Today marked a milestone more than six years in the making as Labman's Rolls-Royce RB211-535 jet engine was finally lifted into its permanent home at the heart of our new headquarters extension.
Image Credit: Labman Automation Ltd.
The 3.5-ton engine, which once powered a Boeing 757 in the Monarch Airlines fleet, now hangs proudly within the building’s central lightwell, visible from all three floors and overlooked by our recently opened staff cafeteria, The Hangar.
It’s a particularly special moment for our founder, Andrew Whitwell, who first envisioned the engine suspended in this space when it arrived from the Imperial War Museum Duxford in 2020. An engineer through and through, rumor has it Andrew was even involved in the structural calculations that made today’s installation possible.
With the entire company watching throughout an otherwise normal Tuesday, the impressive lift was expertly carried out by the team at AIS Vanguard. A huge thank you to them for helping bring a long-held vision to life.
Originally built to produce over 42,000 lbf of thrust, the RB211 spent its working life in the skies. Now, it begins a new chapter on the ground, serving as a daily reminder of the engineering ambition and curiosity that continues to drive Labman forward.