MTU Friederichshafen has new “green” paint shop

New 17-million-euro paint shop will facilitate more efficient and more ecological paint operations and is also a sign of commitment to the Friedrichshafen location. Pictured are paint-shop technicians Wolfgang Huber (left) and Bernhard Knobelspies (right) working on a Series 8000 unit

JUNE 21, 2017 — Rolls-Royce Power Systems is putting a new paint shop into operation at its MTU Plant 2 in Friedrichshafen, Germany. The new shop will make painting operations more efficient and more environmentally friendly, reducing throughput times by approximately 20%.

“This investment in the new paint shop – costing a total of 17 million Euros – will enable us to live up to our own quality expectations as well as meeting the quality demands of our customers,” said Andreas Schell, CEO of Rolls-Royce Power Systems. “It is also a commitment to Friedrichshafen as a company location in which we will be continuing to produce a large proportion of our engines.”

State-of-the-art technology makes the new paint shop much more environmentally friendly than its predecessor: the use of aqueous paint helps reduce solvent emissions, and cleaning of engines and components is also carried out without the use of solvents. Additionally, washing and flushing water can be used several times over.

With smaller engines, the booth can be divided in two, making painting more energy-efficient. The new plant also contributes major benefits as far as ergonomics, occupational health and safety, and efficiency are concerned. “Things like accessibility and physical ease of operation are greatly improved.

MTU engines from various engine series will be painted using the new plant – including Series 8000 units which are the biggest in MTU’s portfolio and with outputs up to 10,000 kW are used to propel military and governmental vessels, ferries, and yachts.

New 17-million-euro paint shop will facilitate more efficient and more ecological paint operations and is also a sign of commitment to the Friedrichshafen location. Pictured are paint-shop technicians Wolfgang Huber (left) and Bernhard Knobelspies (right) working on a Series 8000 unit