MTU engines from Rolls-Royce power many of the vehicles and ships on which the operational readiness of the German and many allied armed forces depend. To contribute to the security of Germany and allied nations, and to be able to meet the increased demand for MTU engines, the company is building up expanded capacity over the coming years.

Rolls-Royce plans to hire up to 450 additional employees in its Power Systems business (headquartered in Friedrichshafen, Germany) over the next 10 years, depending on the specific order situation. Delivery capabilities are to be enhanced through the expansion of facilities and assembly lines.

The most important vehicles and ships with MTU drives include the Puma infantry fighting vehicle, the Boxer armoured transport vehicle, and the Leopard 2 main battle tank — plus the K130 corvettes and U212 submarines. Following events in Ukraine, the German government and other nations decided to procure vehicles and ships of these and other types in larger numbers than originally expected. Consequently, this requires more MTU engines and propulsion systems.

Thelse Godewerth, Rolls-Royce Power Systems’ chief people officer and labour director, said: “We very quickly grasped the situation and worked out a concept for delivering engines and systems at short notice and on schedule as soon as orders come in — despite disrupted supply chains and raw material bottlenecks.

“We developed this concept in close coordination with politicians, procurement authorities, end customers, manufacturers, and our suppliers. Because it was clear we would not be able to handle the new orders we expect in the coming months and years with our existing workforce and equipment, we are investing to guarantee our delivery capability as military demand increases and so support the operational readiness and capabilities of the armed forces of democratic nations.”

Knut Müller, vice president global governmental at Rolls-Royce Power Systems, added: “With our long-term planning, we are laying the foundation for a new agile cooperation between procurement authorities, armed forces, and industry.

“To be able to meet the current and future challenges together, we also need concrete commitments from politicians as soon as possible as to which vehicles and ships are to be procured in which specific quantities. Only then can we, together with our suppliers, reliably guarantee that MTU systems will be delivered on time. This is also an important contribution to maintaining key technological capabilities and highly qualified jobs in Germany.”