More engine machining in Aiken
Rolls-Royce plans a $75 million expansion of its Aiken, South Carolina, engine plant, adding 60 jobs. The project supports production of mtu Series 4000 engines for backup power. Engines built in Aiken go to Mankato, Minnesota, for assembly into complete generator sets.
The first phase would add 37,000 square feet. Construction is scheduled for the first quarter of 2026, with production planned for July 2027. A potential further phase could add another 22,000 square feet. Rolls-Royce intends to machine more components domestically; most currently arrive as finished goods from Germany.
A manufacturing campus established in 2010
The Aiken campus opened in autumn 2010 after manufacturing operations moved from Detroit to Graniteville in Aiken County. By its December 2020 tenth anniversary, the campus covered 395,000 square feet. Its original assembly operations served the Series 2000 and Series 4000 engine families, followed by on-site component machining.
The campus subsequently added research and development facilities with test cells for emissions calibration and certification. An administration building housed supplier quality, purchasing and scheduling. Military work included Series 883 engine assembly and complete overhauls. These manufacturing functions were already part of the site's history before the newly announced expansion.
Mankato adds logistics and assembly space
Rolls-Royce announced a separate $24 million investment in Mankato on Jun 3, 2025. A new 250,000-square-foot Logistics Operations Center beside the existing factory would expand logistics and assembly capacity. The company expected the center to begin operating in spring 2026 and anticipated creating more than 100 jobs over three years.
The Minnesota project targets backup power generation systems for data centers. Rolls-Royce forecast a production increase of more than 120% by 2026 against 2024. Its plans include:
- More capacity for mtu Series 4000 generator sets.
- Climate-controlled space for logistics and assembly activities.
- Room to develop further capabilities as power requirements evolve.
Separate projects along the production chain
Rolls-Royce acquired the Mankato business in 2007. It completed a $13.9 million expansion of the main manufacturing site and added a research and development center in 2021. The new logistics investment extends those operations, with the generator-set factory receiving its engines from the South Carolina plant.
Aiken also developed a youth apprenticeship program combining classroom lessons, training at a local career center and paid work in the plant. By December 2020, 32 participants had graduated from high school and completed industrial-mechanics certification. That historical figure describes the program at its tenth-anniversary reporting date.
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