GEnx development

Volvo Aero develops parts for the GEnx engine, in a dynamic project with General Electric.

"We have extensive experience of working with Volvo Aero through working on the CF6 engine. It makes them perfect for this program," says Eric Baehre, head of GEnx system engineering. Eric Baehre says the parts that Volvo Aero will supply are a major challenge. For instance, the fan hub frame has hundreds of interfaces to the rest of the engine, which places tough demands on both engineers and cooperation with other partners.

"This is a good team that works well with people from around the world. I feel very secure knowing Volvo Aero is handling these parts." He is also very satisfied with Volvo Aero's progress in the project. "What stands out the most so far is the progress within the aerodynamics of the parts developed.  Our aerodynamic experts are very impressed by what they have seen."

When Volvo Aero and GE carried out joint projects during the 1980s and 90s, Volvo Aero had an entire workforce on-site that took part in the work in a normal manner.

For some time now however new technology is being used in communication and information exchange, making Volvo Aero's on-site representation minimal. Due to the dynamics of this project, we opted to have some staff on location," explains Tommy Holmbäck, head engineer and one of Volvo Aero's onsite reps. Today they are fully staffed on-site with one representative per component to be delivered - three people in other words - and one person to handle product definition.

The rest of the work force consists of 80-90 people during the hectic initial phase of the project, all of whom are located in Trollhättan, Sweden where fan hub frames and booster spools are made and in Kongsberg where turbine rear frames are made.

Meetings are often held via the network based WebEx that allows for on screen pointing and demonstrations in real time. It is also possible to electronically transmit updated specs and drawings in a secure system between the various project sites.