Rolls-Royce relocation

Rolls-Royce has announced that it is relocating its global Marine headquarters from London to Singapore in order to direct focus on Asia-Pacific markets.

The global power systems company already conducts a number of operations from the region and has been active in its marine industry for more than 30 years. The company also plays a key role in Singapore's aerospace industry, accounting for more than 15 per cent of the country's aerospace output.

The new Marine headquarters will be responsible for business development, marketing and corporate services for the division.

John Paterson, president of Rolls-Royce Marine, said: ‘Rolls-Royce is a global business and while Europe remains a significant market for Marine, headquartering our business in Singapore further enhances our global position and will facilitate the development of growing markets in Asia. Working closely with key customers and suppliers in the region, we will capitalise on Singapore’s central position and maritime expertise as we continue to develop our business.’

Lim Siong Guan, chairman of the Singapore Economic Development Board, said: ‘We are delighted that Rolls-Royce has decided to locate the global headquarters for its Marine business in Singapore. It is a very welcome addition to Singapore's growing presence as a home for world-class companies to manage and drive their global businesses. This significant decision underlines our long-term partnership with Rolls-Royce, Singapore's position as a hub for the marine industry and our focus on high-value-added manufacturing.’

Rolls-Royce recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) to collaborate on a joint research project aimed at developing manufacturing techniques and materials for use in low-pressure turbines.

The agreement will allow Rolls-Royce to use the expertise of the Institute of Metals Research (IMR) at CAS to develop titanium aluminide casting technology for use on its gas turbine engines.

Jiang Mianheng, CAS’s vice-president and John Rose, chief executive at Rolls-Royce, attended the signing ceremony in the presence of Gordon Brown and premier of the state council, Wen Jiabao.

Rose said: ‘We have a long and successful history of working with research institutes in

. In signing this MoU, we are building on our strong relationship with this important and valued partner. This project will make an important contribution to the development of a new generation of lighter and more fuel-efficient aircraft engines.’