LONDON (Reuters) - British engineering group Rolls-Royce (L:RR) said it would form a joint venture with Germany's Liebherr-Aerospace to develop manufacturing facilities for a new, more efficient aero-engine's gearbox.
The world's second-largest maker of aero-engines is working on a new Ultrafan engine which could be ready to power aircraft by 2025. The engine will be at least 25 percent more fuel-efficient than the current generation.
The JV will be based in Friedrichshafen, Germany, and will produce components for the power gearbox in the new partner's existing facilities, with a view to building a new factory as production volumes rise.
Rolls-Royce's German unit has already started to build an 80 million euro test centre for the gearboxes south of Berlin.
The aerospace division of Rolls-Royce, which is headquartered in central England, is in the middle of a cost-cutting programme as part of a plan to boost aero-engine profitability, which has lagged that of bigger rival General Electric (N:GE).