GE Aerospace to invest over $650M in manufacturing facilities and supply chain
GE Aerospace has announced plans to invest $650 million in its manufacturing facilities and supply chain in 2024, with the aim of increasing production and improving quality to better support its commercial and defence customers. The plans include investment in its Additive Manufacturing facilities located in Alabama and Ohio.
“As GE Aerospace prepares to become a standalone company this spring, we are making significant investments in the future of flight and in the dozens of communities and supplier partners helping us build it,” stated H Lawrence Culp, Jr, chairman and CEO of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace. “These investments are part of the next chapter for GE Aerospace, supporting cutting-edge equipment and safety enhancements that will help us meet our customers’ growing needs.”
GE Aerospace will allocate $54 million to its Auburn, Alabama, site. This will include additional Additive Manufacturing machines and tooling to increase the production of military rotorcraft engine components, along with narrow and widebody commercial aircraft engines.
The company also announced some $107 million will go to facilities in the greater Cincinnati, Ohio, region. This will see the addition of more Additive Manufacturing machines, new tooling and equipment, and modernisation/upgrades to test cells. This is intended to increase the production capacity of engines in commercial aircraft and in US and allied military helicopters and fighter jets.
“This is an investment in the future of manufacturing, ensuring we can continue producing high-quality, cutting-edge engines and services while meeting customer demand,” said Mike Kauffman, GE Aerospace Supply Chain Vice President.
In total, some $450 million will be put towards new machines, inspection equipment, building upgrades, and new test cells and safety enhancements at twenty-two GE Aerospace facilities across fourteen US states. A further $100 million is allocated to US supplier partners and $100 million at some of its international sites in North America, Europe and India.
In addition to the investments, GE Aerospace announced it is hiring more than 1,000 employees for open external positions at its US factories.
