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MTU Global
High-tech hotbed
Going up in Science Park 1, Kota Damansara,
near Malaysia’s capital Kuala Lumpur is the
‘Center of Excellence’ for high-tech aircraft
engine blades of Airfoil Services Sdn. Bhd.
(ASSB). The joint venture of MTU Aero
Engines and Lufthansa Technik is slated to
move, in summer 2007, from its present
location in Shah Alam to Kuala Lumpur. In
the new 6,000-square-meter facility, not only
low-pressure turbine blades as before but
also CF6, V2500, CFM56 and CF34 highpressure
compressor blades will be repaired.
By Ute Schwing
Kuala Lumpur is an Asian metropolis boasting mosques, church steeples, Chinese pagodas
and Indian temples. The diversity of the Malaysian capital’s architecture and population also
reflects in its industry. Investors are lured in growing numbers to the vibrant Southeast Asian
metropolis. Also MTU Aero Engines, with its joint venture partner Lufthansa Technik, profits
from the favorable local conditions: it is presently building a new, larger facility in the neighboring
federal state of Selangor.
The expanded portfolio brings with it advanced
repair techniques like HVOF (High
Velocity Oxygen Fuel) erosion coating, a thermal
coating technique which uses kerosene
or hydrogen as a fuel to deposit highly-compacted
coatings on CFM56 compressor
blades.
ASSB derives its workload mostly from
Lufthansa Technik and MTU. After its relocation,
the company will shift production to
“flowline”, a mode that speeds up compo-
nent processing. MTU has been practicing it
successfully for years. The company further
brings to the table its process simulation
experience. ASSB’s relocation will make
itself felt in dollars and cents as well: annual
sales are expected to climb to 20 million U.S.
dollars by 2010. This will equally benefit the
joint venture partners’ customers: “The enlargement
of our joint Malaysian plant comes
as part of MTU’s expansion strategy. The
added blade repair capacities provide our
customers with still more cost-efficient
maintenance solutions,” notes Bernd Kessler,
MTU Aero Engines president and CEO, commercial
maintenance.
The joint venture partners will spend 2006
building the new facility and getting the production
engineering work done for it. Expert
teams at Lufthansa Technik in Hamburg and
MTU in Munich and Hannover are busy planning
the revamped shop in all detail. The
130-people Shah Alam staff will move to the
Malaysian capital not until the new facility is
up. This will then permit the speedy, smooth
integration of present work processes into
the redesigned shop.
To cope with the new tasks, ASSB will need
more staff. By 2010, the workforce is expected
to grow to 500 employees. For the
purpose, the company has partnered,
already in 2005, with the country’s Advanced
Technology Training Centre (ADTEC), which
is presently training skilled workers under its
technical training effort proceeding in four
vocational education centers. It offers courses
in mechatronics, mechanical machining, production
mechanics, quality control, welding
and other subjects. Plans are also to jointly
build a company training system. ADTEC is
run by Malaysia’s Ministry of Human Resources.
Malaysia very much welcomes the commitment
of international companies within its
borders. In end-November 2005, ASSB’s
managing director Detlev Jeske received an
investor appreciation award from the state of
Selangor in recognition of the investments
ASSB has made in the country. Malaysia
specifically sponsors the establishment of
new technologies. For the purpose, a
Science Park has been built in Selangor. The
industrial zone is conveniently situated near
a highway node; the Kuala Lumpur International
Airport (KLIA), operational since
1998, isn’t far away; and the country’s west
coast is a mere 35 kilometers distant. Kuala
Lumpur boasts a direct connection to Port
Klang, Malaysia’s largest seaport.
The lease for the new company premises is inked: Lee Chui Hiong, ASSB deputy managing director,
Detlev Jeske, ASSB managing director, Dato Jabar, general manager SSIC State Selangor, Martin Köster
and representatives of the real estate owner (from left).
Starting in 2007, the ASSB joint venture’s portfolio will be expanded with advanced repair techniques
for engine blades ex the low-pressure turbine and high-pressure compressor.
For additional information, contact
Martin Köster
+60 5522-6757
Further information is available on the
Internet at: www.mtu.de/report
The expanded facility will need well-trained
skilled workers. Partnerships to that effect are
already underway.
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