork leaves the factory gate.
In another part of Derby, staff monitor a wall computer display showing the movements of around 850 aircraft across the globe, powered by Rolls-Royce engines.
Each is represented by a small white icon which can turn red if an issue is spotted. The 24-hour operation is alert to warning signals coming from aircraft or even hints from social media that a problem may be occurring.
That prompts them to be ready if an airline gets in touch seeking help – or to contact the carrier themselves – and work out how, if necessary, a part can be shipped out to wherever they are in the world as soon as possible.
Major incidents are very rare, says one member of staff.
However, the team must be on alert for lower-level challenges at all times.
‘There is always something going on here,’ he says, with a smile.
DIY INVESTING PLATFORMS
AJ Bell
AJ Bell
Easy investing and ready-made portfolios
Hargreaves Lansdown
Hargreaves Lansdown
Free fund dealing and investment ideas
interactive investor
interactive investor
Flat-fee investing from £4.99 per month
Freetrade
Freetrade
Investing Isa now free on basic plan
Trading 212
Trading 212
Free share dealing and no account fee
Affiliate links: If you take out a product This is Money may earn a commission. These deals are chosen by our editorial team, as we think they are worth highlighting. This does not affect our editorial independence.