MANKATO — Every generator assembled at Rolls-Royce’s Power Systems facility in Mankato starts the same way — with many individual parts arriving from facilities across the country.
By the time those components leave the plant, they have become fully tested backup power systems ready to support hospitals, data centers, airports and other critical facilities when electricity is lost.
Manufacturing engineer Rudy Stanglmaier said the Mankato facility focuses entirely on assembly. Engines, alternators and other major components are manufactured elsewhere before being delivered to the plant’s new Logistics and Operations Center, where they are received, organized and prepared for production.
For each customer order, warehouse employees collect every required component and organize them onto dedicated carts that travel with that specific generator throughout the assembly process. Larger components, including the engine, alternator and base frame, are staged separately before moving onto the production line.
The facility operates two primary assembly lines, each with five work stations, Stanglmaier said. Generators advance to the next station about every 90 minutes, allowing each line to complete about seven units during a 10-hour shift. He said the plant could build six to seven large generators each day and production has increased to 14 daily amid the facility expansion.
Although computerized tools assist with various aspects of the work, Stanglmaier said the assembly process depends primarily on skilled employees because every generator is built to different customer requirements. About 130 employees work directly in assembly, while another 70 support logistics and warehouse operations.
“Sometimes we get the impression that everything here is built by robots,” he said about public perception regarding manufacturing automation. “And then you come over here and see that it takes human beings to put these things together.”
Assembly begins by mounting the engine, alternator, radiator and base frame. As each unit moves through the line, technicians install fuel systems, cooling components, electrical wiring, control systems and other equipment based on customer specifications. Because every order is different, each generator receives its own combination of features and accessories, Stanglmaier said.
“They’re all a little bit different. It may not look like it, but every customer has different options. So the generators are different options, the engines have different power, the size of the radiators, even the fans.”
Once fully assembled, some generators weigh as much as 40,000 pounds and remote-controlled hydraulic equipment moves the completed units from one station to the next throughout production.
Every generator is moved into a testing area to confirm proper operation.
The generators built in Mankato provide emergency backup power for facilities where electrical interruptions cannot be tolerated. Hospitals, airports, data centers, industrial operations and wastewater treatment plants rely on the equipment to restore power within seconds of an outage, Stanglmaier said.
“Think about a hospital or a production line somewhere, or a data center, and if they lose power, then they cannot do the work. If you’re in a hospital, you cannot serve your patients.”
The plant’s largest generators produce 3,250 kilowatts of power, enough to provide backup power for facilities such as large hospitals and the equivalent needed power for about 21 mid-size American cars, he said. Smaller units are commonly used in apartment buildings, airport support operations and municipal infrastructure.
Stanglmaier said the new Logistics and Operations Center has improved efficiency by consolidating inventory that was previously spread across multiple warehouses. Keeping parts in one location has reduced delays, improved organization and created additional space to support the facility’s continued growth.