N3 Engine Overhaul Services (N3), the joint venture between Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce, has officially marked the start of its expansion project with a ground-breaking ceremony in the presence of the Thuringian minister of economics, Wolfgang Tiefensee.

N3 is massively expanding its building complex at Erfurter Kreuz and is investing around €150 million in the project.

The main construction works that are now beginning on-site include the expansion of the cleaning line for engine components to double process capacity.

The state-of-the-art wastewater treatment plant that goes with the cleaning line will save energy and reduce freshwater consumption by up to 90%.

Construction of a 6,000 sqm extension to the existing production hall to expand the technical machining centres and assembly areas is now also underway.

A new logistics building, which will also include automated storage systems, is scheduled to begin construction in autumn.

N3 says the expansion will take place while operations continue and with increasing capacity utilisation.

Expansion plans were already taken into consideration during the planning and construction of the facility between 2005 and 2007 and the areas on the 12-hectare site were earmarked accordingly.

Carsten Behrens, managing director at N3, said: “The decision of the parent companies to continue the long-term development of the joint venture values the expertise and extensive experience the team has built up over 17 years with Rolls-Royce Trent engines, including the latest generation of the Trent 1000.”

Minister Tiefensee said: “N3 sets standards in terms of quality, reliability and innovative capacity, making it a flagship for Thuringia as a high-tech location far beyond the borders of the federal state.

“With the expansion of the company here at the ‘Erfurter Kreuz’, N3 is opening a new chapter in its Thuringian success story. This sends out a strong signal of new momentum, especially in the current economic climate.

“As an attractive employer, N3 is making a decisive contribution to the creation of qualified jobs. This is a tailwind for our strategy of retaining skilled labour in the region and attracting new talents, also from abroad.”

N3 has developed its own professional qualification programme for career changers and has been training its own specialists since the start of operations, with six vocational training programmes now in its portfolio.

Stefan Landes, commercial managing director of N3, said: “In order to counter the shortage of skilled labour, we are also expanding our international recruiting measures.

“A welcoming corporate culture is essential for the sustainable development of the location.”

With an increase in demand for intercontinental travel since 2022 and the associated high demand for maintenance services for Rolls-Royce engines, N3 shareholders agreed a new joint business plan which paved the way for an expansion to increase the plant’s capacity to up to 250 engines per year in the long-term.

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