Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce explore closer co-operation in engine maintenance

Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa Technik AG are to explore closer
co-operation in the technical care of mature engines. It follows a
year-long pilot project intended to reduce the maintenance costs of
mature Trent 500 engines which power the Airbus A340-500/600
aircraft.

Rolls-Royce’s expertise as the engine manufacturer and Lufthansa
Technik’s experience as one of the world’s largest engine maintenance
providers were combined in a pilot project. The question the pilot
project pursued was: How can Trent 500 maintenance costs be reduced
through the mature phase of the life-cycle?

This work plays a significant element of ensuring Rolls-Royce has the
capabilities to introduce TotalCare Flex®, a concept to address the
service needs of customers with mature-phase engines, including the
Trent 500.

Joint efforts on several Trent 500 engines made it clear that
tangible reductions in costs were achievable through systematic
changes in workscope, improved use of used material, and optimized
processes in the workshops.

“This successful pilot project by Rolls-Royce and Lufthansa Technik
shows that a close partnership between a manufacturer and a
maintenance organization offers advantages for airline customers and
for both partners. Mature engines remain competitive for longer and
the costs of operating them can be reduced,” said Bernhard
Krueger-Sprengel, Senior Vice President Engine Services of Lufthansa
Technik AG.

Tom Palmer, Rolls-Royce, Director of Services, Civil Large Engines
said: “This collaboration with Lufthansa Technik is an important part
of developing our TotalCare Flex thinking, giving us further
confidence in our capability to deliver improved mature engine
support to our customers.”

Encouraged by the successful pilot project and great interest on the
side of customers, the two project partners have agreed to explore
options for longer-term cooperation, which may expand to include
other engine types