SINGAPORE—Singapore Technologies (ST) Engineering has signed a license agreement with CFM International to provide MRO services for the Boeing 737 MAX’s LEAP-1B engine. 

The work will be carried out in Singapore, which is in the process of building the infrastructure and capability by the end of 2020.

The initial years will be quick-turn services before ramping up to full MRO capabilities in the later stages as manufacturer warranties of the engine type lapses.

“We expect to be ready to support the LEAP-1B engine by year-end, when we plan to have a capacity for about 50 LEAP-1B engines a year to support operators of the 737 MAX once the ban is lifted,” ST Engineering president-aerospace sector Lim Serh Ghee told Aviation Daily. 

Carriers in the Asia-Pacific region have around 297 737 MAXs in storage across the globe, with the majority in the U.S. at Moses Lake, Washington, awaiting delivery. The type has been grounded since Mar. 10, 2019, and most of its engines have been left untouched since then. 

ST Engineering has been a long-standing service provider of the CFM56-5B and -7B engines. The facility has employed three different automated methods to increase its engine output—a robotic abradable repair and inspection machine, a robotic sealant applicator and a robotic blade polishing machine. Turnaround time for the CFM-56 engines has been reduced from 80 days to less than 60. 

Singapore is also one of the three MRO facilities for the LEAP-1B’s rival, the GTF PW1100G-JM. Pratt & Whitney recently marked the first anniversary of GTF MRO work at its Singapore engine center Eagle Services Asia and said it will double the type’s capacity after a $85 million facility upgrade.