Major FDI in Poland to be launch soon

EME Aero sp. z o.o. will have a workforce of around 800 employees in the future and is slated to be up and running in 2020. The planned annual capacity is over 400 shop visits of PW1000G-series geared turbofan engines, which power the Airbus A320neo family of aircraft and other airliners. Says Derrick Siebert, EME Aero CEO: "Today, we have made a big step forward in our project of providing maintenance for an entirely new generation of commercial engines in Europe. We are very pleased. All the more so as the location in Jasionka in Poland's Aviation Valley offers us the optimum infrastructure for our new MRO company." And Uwe Zachau, EME Aero COO, adds: "The acquisition of the land marks a key milestone for us. Now we can press ahead at full speed with the construction of the new joint shop."

"Establishing one of the most advanced maintenance facilities in the aerospace industry is a joint success of Poland’s ministry of development, the local authorities and the Polish Investment and Trade Agency (PAIH). We implement the key objectives of the Responsible Development Strategy, by supporting such innovative ventures. Additionally, we take part in transferring expertise into Poland. What’s more, the investment could happen due to the B2B talks carried out at the last year’s Hannover Messe. It proves an openess and a great deal of trust put into Poland by global investors," Tomasz Pisula, the PAIH CEO, stresses. The Agency assisted the investor in choosing a building site and took part in negotiations regarding gaining public aid.

MTU Aero Engines has already gained very positive experience with setting up a company in Poland. MTU Aero Engines Polska, a subsidiary of MTU Aero Engines, opened shop in 2009 – quite close to the place where the new shop will go up. In 2013, work on an expansion of the Rzeszów facility commenced. MTU's Polish sub-sidiary carries out development and production activities and is responsible for the assembly of the low-pressure turbine for PW1000G-series engines, a capability it added to its portfolio in early 2015.

For Lufthansa Technik, the new JV is the second big move in stepping up its activi-ties in Poland: In September 2017, the foundation stone was laid in Sroda Slaska for its joint venture company with engine manufacturer GE Aviation that will overhaul GEnx-2B engines and, later on, GE9X engines. Lufthansa Technik also has many years of experience maintaining Pratt & Whitney engines. In July 2016, Lufthansa Technik became a member of the MRO network for the U.S. engine maker's geared turbofan (GTF). The network offers the full range of MRO services for PW1000G engines. This additional business has no impact on the workload at Lufthansa Technik's existing facilities.
Lufthansa Technik and MTU have been partnering in a 50-50 joint venture in Malay-sia since 2003. Airfoil Services Sdn. Bhd. (ASSB) near Kuala Lumpur specializes in the repair of low-pressure turbine and high-pressure compressor airfoils.