Additional Polish service centre for Rolls-Royce

The Gdynia centre will employ around 80 people, 30 on site and up to 50 mobile service engineers. In addition to servicing and maintenance, the facility will lead marketing, sales and the supply of new marine equipment and spare parts for the Baltic region. The opening coincides with the official launch of Rolls-Royce Poland, which will coordinate the Group’s activity in this important and expanding market. The new facility will serve customers from the commercial and offshore sectors, as well as the Polish Navy, and is located in one of Europe’s largest ship repair yard clusters. It will enable repair and overhaul of the full range of Rolls-Royce thrusters and propellers, diesel and gas engines, and steering gear. Engineers from Gdynia will carry out servicing and repairs on board vessels throughout the region.

Rolls-Royce says it is making significant investments in global infrastructure and capability to deliver complex, integrated power systems and services for its customers. The Gdynia marine service centre comprises 1,000m² of workshop and office space, and is designed to accommodate future expansion. Rolls-Royce recently completed the construction of a new marine service centre in Hamburg, Germany, which is due to open later this year, and doubled the size of its Rotterdam facility.

Poland’s Vice Minister for Infrastructure, Annę Wypych-Namiotko, officially opened the new facility. She said: “The investment Rolls-Royce is making in Gdynia provides a boost for the overhaul and shipbuilding industry on the Polish coast. It is the presence of such state-of-the-art service centres that determines the attractiveness of sea ports today, and builds up their position against foreign competition. This facility, innovative on a European scale, will be managed by Polish engineers and technical staff. By launching this facility, we have created not only new jobs for Gdynia, but also an educational opportunity for students from technical universities in our region. This is an opportunity to continue the impressive traditions of the Polish shipbuilding industry, and to define its new offer for the 21st century.”

Martin Hall, Rolls-Royce, senior vice president Europe – services, said: “Poland is an important market for Rolls-Royce and this is reflected in our decision to develop a major new facility in Gdynia, one of the Baltic’s busiest ports. This will help our customers maximise availability of their vessels by giving them access to highly skilled service engineers and state-of-the-art workshop facilities.”