Arnstadt, 14 May 2025: N3 Engine Overhaul Services (N3), the joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and Rolls-Royce plc. for the overhaul and repair of Rolls-Royce Trent engines, is today celebrating the topping-out ceremony for two of the central construction measures of the ongoing expansion programme: the extension of the workshop and the cleaning line for cleaning engine components. A 24-metre-wide building block has been added to the existing workshop, which will house a new measuring room, additional technical machining centres and further assembly areas, among other things. The cleaning line is also being extensively expanded. The new plant doubles the previous process capacities and has a closed waste water treatment system, which will also integrate the existing plant in future. An exhaust air and heat recovery system with a capacity of around 80,000 m³/h makes the new system particularly energy-efficient. The general contractor for this and other parts of the construction project is the construction and services company GOLDBECK, which is active throughout Europe.
‘With today's topping-out ceremony, we are reaching another important milestone on our growth path, and we are doing so during ongoing operations with an increasing number of engine overhauls,’ says the new N3 Managing Director Holger Sindemann. ‘We are not only investing in buildings and technology, but also in modern processes and sustainability and are offering additional, state-of-the-art and future-proof jobs,’ adds Stefan Landes, who has been involved in the construction project as N3 Managing Director from the outset.
Commissioning of both parts of the building is planned for the end of 2025. The new machines and systems will also be installed by then. Parallel to the expansion of the building sections, the office areas at N3 will also be converted into a modern, open-plan office concept. The first construction phases for this have already been completed and some teams have moved into the new working environment in recent weeks. The overall project also includes the expansion of the canteen building - the preparatory construction work for this has already begun - as well as the construction of a logistics centre on the factory premises with a ground-breaking ceremony this summer. Together with its parent companies Lufthansa Technik and Rolls-Royce, N3 is investing a total of around 150 million euros in the site at Erfurter Kreuz.
Career opportunities at Erfurter Kreuz
With the expansion of capacity, N3 is not only creating new premises, but also new prospects: The company is looking for qualified specialists as well as career changers who are enthusiastic about working in engine overhaul. N3's own qualification programme also enables applicants without an aviation background to join the company. All information and job vacancies: https://karriere.n3eos.com/eng
Overview of the 2025 qualification programme for career changers
Prerequisites:
- Completed vocational training
- Technical affinity and manual dexterity
- High level of commitment and reliability as well as teamwork and communication skills
- Strong quality awareness and an independent, structured way of working
- Willingness to work shifts and weekends
Programme:
3 months of theory training at various locations in Arnstadt and Erfurt. training locations in Arnstadt and Erfurt
- 4 weeks of English training, aviation law, safety training, quality training, engine technology, human factors, etc.
6 months of practical training at the N3 plant
- supported by specially qualified tutors in the technical areas
- Participants in the N3 qualification programme for career changers are part of the N3 team from day one and receive the starting salary stated in the job advertisements
Overview of vocational training at N3
Vocational training 2025: around 20 training positions as
- Aircraft mechanic specialising in engine technology (m/f/d)
- Warehouse logistics specialist (m/f/d)
- Materials tester specialising in metal technology (m/f/d)
- Mechatronics technician (m/f/d)
- Further information: https://karriere.n3eos.com/eng
xDREAM growth programme: ramp-up of production to the maintenance of 250 engines per year
After 15 years of successful cooperation, the parent companies Lufthansa Technik AG and Rolls-Royce plc. agreed to intensify their cooperation and commitment in Thuringia in 2022 and granted approval for the expansion of the N3 site. This includes the expansion of the plant building and the construction of a logistics centre on the company premises. N3 launched its comprehensive xDREAM growth programme in 2022 to implement this. The aim of the growth programme is to increase the capacity for the overhaul of Rolls-Royce Trent engines to at least 250 engines per year.
N3 short profile
N3 Engine Overhaul Services (N3) is the European centre of excellence for the maintenance and repair of Rolls-Royce Trent engines. The joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and Rolls-Royce plc. is based in Arnstadt, in Thuringia's largest industrial area ‘Erfurter Kreuz’. Around 1,100 employees, including 41 trainees, service the engines of more than 50 international airlines on behalf of Rolls-Royce. The current N3 product portfolio consists of the Rolls-Royce Trent 700, Trent 900, Trent XWB, Trent 1000 TEN and Trent 500 engines (serviceability checks, tests on demand).