MTU Aero Engines, Germany’s leading engine manufacturer, is a company that is a technological leader in low-pressure turbines, high-pressure compressors and turbine centre frames, as well as manufacturing processes and repair techniques
MTU is now expanding its worldwide network of locations with a new engine parts repair shop in Serbia’s Stara Pazova: MTU Maintenance Serbia d.o.o. Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić acknowledged this commitment as an essential and decisive step in the development of the aviation industry in Serbia.
MTU is building its new repair facility on an existing greenfield site. The newly designated industrial area of the municipality of Stara Pazova is located just 25 kilometres from Belgrade’s Nikola Tesla International Airport and, as such, has excellent transport connections.
“The industrial park has growth potential – for example, for attracting our suppliers and partners”, says Rainer Becker, project manager and managing director of MTU Maintenance Serbia.
The worldwide locations of MTU Maintenance log about 1.9 million repair hours annually. The new shop in Serbia is a further reinforcement of these operations. Starting in 2023, MTU repair specialists in Stara Pazova will work on the first engine parts.
“In a first step, we plan to have a capacity of about 400,000 repair hours per year,” says Holger Sindemann, head of MRO operations and also responsible for MTU Maintenance Serbia.
According to project manager Rainer Becker, “We want to attract the most talented employees to MTU and create a working environment in which they can perform to their best. We are making targeted investments in the training and development of our talents and supporting them in expanding their expertise and developing their potential. MTU Maintenance Serbia will provide many people in the Stara Pazova region with a professional future”
A team of about 30 MTU specialists from the areas of repair technologies, quality, logistics, finance and human resources is currently working to establish the site. The project team has already defined the plant and process technologies. Complex machines with long delivery times can thus be procured early on.
“All planning is done in close cooperation with the relevant authorities in Serbia, in order to ensure that the new building complies with all regulations and specifications,” explains the project manager.
With the construction of this new repair facility, MTU is also starting to recruit qualified employees and train future skilled workers. Its cooperation with the Serbian Ministry of Education, as well as universities, schools and the Aviation School in Belgrade, have shown that the level of qualifications is high.
“We started an advertising campaign early on, made contacts and introduced ourselves. We are delighted with the openmindedness, great interest and constructive cooperation,” says Hans Triebenbacher, who heads the subprojects “Training Centre Serbia” and “On-the-Job Training in Serbia.
In order to support existing qualifications, training will be established within the company in Serbia. MTU and the Government of the Republic of Serbia last year signed a declaration on close collaboration in the dual training of skilled workers – as practised in Germany. This will ensure the technical foundations required for a hightech industry like aviation. The “on-the-job training” will initially take place at MTU locations in Germany and Canada, with the aim of conducting this training exclusively in Serbia, starting in 2024.