Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce expand joint venture N3 Engine Overhaul Services

Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce are responding to increasing demand for aircraft engine maintenance. They are significantly expanding their joint venture N3 Engine Overhaul Services near Arnstadt in Thuringia, investing around 150 million euros and creating new jobs. This was announced by the plant management on Friday at the official start of construction for the expansion of the site.

250 new jobs at N3

In the long term, capacity is to be increased to up to 250 engines per year, roughly doubling it. In 2023, 132 aircraft engines will have been overhauled. This year, despite the ongoing construction work on the factory premises, this figure is set to increase by up to 50 percent. The investment will result in a whole series of new hires.

By the end of the year, the workforce is expected to grow from the current 950 to 1100 employees. In a second step, 1200 jobs are targeted. They service engines for more than 50 international airlines on behalf of Rolls-Royce. N3 says it has its own qualification program for career changers and has been training apprentices for years.

Within two years, new factory areas are to be built, existing buildings extended and machinery and equipment purchased. Construction of a new logistics building will begin in the fall. N3 is an important European location in the global maintenance network for Rolls-Royce aircraft engines. The company justified the rising demand with an increase in intercontinental flights. The maintenance business picked up speed again very quickly in 2022 after the coronavirus years.

High profile for Thuringia's economy

Thuringia's Minister of Economic Affairs Wolfgang Tiefensee (SPD), who attended the symbolic ground-breaking ceremony, described the expansion of N3 as a strong signal of new beginnings. "N3 sets standards in terms of quality, reliability and innovative strength and is therefore a flagship for Thuringia as a high-tech location."

An expansion had already been considered when the company was built between 2005 and 2007 and the space on the twelve-hectare site had been planned accordingly, explained Carsten Behrens, Managing Director of N3. He described the parent companies' decision to develop the joint venture further in the long term as an appreciation of the team's expertise in the maintenance of Rolls-Royce Trent engines.

Since its launch in 2007 in Thuringia's largest industrial estate "Erfurter Kreuz", N3 has overhauled a total of more than 1,400 engines.