The MTU Aiken Youth Apprenticeship Program has been nationally recognized for its unique approach to bridging the manufacturing skills gap in the U.S.
Celebrating its 10-year anniversary, Rolls-Royce said its MTU Aiken manufacturing facility is looking back with pride at past achievements while looking ahead with anticipation of opportunities still to come. The 395,000 sq-ft-campus, which produces off-highway MTU-brand diesel engines, opened in fall 2010 when the company decided to move its manufacturing operations from Detroit to Graniteville, Aiken County, South Carolina. What started off as an assembly plant for two product lines has continually expanded in size and scope over the past decade to become much more.
“The original goal of the Aiken plant was to carve out our own space where we could take greater control over our destiny and our manufacturing here in the U.S.,” said Joerg Klisch, director of operations at the MTU Aiken plant. “Everything that we’ve been able to achieve here over the past 10 years reflects the positive culture and spirit of innovation that we have. We have continually challenged ourselves to take on the next program or develop the next competency, all with a focus on developing our people and our community along the way.”
The facility began with the assembly of MTU Series 2000 and Series 4000 diesel engines, which together cover a power range from 760 to 4,000 hp. After its official opening in December 2010, where the focus was solely on getting assembly operations up and running, the plant brought machining operations online soon after, allowing the facility to machine its own components on-site.
Beyond manufacturing and operations, the past decade has also resulted in the award-winning MTU Aiken Youth Apprenticeship Program, which has been nationally recognized for its unique approach to bridging the manufacturing skills gap in the U.S.
The MTU Aiken facility employs 265 people and represents a $100 million investment by Rolls-Royce.
