GKN Aerospace has shipped the first aero-engine components from its new site in Johor, Malaysia — CFM56 low-pressure compressor components have been delivered to an Asian engine MRO service provider.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) issued the base certification to GKN Aerospace’s Johor facility in Malaysia for the repair of CFM56 aero-engine parts earlier this year, and the process for additional FAA certifications are currently underway.

The Johor site employs around 70 people and will be the GKN Aerospace Repair Centre for customers in the APAC region, servicing engine low pressure compressor (LPC) components for CFM56-5B, CFM56-7 and V2500 engines.

The facility, which will be fully operational in the fourth quarter of 2020, will complement GKN Aerospace’s existing component repair facility in California.

The site has an important strategic growth role in GKN Aerospace’s global manufacturing and development footprint in Asia and will also be home to additional capabilities including research and development activities around the application of additive manufacturing technology into engine parts repair.

Fergus Lopez, GKN Aerospace Malaysia site director, said: “We are really proud of this fantastic achievement. The Malaysian operations team managed to successfully receive, repair, overhaul and release customer parts on a new site, under challenging Covid-19 circumstances with a great turnround time.”

Doug Ramey, global director of sales and customer support, said: ”This is a true milestone. GKN Aerospace is committed to expanding and growing our global repair business for aero-engine parts. The Malaysia facility will offer our APAC customers a regional, reliable source and real time customer service for fan blades and fan component parts repair.”