KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia, which aspires to be a maintenance, repair and overhaul (MRO) regional hub, has the potential to be part of an important global supply chain that will meet the needs of Southeast Asia’s aerospace industry.
Rolls Royce Malaysia Sdn Bhd country director Saji Raghavan said Malaysia had been successful in the production of composites and as an MRO centre, which were achieved through excellent human capital training and infrastructure.
“There has been active interest and participation by the International Trade and Industry Ministry and various government bodies, including the Economic Planning Unit, Malaysian Investment Development Authority, Majlis Amanah Rakyat, Performance Management Delivery Unit and Aerospace Malaysia Innovation Centre.
“The Asia Aerospace City solution developed by these organisations is an example of the effectiveness of the government in addressing the needs of companies like ours. This will also bolster the commitment of local and foreign private entities,” he told Business Times in an interview.
Rolls Royce Malaysia, which is a unit of British aero-engine maker Rolls Royce Ltd, awarded UMW Group a RM830 million contract last August to manufacture and assemble aero-engine fan cases.
The 25-year agreement will see UMW M&E Sdn Bhd and subsidiary UMW Aerospace Sdn Bhd making fan cases for Rolls-Royce’s Trent 1000 engines, which power the Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
Rolls Royce Asia-Pacific regional director Jonathan Asherson said Rolls Royce was stepping up efforts to grow its supply chain network in Asean.
He said with the implementation of the Asean Economic Community, the company expected more dynamic cooperation among industry players and government agencies in the region.
“This will be a strong foundation for a regional market, which is predicted to become the largest civil aviation market in the world.”
Raghavan had told Business Times in September that it was keen to establish more manufacturing partnerships with other Malaysian aerospace companies as the country had shown genuine interest and commitment to develop its aerospace industry.
He said Malaysia had a good track record in achieving excellence in aerospace as well as other industries mapped out under the National Aerospace Blueprint 2016-2030 and the Economic Transformation Programme Entry Point Project 7, anchored by Asia Aerospace City, with the focus of facilitating original equipment manufacturers such as Rolls Royce.
Last week, aerospace company Airod Sdn Bhd, which provides aircraft MRO services, won a five-year US$25 million (RM109.17 million) contract to service the KC-130J aircraft of the United States Navy, according to a US Embassy statement.