09:08 GMT, August 28, 2009 PRINCE GEORGE COUNTY, Va. | Rolls-Royce, the global power systems company, is ready to begin construction at Crosspointe, its new aerospace facility in Prince George County, Virginia. Following a rigorous and competitive selection process, the company has selected the design-build firm of Haskell to undertake construction of the first building on site.

This first building at Crosspointe will be a 140,000 square foot disc manufacturing facility. Discs, the part of a turbofan engine that contains the blades, are considered one of the most critical components of the engine. Discs manufactured at Crosspointe will be used in some of the company’s newest civil aerospace products – the Trent 1000, Trent 900 and Trent XWB – optimized for the Boeing 787, Airbus A380 and A350 XWB respectively. Construction on this facility is expected to begin in late September or early October.

This initial phase of work – disc manufacturing – will support roughly 140 jobs. Disc production at Crosspointe will begin as soon as possible once the site is operational, currently expected in the fourth quarter of 2010.

Tom Loehr, Rolls-Royce Executive Vice President, Crosspointe said: “Our improving market position and significant growth in the past few years have delivered a record order book. Despite these challenging economic times, we are confident in our long-term growth and determined to maximize the opportunities provided by our technologies, people and global reach. Thanks to our partners, the Commonwealth of Virginia, Prince George County, the University of Virginia and Virginia Tech, Crosspointe will be a world-class aerospace facility and will play a key role in our future. We’re delighted to be growing our footprint in Virginia and bringing the economic benefits associated with high value added manufacturing to the region.”

Plans are also proceeding for the second building on site – a blisk manufacturing facility. Blisks, or bladed discs, incorporating fan blades and discs into a single piece, are designed for use in the next generation of gas turbine engines. Blisks manufactured at Crosspointe will be used in the F136 engine for the Joint Strike Fighter, the world’s largest ever fighter program.

Crosspointe will be the largest Rolls-Royce site by area in North America, with ample space to accommodate suppliers’ and partners’ co-location in the future. It is also the first Rolls-Royce site built from-the-ground-up in the US.