General Electric invests $11.3 million in Asheville military, commercial engine facility

Will Hofmann, Asheville Citizen Times

ASHEVILLE - General Electric Aerospace announced a $11.3 million investment in its Asheville location on March 11, where the company will bring new high-precision machines used to produce critical components in military and commercial aircraft engine parts.

Investment in the Asheville location is part of a $650 million investment in GE locations across the country. The company announced a $46 million total investment in North Carolina locations, with facilities in Durham, Wilmington and West Jefferson also receiving investment monies.

GE employees, dignitaries, politicians and more mingle at the grand opening outside GE Aviation's new plant in South Asheville, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014. The new plant is the only facility in the U.S. that will be mass-producing jet-engine components using a ceramic matrix composite invented by GE Aviation researchers. 10/15/14
GE employees, dignitaries, politicians and more mingle at the grand opening outside GE Aviation's new plant in South Asheville, Wednesday, Oct. 15, 2014. The new plant is the only facility in the U.S. that will be mass-producing jet-engine components using a ceramic matrix composite invented by GE Aviation researchers. 10/15/14

The Asheville factory produces various widebody and narrowbody engines used in Boeing, Airbus, Bombardier or Embraer aircraft, GE Aerospace spokesperson Matthew Lehner told the Citizen Times. The facility also produces various components that go into U.S. Fighter Jets and U.S. military rotorcraft.

Additional facility investments include heating and cooling upgrades for the building, Lehner said.

"These investments in Asheville come at a great moment as GE Aerospace becomes an independent company, ensuring we have a strong future and can increase the production of cutting-edge parts that provide our engines with greater capabilities," said site leader for GE Aerospace Asheville Stephen French in the news release.

GE Aviation employee Loong Yap works at the company's facility in Asheville, which makes jet engine parts. GE Aviation in Asheville has more than 450 employees, and its employee base here has grown by around 200 employees over the last 10 years. The company has hired 30 more workers in the last six months.
GE Aviation employee Loong Yap works at the company's facility in Asheville, which makes jet engine parts. GE Aviation in Asheville has more than 450 employees, and its employee base here has grown by around 200 employees over the last 10 years. The company has hired 30 more workers in the last six months.

The company also announced an investment of $100 million to international facilities and another $100 million to be provided to supplier partners across the United States, according to the news release.

The Asheville GE Aviation plant opened in 2014, changing its name to GE Aerospace after General Electric officially spun off three companies: General Electric Healthcare, General Electric Aerospace and General Electric Vernova.

“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,”said H. Lawrence Culp, Jr., Chairman and CEO of GE and CEO of GE Aerospace in the news release.

“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.”

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Will Hofmann is the Growth and Development Reporter for the Asheville Citizen Times, part of the USA Today Network. Got a tip? Email him at WHofmann@citizentimes.com.

This article originally appeared on Asheville Citizen Times: General Electric invests $11.3 million in Asheville engine facility

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