UMW Aerospace Sdn. Bhd., a wholly owned company in the UMW Group, has secured a fresh contract with Rolls-Royce Plc (“Rolls-Royce”) to manufacture rear cases for the Rolls Royce Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 aircraft engines. UMW Aerospace will be investing up to RM65 million to set up the chemical milling and related processes to manufacture the rear case at its facility in the UMW High Value Manufacturing Park in Serendah. At present, the rear case is imported from overseas and assembled into a complete fan case.

The announcement on the contract was made by YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz, Minister of International Trade and Industry, during his working visit to UMW Aerospace. He was accompanied by representatives from National Aerospace Industry Corporation Malaysia (NAICO Malaysia), Malaysian Investment Development Authority (MIDA), Malaysia External Trade Development Corporation (MATRADE) and Malaysia Productivity Corporation (MPC).

Winning the contract is a testament to UMW Aerospace's track record in delivering high quality products and services to Rolls-Royce. In August 2015, UMW Aerospace made its mark in the aerospace industry when it became Malaysia's first homegrown Tier 1 aero engine component supplier to Rolls-Royce upon receiving a 25 + 5 year contract to manufacture and assemble fan cases for the latter's Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 aircraft engines. The Company's fan case project for Rolls-Royce took only two years to take-off from ground zero to maiden delivery and is recognised as one of the fastest aerospace engine component development programs of its kind.

YB Senator Tengku Datuk Seri Utama Zafrul remarked, “This announcement by UMW Aerospace – that it has secured a contract to manufacture rear cases for Rolls-Royce's Trent 1000 and Trent 7000 aircraft engines – is proof that established multinationals perceive our industrial landscape as stable and conducive for their global supply chain. I congratulate UMW Aerospace on securing a second major contract from Rolls-Royce within eight years. It is also worthy to note that UMW Aerospace would be the first company in Southeast Asia to develop the chemical milling capability for the aerospace industry, hence, strengthening the Malaysian's aerospace ecosystem. This is also in line with the Malaysian Government's National Investment Aspiration, which has identified aerospace as one of the five key target sectors to elevate Malaysia's industrial profile, while facilitating knowledge transfers, supporting local SMEs and creating more higher-paying jobs for Malaysians. It also fulfils the key objectives under the Malaysian Aerospace Industry Blueprint 2030 to strengthen the nation's aerospace industry and elevate its position in the global supply chain.”

The capability to secure fresh contracts and new work packages by the Malaysian supply chain will enable the industry to maintain its positive momentum in achieving the blueprint's 2030 targets. Apart from investing into digital solutions and adoption of industry 4.0 technology, such projects will also facilitate more localisation activities by Small Medium Enterprises (SMEs). In 2022, Malaysia aerospace industry achieved more than RM15.3 billion revenue while exports for aerospace parts and components increased 9.1% to RM6.3 billion year-on-year. Two aerospace projects worth RM146.75 million were approved in 2022 involving the aerospace manufacturing and MRO sectors. Rolls-Royce President of Southeast Asia, Pacific & South Korea, Dr. Bicky Bhangu remarked: “We are delighted to continue our trusted partnership with UMW Aerospace in Malaysia, a market we have been active in for over 60 years and with whom we enjoy a close relationship. The Malaysian Government's ongoing support for the aerospace sector is exemplary and we are proud to play our part in supporting its further development. We continue to regard the country as one with enormous potential, not just within aerospace, but also its ability to drive broader economic growth and positively contribute to the Southeast Asia region as a whole.

Over the decades, Rolls-Royce has benefitted from the range of expertise, skillsets and perspectives from Malaysia, alongside its manufacturing capabilities and well-connected supply chains. This will be exemplified through the high-quality rear cases that will be supplied by UMW Aerospace and we look forward to the next chapter of this partnership.”

UMW Holdings Berhad President and Group CEO, Dato' Ahmad Fuaad Kenali said, “UMW Aerospace is honoured to be awarded this contract by Rolls-Royce after a rigorous bidding process. UMW Aerospace's commitment to quality and excellence has led to various recognitions in recent years. It received the Trusted to Deliver Excellence Award from Rolls-Royce in 2018. UMW Aerospace was inducted into the 2021 Cohort of Rolls-Royce's High Performing Supplier Group (“HPSG”), which represents the top 5% of Rolls-Royce's global suppliers and has successfully maintained its position in the 2022 and 2023 Cohorts of HPSG.

In 2022, UMW Aerospace further added the Supplier Best Practice Award to its list of achievements, which recognises suppliers with exceptional qualities, including focus on continuous improvement in operations and cost optimisation as well as their commitment towards zero defects. Furthermore, Rolls-Royce recognises UMW Aerospace's continuous efforts towards sustainable practices, such as the installation of roof top solar panels to utilise renewable energy as well as rainwater harvesting to reduce water consumption in its operations, which led UMW Aerospace to be a member of Rolls-Royce's Sustainability Working Group. In addition, since starting operations in August 2016, UMW Aerospace has maintained a remarkable safety record of over 2,400 days without industrial accident or Zero LTI (“Lost-Time-Injury”).”

“All these accolades, we believe, paved the way for this contract from Rolls-Royce. We would like to thank Rolls-Royce for their trust and confidence in UMW Aerospace and we will strive to continuously deliver high quality products and services to our customers. UMW Aerospace will continue to expand its capabilities to bid for more aerospace projects in the future,” Dato' Fuaad further added.