Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) has taken the decision to establish a new factory within its Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works to manufacture aero engine parts. MHI is anticipating continued growth of its aero engine business, and in establishing the new facility the Company looks to strengthen its global competitiveness by developing a highly advanced engine parts production line, to grow aero engines into one of MHI Group’s core businesses. Construction is slated to get underway this October, with initial production targeted to start in 2020 and be incrementally expanded thereafter.

The new factory will be constructed as the Nagasaki Works of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Aero Engines, Ltd. (MHIAEL), an aero engine business arm of MHI Group. It will be located at the former site of the Propeller Factory (Ship Propeller Factory) adjacent to the Nagasaki Shipyard Museum (former Pattern Shop), a World Heritage Site. MHIAEL will play a part in the redevelopment of the Nagasaki Shipyard & Machinery Works area, aiming to be a plant that inherits the history of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. “From the Past – To the Present – To the Future”.

The new factory will be built equipped with a fully integrated production line from material receiving to machining and assembly for combustor parts.

To achieve precision and high quality standards required for aero engines, the new factory will adopt today’s most advanced machine tools. Meanwhile, to achieve an aero engine parts factory of world-class efficiency, MHIAEL will actively introduce automation and manpower saving technologies, such as automated material handling, tool changing, as well as IoT and AI technologies cultivated at its mother factory.

MHI group are aggressively undertaking business expansion and production system improvements in response to growing global demand for aero engines for commercial aircraft and construction of the new factory is part of this initiative. Measures are also being accelerated to expand business in aero engine MRO (maintenance, repair and overhaul). At MHIAEL’s Head Office Main Plant in Aichi Prefecture, preparations are moving steadily forward to launch new engine MROservices.

Going forward, MHI will work closely with MHIAEL in striving to enhance their respective technological capabilities and reliability and expand production capacity in the development, manufacture and MRO of aero engines, as their way of making ongoing contributions to the development of Japan’s aircraft industry.