Rolls-Royce has announced plans to invest £300m in its manufacturing and engineering facilities across the UK. Chancellor John Healy said on Monday that the news was a "powerful vote of confidence" in Britain's economy.
Investment breakdown across UK sites
Under the plans, Rolls-Royce will spend £90m on a five-year upgrade to its Bristol site. The proposals include building new workspaces and improving IT infrastructure, and will support the more than 3,500 staff based in Filton, according to the company. The defence wing of Rolls-Royce is based in Filton, where the company has been located since its acquisition of Bristol Siddeley Engines some 60 years ago.
In Derby, the home of Rolls-Royce's civil aerospace operations, the firm will spend more than £140m on new engineering and manufacturing services facilities, and aftermarket support. The works are expected to be completed in 2028.
Further investments in Scotland, Yorkshire and Warwickshire
Elsewhere, Rolls-Royce said it would make an investment of £43m at Inchinnan, Glasgow, introducing machinery that will enable new engine components to be made. In Rotherham, the company is spending £19m at its advanced blade casting facility. Supported by a further £2m from the South Yorkshire Mayoral Combined Authority, the Rotherham programme will double the plant's output of advanced turbine blades – a critical component in jet engines – by 2030.
In Ansty, Warwickshire, a £5m investment in machinery upgrades will boost manufacturing capability and efficiency, the company said.
Government and company response
Chancellor John Healey said: "From Derby and Bristol to Rotherham, Glasgow and Warwickshire, it will back skilled jobs, strengthen our sovereign industrial capability, and help drive growth in communities across the United Kingdom. At a time of increasing global competition, Britain must be the best place in the world to invest, innovate and build. Today's announcement shows that confidence in our country is growing and that world-leading British firms are investing for the future."
Rolls-Royce has invested more than £3bn in the UK since the start of its transformation programme in 2023. Across the country, the company has been investing in R&D and cutting-edge engineering programmes, alongside upgrading its facilities and infrastructure. The company said the latest investment in its British sites would ensure it could meet manufacturing demand and support the development of future aerospace programmes.
Tufan Erginbilgic, chief executive of Rolls-Royce, said: "Our manufacturing facilities in the UK are home to the very best of British engineering talent. This £300m investment is a clear statement of our intent. Rolls-Royce is committed to growing the UK's advanced manufacturing sector and we are proud to be building infrastructure needed to power Britain's future. World-class facilities across the UK will ensure that Rolls-Royce remains a global leader in both commercial aviation and sovereign defence, while supporting thousands of highly skilled jobs both directly and through our supply chain."
