Arnstadt, 17 July 2025. Construction of the new logistics centre at N3 Engine Overhaul Services, the joint venture between Lufthansa Technik AG and Rolls-Royce plc in Arnstadt, officially began today with a ground-breaking ceremony. The new building is part of a comprehensive expansion project with which the company is significantly increasing its capacities and preparing for the increasing demand for the overhaul of Rolls-Royce Trent engines in the long term.
"With the new logistics centre, we are creating the basis for future-oriented logistics processes at N3," says Managing Director Stefan Landes. "An aircraft engine consists of up to 20,000 individual parts - from modules weighing several tonnes to the smallest screw. And every component has to be in the right place at the right time. In order to be able to continue working efficiently with increasing capacity utilisation, we need a modern and intelligent storage system that also meets aeronautical requirements."
From incoming goods to the office - everything under one roof
The three-storey building complex will be the logistics hub of the site in future. A loading ramp for incoming and outgoing goods as well as all intralogistics processes are planned for the ground floor. A floor storage area will be created on the first floor, while the first floor will house modern offices and social rooms, including changing rooms for around 560 employees, as well as workstations for over 30 employees. The entire new building will be barrier-free.
The centrepiece of the logistics centre is the fully automated high-bay warehouse system, which is around 123 metres long, 29 metres wide and 26 metres high. Unlike conventional systems, it enables particularly efficient storage of large-volume goods measuring up to 4 x 4 metres thanks to dynamic height adjustment. The combination of modern warehouse technology with intelligent IT systems enables automated storage and retrieval, central control of all warehouse processes and end-to-end real-time data analysis - an important step towards digitalised, agile and resilient logistics structures.
Another central component is the installation area for 24 warehouse lifts with a height of around 24 metres. These will be used to store and pick engine parts and provide them directly to the work areas.
In the Customer Delivery Centre (CDC), which is also being built, complete engines can be loaded in future, protected from the weather, using both crane systems and forklift trucks under a canopy. In addition to dispatch preparation, the CDC will also support production-related processes.
The new logistics centre is scheduled to go into operation in 2027.
The construction of the building complex is part of the "xDREAM" growth programme. The overall project also includes the expansion of the canteen building, existing parts of the factory hall and the cleaning system for engine components as well as the remodelling of office and social areas. With the start of construction of the logistics centre as the largest sub-project, all construction areas on the company site are now underway. 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 also for career changers
With the expansion of capacity, N3 is not only creating new premises, but also new prospects: The company is looking for qualified specialists and 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. Comprehensive information for those interested in a career change can be found on the company's own website: https://www.n3eos.com/en/company/n3-new-career
All information and job vacancies at N3 Engine Overhaul Services can be found here: 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 just outside 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).