Building partnerships 

GKN Aerospace has secured a machining contract with the Aero Engine Corporation of China (AECC) to supply development parts of the Turbine Rear Frame (TRF) for a new high-bypass turbofan jet engine – being developed to power Chinese commercial jet airliners.

The TRF will be delivered in the second quarter of 2017, for use in the new commercial engine test and development programme. They will be manufactured at the GKN Aerospace facility in Trollhattan, Sweden, which is a centre of excellence for turbine engine structures.

Alex Guruprasad, vice president business development engine systems, comments: “This is our second agreement with the AECC Commercial Aero Engine Co. and demonstrates the trust and continuous relationship being developed.

“The capabilities within GKN Aerospace will further strengthen our relationship with the Chinese Aerospace industry. The Chinese aerospace market continues to grow and will be a key market in the future. We believe the expertise we offer in engine part manufacturing, as well as the local support through our Shanghai office have been extremely important to close this agreement and build relations. We will continue to closely follow this market and work with AECC CAE and the Chinese aerospace industry for additional opportunities.”

GKN Aerospace’s engine systems business is a market leader in the supply of aero-engine static and rotating structures and delivers turbine structures to the major prime manufacturers of commercial and military aero-engines worldwide.

The aerospace division is a global first tier supplier of wing, fuselage and engine structures, nacelle systems, landing gear and wiring systems, transparencies, ice protection systems and aftermarket services, with sales of £2.5 billion in 2015 and a global workforce of over 17,000 employees. It has a significant participation on many aircraft programmes today and a broad customer base spanning commercial, military, business aerospace and space markets.

The GKN Group has four divisions; GKN Aerospace, GKN Driveline, GKN Powder Metallurgy and GKN Land Systems, which operate in the aerospace, automotive and land systems markets. Over 55,000 people work in GKN companies and joint ventures in more than 30 countries.

GKN Aerospace www.gkn.com/aerospace