Aerospace Division News

Rolls-Royce Holdings plc today announces the appointment of Sir Kevin Smith CBE as a Non-Executive Director. Sir Kevin will join the Board with effect from 1 November 2015 and will become a member of the Nominations and Governance Committee, the Remuneration Committee and the Science & Technology Committee. Sir Kevin joins from Unitas Capital, a leading Asian private equity firm, where he has been a full-time partner based in Hong Kong since joining the firm in February 2012. He has used his extensive industrial leadership experience to work closely with Unitas' portfolio companies, including being a director of technology company Edwards Group Limited (previously NASDAQ listed) from March 2012 until its sale to Atlas Copco in August 2013.

British engineering group Rolls-Royce (RR.L) said it would cut 600 jobs in its Norwegian-focused marine business in response to the lower oil price, a move it said would have a "broadly neutral" impact on 2015 profits. Rolls-Royce is in the middle of a cost-saving plan in its aero-engines business and headquarters, axing 2,600 jobs, and the streamlining of its marine business comes after a year of profit downgrades and cancelled orders. The company said that from 2016, the job cuts in marine would help generate 25 million pounds of benefits.

Rolls-Royce announced today that David Smith has been appointed as Chief Financial Officer and a Director of Rolls-Royce Holdings plc. He takes up his new role with immediate effect, replacing Mark Morris who has decided to leave the company after 27 years, serving most recently as Chief Financial Officer since January 2012. David Smith joined Rolls-Royce earlier this year, and is currently Chief Financial Officer of the Aerospace Division. David spent the first 25 years of his career at Ford where he held a number of senior positions including Chief Financial Officer and subsequently Chief Executive Officer at Jaguar Land Rover, before he moved to the technology company, Edwards Group as Chief Financial Officer.

Rolls-Royce has acquired marine electrical systems company VT Controls Ltd for £11 million, continuing its growth strategy in the marine market. VT Controls Ltd, acquired from the VT Group, will be incorporated into the Rolls-Royce Marine Electrical Systems business set up earlier this year. The acquisition is an important addition to the new business's capability, as it ramps up to support marine projects involving major electrical systems. Based in Portsmouth, VT Controls Ltd has provided power or automation systems on all front line UK naval platforms in the last decade and is involved in current naval programmes both in the UK and abroad. The company has an impressive pedigree that stretches as far back as the early 1970s when it supplied controls for Brazil's Mk 10 frigates.

Burger Boat Company announced that Bill Bitner has joined the Burger Executive Team as the new Vice-President/General Manager. Bitner has previously held positions as Allied Signal-Honeywell Aerospace Division and most recently, from Rolls-Royce Aerospace where he served as Vice President/General Manager for the last five years. Bitner holds an MBA in Global Management, Lean Manufacturing Certification and an Executive MBA Certification. As VP/General Manager, Bitner will gain efficiencies and make ongoing refinements to processes using training and communication techniques with the Burger Team.

Imagine having your picture taken as soon as you board any cruise vessel. While cruise lines have been observing this practice for many years for entertainment purposes, a new kind of photo has since come into play – the high speed interactive photo I.D. Developed by Security Identification Systems Corporation (SISCO), A-Pass (Automated Personnel Assisted Security Screening), provides a picture of each guest – even before boarding the ship – via a kiosk that stores each passengers photo upon insertion of their boarding card. Everyone who boards, even ships’ officers are required to observe this practice, which was presented before a Senate Subcommittee on Capitol Hill on January 9.